Behavior vs Instinct - What's the difference?
behavior | instinct |
(uncountable) Human conduct relative to social norms.
(uncountable) The way a living creature behaves or acts generally.
(uncountable, informal) A state of probation about one's conduct.
(countable) An instance of the way a living creature behaves.
(countable, uncountable, biology, psychology) Observable response produced by an organism.
(uncountable) The way a device or system operates.
A natural or inherent impulse or behaviour.
* Shakespeare
* {{quote-book
, year=1921
, title=
, author=Bertrand Russell
, passage=In spite of these qualifications, the broad distinction between instinct and habit is undeniable. To take extreme cases, every animal at birth can take food by instinct, before it has had opportunity to learn; on the other hand, no one can ride a bicycle by instinct, though, after learning, the necessary movements become just as automatic as if they were instinctive.}}
An intuitive reaction not based on rational conscious thought.
(archaic) Imbued, charged ((with) something).
* Milton
* Brougham
* 1928 , (HP Lovecraft), ‘The Call of Cthulhu’:
As nouns the difference between behavior and instinct
is that behavior is (uncountable) human conduct relative to social norms while instinct is a natural or inherent impulse or behaviour.As an adjective instinct is
(archaic) imbued, charged ((with) something).behavior
English
Alternative forms
* behaviour (everywhere except US) * (l), (l), (l), (l)Noun
(en-noun)- He was on his best behavior when her family visited.
Usage notes
* Adjectives often applied to "behavior": human, animal, physical, chemical, mechanical, electrical, organizational, corporate, social, collective, parental, interpersonal, sexual, criminal, appropriate, inappropriate, correct, incorrect, right, wrong, good, bad, acceptable, unacceptable, poor, ethical, unethical, moral, immoral, responsible, irresponsible, normal, odd, deviant, abnormal, violent, abusive, aggressive, offensive, defensive, rude, stupid, undesirable, verbal, nonverbal, learned, professional, unprofessional, adaptive, compulsive, questionable, assertive, disgusting, self-destructive.External links
* * English words prefixed with be-instinct
English
(wikipedia instinct)Noun
- Many animals fear fire by instinct .
- By a divine instinct , men's minds mistrust / Ensuing dangers.
- an instinct''' for order; to be modest by '''instinct
- Debbie's instinct was to distrust John.
Derived terms
* instinctively * instinctiveAdjective
(en adjective)- The chariot of paternal deity / Itself instinct with spirit, but convoyed / By four cherubic shapes.
- a noble performance, instinct with sound principle
- This thing, which seemed instinct with a fearsome and unnatural malignancy, was of a somewhat bloated corpulence, and squatted evilly on a rectangular block or pedestal covered with undecipherable characters.
