The Science of Human Nature - A Psychology for Beginners by William Henry Pyle
page 61 of 245 (24%)
page 61 of 245 (24%)
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taken out of the dark room at the end of one, two, three, and four days,
it was found that in a few hours they were pecking as well as those that had been pecking from birth. It seems probable, if we may judge from our limited knowledge, that in the human child, activities are for the most part dependent upon the age of the child, and upon the state of development of the nervous system and of the organs of the body. =Significance of Inherited Tendencies.= Although human nature is very complex, although human action nearly always has some element of habit in it, nevertheless, inborn tendencies are throughout life powerful factors in determining action. This will at once be apparent if we consider how greatly we are influenced by anger, jealousy, love, fear, and competition. Now we do not have to learn to be jealous, to hate, to love, to be envious, to fight, or to fear. These are emotions common to all members of the human race, and their expression is an inborn tendency. Throughout life no other influences are so powerful in determining our action as are these. So, although most of our detailed actions in life are habits which we learn or acquire, the fundamental influences which decide the course of our action are inherited tendencies. =Classification of Instincts.= For convenience in treatment the instincts are grouped in classes. Those instincts most closely related to individual survival are called _individualistic_ instincts. Those more closely related to the survival of the group are called _socialistic_. Those individualistic tendencies growing out of periodic changes of the environment may be called _environmental_ instincts. Those closely related to human infancy, adapting and adjusting the child to the world in which he lives, may be called _adaptive_. There is still another group of inherited tendencies connected with sex and reproduction, which |
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