A person receives a lot by inheritance. In addition to a certain set of chromosomes, parents give the child the instinct for self-preservation. In humans, it manifests itself in the same way as in all other animals. When danger arises, fear appears, forcing a person to quickly make a decision that will save his life. But can parents deprive the child of the instinct of self-preservation? They can. Read all the details below.
Definition
What is human self-preservation instinct? This is an instinct that allows people to survive. When a car appears on the road, a person will turn off the trajectory of the car, and if a hurricane starts, a sensible individual will hide in the nearest capital building. Someone says that everything needs to be studied, and this is true. Nature does not always endow people with the same qualities and lays the same abilities. Someone has a well-developed instinct for self-preservation, while someone has to work on its development. How often can a person have the unique ability to save his own life? Daily. Few people think that hunger is a signal of the body, which reminds us that it is time to eat. If he were not there, a man could die. The same goes for sleep. A person is obliged to sleep, otherwise his body will not be able to tolerate daily physical exertion. How else can a protective reaction aimed at survival manifest itself?
Manifestation of instinct
What do you do in order to survive? Nothing? It is not true. The human self-preservation instinct is an innate quality, the manifestations of which few people think about.
- Satisfying hunger. In order not to die, a person must eat daily. What would happen to a person if there were no hunger? Some individuals who have memory problems might die. But forgetting about what you really want is simply impossible.
- Warm clothing. A person protects the body from the cold before going out into the cold. In order not to burn out in the sun, people use sunscreen. Protecting his body, a person thereby saves his life.
- Treatment. You can die from a common cold. For many centuries, people have improved their knowledge of medicine in order to treat their fellow citizens and themselves. If a person becomes ill, he will not lie down and moan, the instinct of self-preservation will force the individual to sign up for a doctor.
- Armament. If a war starts, all people will take up arms. The need for peace and tranquility forces a person to assert his rights and not give his life without a fight.
The difference between human and animal instinct
How do people differ from their smaller brothers? A person is distinguished from an animal by the instinct of self-preservation. But beasts, birds, and even insects have this instinct. What is the difference then? There are two kinds of instinct for self-preservation.
- Unconscious. When a fire starts, a person will not think about what he needs to take. He will quickly run to where there will be no fire. The hare and the fox will do the same. Animals in the forest can not only escape from the fire, they will instinctively run to the water. The same person will do. After a terrible natural disaster, not all people can explain why they were able to survive. Many say that they don’t remember where they ran and what they did.
- Deliberate. A person is distinguished from an animal by the instinct of self-preservation of this particular species. In a critical situation, people may recall that it would be nice to save their loved ones, documents and grab valuable things. In the event of an accident, a person can act quickly and accurately, saving the wounded and pulling out the injured.
Lack of instinct
The human self-preservation instinct is an innate quality. But for some individuals, it may be absent. Is it bad? People who are not afraid of death are very dangerous. They can, without a twinge of conscience, take their life not only from themselves, but also from those around them. How is it that nature gives the instinct of self-preservation to some, but not to others? All people have instinct, just some have a weak instinct, while others have a strong instinct. Society needs risky citizens. People who work as firefighters, police and doctors help those who need it survive. Therefore, over time, people become more fearless. It is transmitted genetically. And if earlier people used instinct for the benefit of society, today it is used to the detriment of themselves. If a person’s instinct for self-preservation is absent, he may end his life by suicide or become a demolitionist. Such people are dangerous both for themselves and for society.
Impaired instinct
Have you met a person who is panicky afraid of something? What is the main fear of a person? Fear of death. A person is distinguished from an animal by the instinct of self-preservation. Using this instinct leads some to insanity and phobias. People are afraid for their own lives, they see threats everywhere, so they install several locks and video surveillance cameras at home. Some worry that the elevator car may break and fall, so they try to avoid using lifting machines. Panic attacks can haunt a person from year to year. This is an abnormal reaction. An aggravated defensive reaction speaks of psychological problems that the individual has. They must be fought, otherwise they can drive a normal person crazy. With age, the situation worsens, so do not delay the visit to a specialist if you have several of the symptoms listed above.
Repression of instinct
People like to tickle their nerves. Today, this way of relaxation is very popular. Do you think a person has an instinct for self-preservation, if he wants to jump with a parachute or climb a rock without insurance? Yes, but the individual suppresses it by an effort of will. If the self-preservation instinct is normal, then it can be silenced for a while. For example, a person can read reviews of those who successfully jumped with a parachute. Comments that say that these 3-5 seconds of free flight were the best in life are very disturbing. A person wants to get his portion of adrenaline, so he is happy to board a plane.
But the suppression of instinct, self-preservation does not always play into the hands of people. If a person is depressed and cannot get out of it, he may decide to end his life by suicide. Hurting yourself does not seem like such a big disaster compared to depression, which has not receded for several years. Due to the fact that instinct can be relegated to the background, people decide to get tattoos for themselves or to intentionally maim their body.
Child instinct
With rare exceptions, all babies are born with the same instinct for self-preservation. So why does the situation change with age? Excessive custody or a dysfunctional family can play a role in the development of the child's psyche. In the first case, the child will not be afraid of absolutely nothing, and in the second, he will grow up too clogged. But this will become apparent only later. It was described above how the instinct of self-preservation manifests itself in an adult, and in children and infants the reaction to the outside world is slightly different. They react to everything with a cry. What could be the cause of continuous sobbing?
- The loss of mom. If the child does not see mom, he begins to cry. Mom is that person without whom the baby cannot exist.
- Unfamiliar people. A crowd of unfamiliar people is a potential danger. Therefore, a child may cry so that his mother takes him away from a strange gathering for him.
- Loud noises. Music, noise or TV interferes with the baby's sleep. The self-preservation instinct tells the baby that loud sounds are a danger.
- Satisfying natural needs. If the baby wants to eat or drink, he will call adults. Without this, he will not survive, therefore, at the slightest need he raises a strong cry.
What instinct can be confused with
A person can sometimes poorly understand his feelings. Violation of the instinct of self-preservation helps to get confused in the situation even more. Therefore, people do not always understand what is truly dangerous for them.
- Stupidity. A person may suffer due to a reassessment of his own strength or because of a lack of information. For example, not knowing that you can meet a shark in the open sea, the individual will swim without fear. A predator can catch a person by surprise, and the instinct of self-preservation can no longer help. Reevaluation of one's own strengths may consist in conquering a steep mountain. An untrained person can go to storm the mountains, and in the middle of the way to understand that there is no more strength. There will be little choice, if you don’t have enough strength to climb, you have to fall.
- Fear. A person can panic completely for nothing. For example, a girl will be afraid to walk around the city center at night only for the reason that her grandmother told me that after the war it was impossible to go out at night.
How to develop a self-preservation instinct
If the child had a quiet childhood, and his mother did not give him the opportunity to climb trees or run through puddles, then a teenager can grow up “greenhouse”. He will know about the dangers awaiting him only by hearsay. The instinct of self-preservation is a basic instinct, but sometimes it has to be developed, making own efforts. How can this be done? Start playing sports, but not extreme, but something like martial arts. Thanks to sports, excess energy will come out and health will remain. Try to find yourself a safe hobby. It can be music, art, or dancing. For a person with an excess of energy and a love of adrenaline, public speaking and communication with high-ranking persons can become a salvation.
How to Suppress the Self-Preservation Instinct
It is difficult to say who lives easier: a person who loves risk, or a person who is panicky afraid of danger. Probably hard for both one and the second. But how to manage to find a fine line and overcome fear in yourself? You should go in for extreme sports. Try to master a motorcycle or ride a race car, jump with a parachute or fly a paraglider. It is not necessary to completely eradicate fear; one must learn to control one’s feelings and, if necessary, push one's self-preservation instinct aside. You can tickle your nerves from time to time by watching horror films or reading horror stories. But do not flirt, remember that the line between the two extremes is very thin.
Can I solve problems on my own?
One example of a human self-preservation instinct is fear of heights. A man cannot look down from 100 floors without fear. And this is quite normal. But there are people who cannot walk on the bridge, which is suspended 10 meters above the river. Such fear is stupid and unnatural. Fear, which does not prevent you from living and protects against the commission of various stupidities, is the instinct of self-preservation. But what if it is developed too much or too weakly? If you are trying to improve the situation for several years, but all your attempts are unsuccessful, then consult a doctor. A specialist will be able to help you and get rid of panic attacks and other nonsense that your parents or teachers have driven into your head.