Primary sourceBook1887
What is an Instinct?
William James · 1887
James's 1887 article examining instinct and habit in animals and humans, later folded into his Principles of Psychology.
James authored this article himself as part of his foundational work in psychology.
About this source
What it is
This article was written by William James and published in 1887. It asks how instinct should be defined and explores examples from the animal kingdom, such as birds and silk-worms, to illustrate behavior without prior learning.
The piece later became part of his larger work, The Principles of Psychology.
Why it matters
The article shows James building the foundations of modern psychology, connecting biological instinct with habit and behavior in a way that influenced how psychologists thought about human and animal minds.
Look closer
- Why does James use animal examples like the hawk and silk-worm to explain instinct?
- What assumptions about nature and learning does this argument rely on?
- How might this 1887 definition of instinct differ from how psychologists define it today?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of William James on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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