Instincts are the basic elements of the personality, the motivating forces that drive behavior and determine its direction. Instincts are a form of energy- transformed psychological energy- that connects the body’s needs with the mind wishes.
The stimuli for instincts are internal. When a need such as hunger is aroused in the body, it generates a condition of physiological excitation or energy. The mind transforms this bodily energy into a wish. It is this wish-the mental representation of the physiological need- that is the instinct or driving force that motivates the person to behave in a way that satisfied the need. A hunger person, for example, will act to satisfy his or her need by looking for food. The instinct is not the bodily state; rather, it is the bodily need transformed into a mental state, a wish.
When the body is in a state of need, the person experiences a feeling of tension. The aim of an instinct is to satisfy the need and thereby reduce the tension. The theory suggests that we are motivated to restore and maintain a condition of physiological equilibrium or balance to keep the body free of tension. We always experience a certain amount of instinctual tension and we must continually act to reduce it. It is not possible to escape the pressure of our physiological needs as we might escape some annoying stimulus in our external environment. This means that instincts are always influencing our behavior, in a cycle of need leading to reduction of need.
Showing posts with label instincts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label instincts. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Distinguish between the life instincts & the death instincts. How do they motivated behavior?
In Freud’s system, mental representations of internal stimuli, such as hunger, that drive a person to take certain actions. He grouped the instincts into two categories, the life instincts and the death instincts. The distinguish between the life and death instincts are below-
Life instincts:
1. The life instincts serve the purpose of survival of the individual and the species by seeking to satisfy the need for food, water, air and sex.
2. The life instincts are oriented toward growth and development.
3. The psychic energy manifested by the life instincts is the libido.
4. The libido can be attached to or invested in objects, a concept Freud called cathexis.
5. Freud regarded sex as our primary motivation.
Death instincts:
1. The death instinct compels us to destroy, conquer and kill.
2. Death instincts is the aggressive drive, describe as the wish to die turned against objects other than the self.
3. Freud developed the notion of the death instincts late in life, as a reflection of his own experience
4. Death instinct focus that people have an unconscious wish to die.
Life instincts:
1. The life instincts serve the purpose of survival of the individual and the species by seeking to satisfy the need for food, water, air and sex.
2. The life instincts are oriented toward growth and development.
3. The psychic energy manifested by the life instincts is the libido.
4. The libido can be attached to or invested in objects, a concept Freud called cathexis.
5. Freud regarded sex as our primary motivation.
Death instincts:
1. The death instinct compels us to destroy, conquer and kill.
2. Death instincts is the aggressive drive, describe as the wish to die turned against objects other than the self.
3. Freud developed the notion of the death instincts late in life, as a reflection of his own experience
4. Death instinct focus that people have an unconscious wish to die.
Instincts: The Propelling Forces of the Personality
Instincts are the basic elements of the personality, the motivating forces that drive behavior and determine its direction.
Instincts are a form of energy- transformed psychological energy- that connects the body’s needs with the mind wishes. Instincts, such as hunger and thirst; are internal. These instincts motivate person to behave in a way that satisfies the need. When the body is in a state of need, we become motivated to restore and maintain equilibrium by satisfying the need. These instincts are the source of energy for human behavior, but this energy may be expressed in a variety of interests, preferences, and attitudes.
Types of Instincts:
Freud grouped the instincts into two categories: life instincts and death instincts.
Life instincts: the life instincts serve the purpose of survival of the individual and the species by seeking to satisfy the need for food, water, air and sex. These instincts are oriented toward growth and development. The psychic energy manifested by the life instincts is the libido. Basically Freud regarded sex as our primary motivation. People are predominantly pleasure seeking beings and much of his personality theory revolves around the necessity of inhibiting or suppressing our sexual longings.
Death instincts: In opposition to the life instincts, Freud postulated the destructive or death instincts. Death instincts is the aggressive drive, describe as the wish to die turned against objects other than the self. The aggressive drive compels us to destroy, conquer and kill.
Instincts are a form of energy- transformed psychological energy- that connects the body’s needs with the mind wishes. Instincts, such as hunger and thirst; are internal. These instincts motivate person to behave in a way that satisfies the need. When the body is in a state of need, we become motivated to restore and maintain equilibrium by satisfying the need. These instincts are the source of energy for human behavior, but this energy may be expressed in a variety of interests, preferences, and attitudes.
Types of Instincts:
Freud grouped the instincts into two categories: life instincts and death instincts.
Life instincts: the life instincts serve the purpose of survival of the individual and the species by seeking to satisfy the need for food, water, air and sex. These instincts are oriented toward growth and development. The psychic energy manifested by the life instincts is the libido. Basically Freud regarded sex as our primary motivation. People are predominantly pleasure seeking beings and much of his personality theory revolves around the necessity of inhibiting or suppressing our sexual longings.
Death instincts: In opposition to the life instincts, Freud postulated the destructive or death instincts. Death instincts is the aggressive drive, describe as the wish to die turned against objects other than the self. The aggressive drive compels us to destroy, conquer and kill.
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