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Instinct is a term used to describe a set of behaviors that are both unlearned and set in motion as the result of some environmental trigger. Instincts are also often discussed in relation to motivation since they can also occur in response to an organism’s need to satisfy some innate internal drive tied to survival.
Instincts are present across species and are consistent within individual species. In other words, many different species rely on instincts, and if one member of a species possesses an instinct, then they all do.
Before we move into a discussion of specific types of instincts, it is important to distinguish the difference between an instinct and a reflex. Both are types of unlearned behavior that tend to serve a survival purpose. The difference is that a reflex is a typically a simple reaction or a response to an environmental trigger whereas an instinct is a much more complex set of behaviors.
For instance, an example of a reflex would be when a baby turns his head toward an object that is pressed against one cheek in an effort to nurse. The head turn is a simple reactionary process. An instinct would be the manner in which a mother bird regurgitates her food to feed her young in response to their signals of hunger. Both are reactions to environmental cues; however, the mother bird must engage in a series of much more complex behaviors in order to respond to the cues the environment is providing her.
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Instinct is a set of behaviors that are both unlearned and set in motions as the result of some environmental trigger. Specifically, instincts are in relation to motivation since they occur in response to an organism’s need. The difference between an instinct and a reflex is that a reflex is a simple reaction to an environmental trigger whereas an instinct is a more complex set of behaviors. (67 words)
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