What is the survival instinct?

The word instinct is translated into Latin as instinctus which means impulse and motivation, it has its root in the term instingere which is made up of the verb stingere which is interpreted as driving, motivating or inciting and the prefix -in which refers to something internal. As its etymology indicates, instinct would be an impulse or motivation that comes from within ourselves.

It must be added in his presentation that instinctive behavior generally occurs unconsciously, the person or animal that responds instinctively does not think about the behavior, simply reacts automatically to a situation or object concrete.

We identify instincts, especially with animals, since they present certain behaviors or complex behaviors without anyone having taught them to perform them. We know that birds are capable of flying and, what is more, they are capable of anticipating changes in the season and migrating, and what about fish? No one teaches them to swim or feed themselves. These unlearned behaviors we qualify as instinctive.

But contrary to what we want to think, instincts are not exclusive to the animal kingdom, humans also have innate behaviors. With the evolution and with the construction of society, it is true that the impulses have been diminishing, they have even become seen as problematic, since they are less and less necessary and reason and language should prevail over other responses, even thus, sometimes we respond automatically to certain situations or stimuli, without being able to rationalize or avoid the behavior manifested.

In this article we will see what the survival instinct is, highlighting its importance within the animal kingdom, but also for the development of the human being as a species, we will also discover where and how the most basic of our instincts originate.

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What is the survival instinct?

All animals are programmed to survive. The survival instinct is the ability of all beings that inhabit the earth to deal with both aggression external and internal, allows us to stay alive and avoid death, has as a consequence and ultimate goal the preservation of species.

If you try to kill a bee, she will feel threatened and she will sting you, by doing so she will die immediately, however, she cannot avoid this behavior. If a cat feels threatened, he will respond with aggressive behavior, ruffling and scratching. As we see, in the face of danger, an animal will act innately to save its life, although sometimes it does not succeed.

But not only these behaviors exist, each species has developed, throughout evolution, extraordinary abilities to recognize and deal with dangerous situations. Moreover, all animals of the same species react in the same automatic way to danger. This automatic way of acting is what we know as survival instinct..

The reality is that animals have much more developed senses than humans, and can realize danger long before us. Those of us who live with a dog never cease to be surprised when he starts barking long before we ourselves realize that a stranger is coming home and rings the doorbell.

This innate instinctive capacity is still logical, animals have to survive in nature, we have long lived in communities and cities. In order to face all the challenges that are presented to them, animals have complex adaptation behaviors, we have already talked about reaction behaviors to the danger, but not only these reactions allow survival, other types of extremely complex behaviors such as migration in birds in changes of season, or hibernation in bears and other animals that live in extreme climates, also make the animals stay alive and can face difficult situations. extreme. Each species has different mechanisms and instinctive behaviors.

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The three survival instincts in the human being

It is often said that animals are limited to instinct and that reason is the basis of human behavior. However, like animals, Human beings also respond to the aggressions and unforeseen events of life, many times instinctively and automatically.. The survival instinct is, and above all has been, the main mechanism for the evolution of the species. Without survival instinct, we would not have gotten where we are. The main concern of this instinct is to ensure its survival and the physical survival of the clan.

Unlike animals, in the case of man and his current situation, with his level of socialization, the definition of the survival instinct must be extended to others; not leave it alone to preservation, sex, or the satisfaction of basic needs, as in the case of animals. In man there would be three types of instincts or drives (instinct passed through language) instinctive:

preservation instinct

The need for physical preservation or survival has to do with food, shelter and comfort. It guarantees the safety of the individual based on her basic need for survival. The main function of this instinct is to ensure the physical survival of both the individual and that of the clan or community.

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sexual instinct

The sexual instinct or intimate encounter is linked to the reproductive impulse, feeds on the vital energy and strength of face-to-face relationships. It allows you to release creative energy and experience the feeling of being unique, thanks to the unique moment you share with the other. The main function of the sexual instinct is union and/or procreation.

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social instinct

The social or societal instinct characterizes the intrinsic need to belong to a group, a society or a company. It allows us to feel more efficient and intelligent within an organization of people, with a constructive objective. The main concern of this instinct is to contribute to the progress of the world.

Evolution of instinct in humans

The evolution of man is undoubtedly one of the most complex and extraordinary known to date. We have come a long way over thousands of years. However, with the passage of time, living conditions improve and force us to rely less and less on primitive senses or instincts.

Scientists agree that humans, like all living things, possess both innate and acquired knowledge. This division of knowledge is found within each species.

Writing or walking are acquired knowledge and are the result of different factors: experience, individual learning, intelligence, reasoning and what we know in psychology as conditioned reflexes.

As for innate knowledge or what we call instinct in relation to animals, such as behaviors that nobody teaches us, it depends on the hereditary heritage of the species, the behaviors inscribed in the genes, such as the migratory movements of the birds that we had mentioned, an animal reacts to an attack, for example, running away. Nevertheless, for human beings the border between what is innate and what is acquired is sometimes ambiguous.

To illustrate this point a bit, let's think about a person's response to an assault. If the person happens to be a karate black belt, he or she will be able to deal with the aggressor in a different way than the others, perhaps incapacitating him without doing him any harm; other people will run away and call the police; and an aggressive person can hit a punch.

In the face of aggression, you can experience a protection mechanism dictated by our instinct, comparable to a reflex. But in this case, it's a conditioned reflex. It is the result of learning, as we can deduce from the examples. However, in a case of aggression, we cannot deny the part of the instinct in our reactions, therefore, it would be part of our genes.

The neurological origin of the impulse

The survival instinct is inscribed in the brainstem, which forms, together with the spinal cord and peripheral nerves, the main communication route of the brain. A study carried out by the European Molecular Biology Laboratory identified the circuits between neurons that allow the regulation of impulses.

Neurons in the prefrontal cortex, which controls the mental processes that allow us to process information and elaborate a response, they could inhibit the impulses originating in our most primitive part of the brain, the trunk encephalic. If the connections between these two parts of the brain are blocked, certain behaviors, such as running away, could be inhibited. However, the mice they used for the experiment did show clear signs of fear, which led to the conclusion that the instinctive reaction can be avoided, but not the emotion that originates

This study offers new perspectives in the development of therapies for self-control, anxiety, phobias, in addition to serious disorders such as schizophrenia, where the control of instincts has a role key code.