...The major premise of Beach’s article is the need to analyze the reasons for the vitality of a concept that has stood the test of time without objectively testing it. The next objective of the article is to evaluate the concept of intuition as it relates to the science of behavior. Beach concerns himself with the problem that behaviorists often just name or label instincts and he cautions what will happen when this phenomenon assumes that no learning is involved in this process. Beach states that from the beginning, instinct has been defined and discussed in terms of its relation to reason and the human soul. During the fourth century B.C. the Greek philosopher Heraclitus stated that there are two types of creation. Men and gods were the products of rational creation, and irrational beings were in a separate category of living creatures. Heraclitus observed that only gods and men possess souls. This close relation between rational powers and the possession of a soul would be reaffirmed again during the next 2500 years. Heraclitus in all actuality laid the groundwork for the development and concept of instinct. Philosophers of the first century A.D. held that men and gods belong to one community since they are rational beings. All animals were excluded since they are not creatures of reason and their most complex behavior takes place without reflection, as stated by Seneca. Neither Heraclitus nor the Stoics based these conclusions upon objective evidence. They assumed...
Words: 1358 - Pages: 6
...Instincts and their Vicissitudes Sigmund Freud This Page Left Intentionally Blank - 109 - This Page Left Intentionally Blank - 110 - Editor's Note to "Instincts and their Vicissitudes" James Strachey (a) German Editions: 1915 Triebe Und Triebschicksale Int. Z. Psychoanal., 3 (2), 84-100. 1918 Triebe Und Triebschicksale S.K.S.N., 4, 252-278. (1922, 2nd ed.) 1924 Triebe Und Triebschicksale G.S., 5, 443-465. 1924 Triebe Und Triebschicksale Technik und Metapsychol., 16-187. 1931 Triebe Und Triebschicksale Theoretische Schriften, 58-82. 1946 Triebe Und Triebschicksale G.W., 10, 210-232. (b) English Translation: 1925 ‘Instincts and their Vicissitudes’ C.P., 4, 69-83. (Tr. C. M. Baines.) The present translation, though based on that of 1925, has been very largely rewritten. Freud began writing this paper on March 15, 1915; it and the following one (‘Repression’) had been completed by April 4. It should be remarked by way of preface that here (and throughout the Standard Edition) the English word ‘instinct’ stands for the German ‘Trieb’. The choice of this English equivalent rather than such possible alternatives as ‘drive’ or ‘urge’ is discussed in the General Preface to the first volume of the edition. The word ‘instinct’ is in any case not used here in the sense which seems at the moment to be the most current among biologists.1 But Freud shows in the course of this paper the meaning which he attaches...
Words: 12272 - Pages: 50
...boy’s meetings, as whoever holds it holds the power to speak. When the shell is being used, the boys are generally calm and orderly, highlighting Golding’s intent in putting the shell in the novel, which is to have a symbol of the civility of the outside world. As the novel progresses and the island community descends into total anarchy, the shell loses all power over the boys, thus their sense of order is vanquished. This is symbolized when the boulder that crushes piggy also crushes the shell, signifying the demise of the civilized instinct of most of the boys on the island. Another powerful symbol in the story is The Beast, the frightening creature that terrifies all the boys on the island. The Beast is a clear symbol for the savage nature and primal instinct that exists within all human beings. All of the boy’s fear the beast, but Simon reaches the realization that they fear it because it exists within them, that their own savage instincts are what truly scare them. As the...
Words: 659 - Pages: 3
...premarital sex as fornication according to the Bible. Today, the couples who have had a long stable relationship keep a distance with only hugs or light kisses. Even the couples who have been engaged still keep the strict sexual rules set by God. They tend to feel sinful after practicing premarital sex. While there are still others hold a different view. They think sex is a part of life, and we should enjoy it when the moment comes. Premarital sex among the adults should be accepted. God does have the ability to forgive us, and hope us live a happy life. All humans have natural instinct drives, we should understand it, and accept it. What drives a gentleman to fantasize about a sexy woman in the street? Why does every soldier hide in the safety base camp rather than going out for a walk? Why do people feel the urge to hunt for food when he is hungry? These are all the human natural instincts which include sex, survivals, and so on. According to Freud, Id, Ego, and Superego are three types of human psyche. The Id is the source of instinctive biological drives, it is unconscious but strong. It is the unorganized part of the personality structure that contains a human's basic, instinctual drives. It operates according to the psychic force that motivates the tendency to seek immediate gratification of any impulse. It has no organization, but only a striving to bring about the satisfaction of the instinctual needs. Sexual compulsion is a part of the Id. The id contains the...
Words: 900 - Pages: 4
...decision without evaluating the alternatives critically. “The Sisterhood of the Night” and “The Lottery” presents this concept in details with relevant examples trying to depict the use of the theme. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a fiction story explaining the idea of the modern community in arbitrarily stoning one of their own for the purpose of satisfying a ritual. Their idea, in real situation, is unbelievable. From the setting, “The Lottery” is in unidentified American town having some annual tradition. Every year, residents of the town play a lottery that happens in the main square. The residents of the place have no memory of the exact procedure followed or the origin of the process (The Dangers in Human Group Animal Instinct). Likewise, they do not bother replacing the decaying black box used for many years containing the lottery tickets. They are too lazy to enquire on the situation but rather complain of how fast this day reaches every year and disrupt their daily routine. This depicts the idea of groupthink. People often work together to get the lottery but end up blaming the outcome of the activity. In explaining this theme, the author sets the process of the lottery into two steps: in the first step, the head of the family picks out some piece of paper and gives it to the family...
Words: 894 - Pages: 4
...Instincts are hard-wired genetic behaviors that enhance our ability to cope with environmental circumstances. These instincts were the driving force for the behavior of our ancestors; they were beneficial when situations arose that provoked a flight or flight response. Despite the increased safety of our environment and living circumstances, we still have the flight or flight emergency response instinct as a part of our DNA. Our fight or flight response is the best known survival instinct. This is triggered when we think our existence is being threatened. Our sympathetic nervous system is activated, and emotional, psychological, and physical changes happen. Our senses are heightened and the frontal lobe of our brain is able to make quicker...
Words: 804 - Pages: 4
...Can Animals Demonstrate Intelligence, or Do They Just Act on Instinct? Animals' behaviors can be recognized as a complicated process in animals' lives circles which includes a mixture between instinct and intelligence. The way that most of animals use to communicate with each other is a clear sample to know how much complicated they are. Most differences between animals' behaviors may relate to their intelligence such as defense tactics, or act on instinct like nursing. The difference between animals' intelligence and acting on instincts is that they can learn how to do things like hunting which explains intelligence but feeling of hunger is instinct because of some internal or external factors like the hormones process in the body or skin's low temperature. However animals are in between of acting in instinct and demonstrating intelligence. The scientists focused on animal intelligence and demonstrated that they can learn from humans and from each other. For example the apes have learned the sign language by many signs which need time to memorize, afterwards scientists discovered that they can communicate with apes with these signs. This means that apes have an intelligence which is different from other animals to give them special character among them. Most animals act on instincts in some situations or at least in one stage of their lives. For instance, when birds are young they open their mouths for eating from their mother. Also, sea turtles after they hatched they...
Words: 310 - Pages: 2
...The Morals of Survival The human instinct for self-preservation is powerful. The instinct and responsibility of all humans is to thrive through desperate and dire situations at all costs. One’s behavior in these crucial situations would flow from their desires and needs and their emotions and psychological state of mind. A concern is raised when we try to find a positive correlation between following one’s moral compass and the success of survival; which there is none. If one does not succumb to their survival instincts – that kick in to aid in an unfamiliar situation – you cannot survive. In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, Pi Patel is faced with despairing hardship when the ship he has boarded sinks and he is led astray on a lifeboat with four wild animals along with him. Furthermore, Pi faces the issue of morality versus survival which is especially difficult for him because of his religious nature, the usage of Richard Parker as an emotional and psychological crutch to get through this chaotic circumstance and also, the constant fixation on food and the lack of it. Being lost at sea gives the story a perspective very different from the normal life of Pi Patel. Pi’s will to survive coordinates with his loss of spiritual purity – though those acts of survival are needed for Pi to thrive, in which societal norms of behavior are irrelevant when ones sole priority is to survive in a circumstance that is nearly impossible to overcome. Morality and survival do not go hand and hand...
Words: 1626 - Pages: 7
...satellites. We are governed by laws designed to protect us. We live in heated homes with fresh water and electricity. We commute to work by car or mass transit. We live by rules, values, and ideals that keep the peace. Our world is organized, convenient and technologically advanced. What would happen if suddenly our civilization disappeared leaving us with only the things we were wearing, the ideals we were raised with, the things we could find is nature and our instincts? This is exactly what happened to the boys in Lord of the Files by William Golding. Ralph, Piggy, Jack and the other stranded students find themselves on a deserted island. Golding’s motives for choosing the island setting for the novel, Lord of the Files was to have the characters isolated, where the laws of their governments could not reach them. The boys on the island represented a microcosm of world society. Golding chose children because they have not yet been fully conditioned by society to understand right from wrong and thus are guided by their instinct and what is inherent with them. Golding uses a great deal of symbolism throughout the novel. Different characters provide different symbols. Jack is a symbol of savagery and anarchy. Golding relates the inherent evil with Jack to the evil and cruelty of the larger world, which we all share. The conch shell becomes a powerful symbol of civilization and order, Piggy’s glasses represent the power of science and intellectual endeavor in society, Roger...
Words: 1465 - Pages: 6
...Is humanity good or evil? This argument has been going on since the enlightenment period. Rousseau theorized that man essentially come to this world god, but gets corrupted throughout experiences, in other words, we are nobles savages that gets corrupted through our livings. In the novel Lord of The Flies, by William Golding demonstrates that the isolated boys on the island get corrupted through their primal instincts of their savagery. The savagery that are explained in the novel, are divided into three levels, first level is the good potential, next is experience, and the final stage is savagery. First of all, in the novel the kids are full of pride and full of education and morality. The oldest boy out of all is 12 years old, which is a good year for knowing how the world works around them and how to behave properly. Through the supervision when the boys were back in England, they describe themselves as noble beings. “’We’ve [the boys] got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re [the boys] not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything.’” (40). in this discussion, Jack Merridew, the choir boy implies their pride of being English and that they should not spoil themselves from nobility to savages. There is irony used because throughout the plot summary, Jack Merridew becomes the most cruel out of all the boys, and him saying of that they are ‘not savages’ gives an ironic effect. It wasn’t just the authorization and rules that are mentioned, but...
Words: 919 - Pages: 4
...character’s overarching humanity. That being the case, one can see the dilution of morality at the hands of war’s influence on particular characters in this tale. An example of this would be when Mitchell Sanders “used Kiowa's hunting hatchet to remove the thumb” of the dead child and said it was moral as he “kicked the boy's head” (O’Brien 14). As far as anyone knows, that is not typically what modern, or even at that times society, would have thought to be as moral. No one cuts off thumbs or kicks dead children. That evidence alone proves war is a monster and steals humanity and its morality. In addition, with all things mentioned previously, an eventual result of this deterioration of humanity is the characters reverting back to basic human instincts and...
Words: 1202 - Pages: 5
...throughout all of his works of literature . One of Stephen crane most popular from to use was Animal Imagery. Stephen Crane’s use of imagery to show how we all have animal instincts. Throughout all of Stephen crane works contain Imagery. For example all through the book The Red Badge of Courage Stephen Crane employs vivid use of Animal Imagery. “He developed the acute exasperation of a pestered animal, a well - meaning cow worried by dogs ” (crane 201). The vivid use Animal Imagery in The Red Badge of Courage leads you to believe most of the battles are in the main characters head. Also Stephen Crane use of imagery makes you lose sight at what is going on talking about from men then changing them to animals within them. “The regiment is sometimes a monster and sometimes a reptile. These images cause the reader to lose sight of the fact that the regiment is really a unit of men” (cliffnotes). Stephen Crane also he uses color imagery to show contrast in things. Constantly use different versions of animal imagery frequently in connection with battle. “To the youth it was an onslaught of reportable dragons “ (crane 230). “The mouthed rumors that had flown like birds out of the unknown” (crane 221). Stephen Crane use of Animal Imagery throughout his works show how we all have animal instincts. “He is tapping into the core of his being that he shares with snakes, pigs, cats, etc “ ("shmoop"). Also Stephen Crane’s style of imagery uses a lot of metaphor and personification...
Words: 666 - Pages: 3
...of symbolism. The Conch is used to summon the boys after the crash and later used to call assemblies or meetings. The shell effectively governs the boys’ meetings, for the boy who holds the shell holds the right to speak. In this regard, the shell is more than a symbol: it is a vessel of political legitimacy and democratic power. “Which is better--to have laws and agree, or to hunt and kill?” This quotation states what the conch originally stood for. The conch shell becomes a powerful symbol of civilization and order in the novel. As the civilization erodes and the boys descend into savagery, the conch shell loses its power. The boulder that Roger uses to kill Piggy also destroys the conch shell, signifying the demise of the civilized instinct among the boys on the island. One of Ralph’s original ideas to create a signal fire to catch the attention of passing ships. The only way fire can be started is by using Piggy’s glasses. Piggy is the most intelligent, rational boy in the group: his glasses represent the power of science in society. This is clear from the start of the novel; when the boys use the lenses from Piggy’s glasses to focus the sunlight and start a fire. The fact that the boys maintain the fire is a sign that they want to be rescued and return to society. This slowly changes as the novel progresses. When the fire goes out, the boys have lost their desire to be rescued and have accepted their savage lives on the island. The signal fire thus functions as a kind...
Words: 489 - Pages: 2
...processes since they strongly influence someone’s personality. The childhood experiences play a significant role in shaping up the feelings and behaviors of someone when he or she becomes an adult. According to the theory, some people behave in a certain manner because of some pleasant or unpleasant experiences that are rooted in them from their childhood (Higdon, 2012). The proposition that any behavior is determined is made from the theory since the notion behind this is that any behavior portrayed has a cause including the slips of the tongue. People should, therefore, be accountable for any behavior that they portray. Someone’s ego is part of what makes up one’s personality, and this is greatly advocated by the theory. A person’s instincts are important since they influence instinctual drives...
Words: 557 - Pages: 3
...beginning of the story, the narrator depicts himself and his companions, Digby and Jeff, as rebellious teenagers who seek destruction in their lives just to look cool. “…gin in one hand and a roach clip in the other”, they took drugs and drank alcohol, listened to loud music, wrecked others’ properties, watched people make out by the lake, and “didn’t give a shit about anything” as they drove recklessly. The author portrays Greasy Lake as “fetid and murky” with its banks “glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans and the charred remains of bonfires” . This image of destruction parallels with and supports the main characters’ violent behaviour, thus explaining why they to Greasy Lake. As the teenagers rebel, they allow their primal instincts to govern themselves. Dictions including “snuff”, “howl”, and “primeval susurrus” imitate their animalistic behaviour as they inch towards what they perceived as “nature” then, which is to rebel. The main characters’ wish to seek adventure also determines their rebellion. They are shown to have “cruised the strip sixty-seven times” to search thrill within a small, isolated area around Greasy Lake. The repetition of their activities reflects their dissatisfaction of the lack of excitement within the region. The personification “winked” further demonstrates how something with only a tinge of...
Words: 1148 - Pages: 5
