Key Takeaways
- The instinct theory of motivation suggests that our behaviors are driven by biological instincts.
- Instincts must occur naturally in all organisms of a species and be unlearned.
- Infants have reflexes like rooting, which helps them survive by finding nutrition.
Many researchers have sought to understand what motivates human behavior. Is the way that we behave something we are born with, or does it develop due to the experiences we have? One theory that is more aligned with the former school of thought is the instinct theory of motivation.
Here we explore what instinct theory is and how it uses evolutionary biology to explain our motivational levels. We also share a few criticisms of the instinct theory of motivation, along with a brief overview of several other common motivation theories.
Overview of Instinct Theory
According to instinct theory, all organisms are born with certain tendencies designed to help them survive. These biologically determined, innate patterns of behavior are called instincts, and our instincts ultimately drive our actions.
In humans, instinctive behaviors often appear in the form of reflexes, which are present in early childhood. For example, infants have an inborn rooting reflex that drives them to seek out a nipple to obtain nourishment.
Other newborn reflexes include those related to stepping, grasping, and being startled (the Moro reflex). These types of behaviors occur automatically as opposed to being the result of learning or experience. They represent the nature side of the nature vs. nurture debate.
A number of instinctive reactions or reflexes that exist in infancy are still present in adulthood. You may have noticed some of these reflexes before as they include the:
- Cough reflex
- Gag reflex
- Sneeze reflex
- Yawn reflex
How Instinct Theory Explains Motivation
The instinct theory of motivation suggests that our drive to act in a specific way is rooted in our biological makeup. More specifically, we engage in certain behaviors because they aid in our physical survival. Birds that migrate are a primary example.
Research indicates that engaging in migration before the weather turns cold improves these birds’ chances of survival. They are motivated or driven to head to warmer climates in the winter because it increases their likelihood of making it through the colder months.
Humans also have basic survival instincts that motivate our behaviors. Going back to the example of the rooting reflex, infants are motivated to “root for” and suck on a nipple as a means of nutrition, which helps ensure their survival.
But what qualifies as an instinct? In his book Exploring Psychology, author David G. Meyers suggests that to be identified as an instinct, a behavior “must have a fixed pattern throughout a species and be unlearned.” In other words, it must occur naturally in all organisms of that species.
The Power of Instinctive Behaviors
One way to truly understand the power of evolutionary instincts is to look at animals. Animals have inherent tendencies to spontaneously engage in particular patterns of behavior. A dog naturally shakes after a bath, for instance, and turtles intuitively head toward the water after hatching.
In the mid-1930s, zoologist Konrad Lorenz famously demonstrated the power of instincts using geese. Lorenz reported that geese become attached to the first moving object they encounter after hatching, which is usually their mothers. However, by ensuring that he was the new hatchling’s first encounter, they instead became attached to or imprinted on Lorenz.
These instincts are just as powerful in humans. Thanks to the rooting reflex, for instance, brushing an infant’s cheek will cause the child to automatically turn their head and move their mouth as if they are sucking.
History of the Instinct Theory of Motivation
William McDougall was one of the first psychologists to talk about the instinct theory of motivation in his writings. He suggested that there were three important elements of instinctive behavior: perception, behavior, and emotion.
In total, McDougall outlined 18 different natural human instincts. They included natural tendencies toward curiosity, laughter, and sex, in addition to survival-based behaviors such as seeking out food.
Psychologist William James identified his own set of instincts that he believed were essential for survival. These included such things as fear, anger, love, shame, and cleanliness.
Psychiatrist Sigmund Freud outlined a broader picture of motivation. Instead of relying on several different instincts, he suggested that human behavior was driven by only two instinctual patterns. Freud referred to these as life and death instincts.
Criticisms of Instinct Theory of Motivation
While instinct theory could explain what drives certain behaviors, its critics feel that it has some major limitations. Among them are:
- Instincts cannot be readily observed or scientifically tested.
- Not all behaviors can be explained by instincts.
- Labeling something an instinct does nothing to explain why certain behaviors appear in some instances but not in others.
Even amidst criticisms such as these, this doesn’t mean that psychologists have given up trying to understand the roles that instincts play in behavior. Modern psychologists understand that while certain tendencies might be biologically programmed, individual experiences also play a role in how responses are displayed.
For example, we may be more biologically prepared to quickly detect specific threats, such as spiders and snakes. However, we will never exhibit fear if we aren’t exposed to these animals.
Other Theories of Motivation
In addition to instinct theory, there are several other theories that have been proposed to help explain motivation. These include:
- Arousal theory of motivation, which claims that people behave in certain ways to either increase or decrease their arousal levels
- Drive theory of motivation, in which people are “driven” to behave in certain ways to reduce the internal tension caused by unmet needs
- Expectancy theory, which claims that our motivation will increase with the perceived desirability of an expected reward
- Humanistic theory of motivation, which claims that behaviors are the result of a desire for self-actualization
- Incentive theory of motivation, in which we make choices to maximize pleasure and minimize pain
In actuality, none of these theories—including instinct theory—can fully explain motivation. It’s likely that components of all of them, as well as theories not yet proposed, are integrated in a way that results in us feeling motivated to engage in certain behaviors.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Additional Reading
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Myers DG. Exploring Social Psychology.
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