Aggression, has been the representation of something diabolical, and destructive for humans and animals as we know it. But what is the cause of aggression; is it instinct, the means of self defense, and sexual reproduction (Konrad Lorenz), or is it a trait learned through reinforcement and punishment (E.O Wilson)? Humans have learned to repress their behaviour to comply to the society, does this make them different compared to animals? Pushed to the limits, is when aggression becomes exposed. Although our instinct has become desensitise as we become more civilized it doesn’t wipe away what it is at our subconscious. In nature, animals pushed to the limits respond in two ways, fight or flight. Given a certain amount of space at which the predator
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In the wild, survival of the fittest is the only rule that everyone obeys, eventually to reproduce and pass on genes, ‘Every one of the fighters gains an obvious advantage by its behaviour or, at least, in the interests of preserving the species it ‘ought to’ gain one. But intraspecific aggression, aggression in the proper and narrower sense of the word, also fulfils a species preserving function’ (Lorenz 8).Its a competition in which the more aggressive ones takes all, especially when fighting for a female. The winner will pass on its superior, more aggressive genes. Humans respond to their environment continuously, whether it’s emotionally or logically, ‘Like so many other forms of behaviour and "Instinct," aggression in any given species is actually an ill-defined array of different responses with separate controls in the nervous system’ (Wilson 3). If human emotions, such as happy, sad, angry etc, are human responses, aggression can just be one of those emotions. This is also the battle of Id and what makes the …show more content…
Species mark their territory, and they know that when they venture into others they are at a disadvantage, ‘we can predict, from the place of encounter, which one will win: the one that is nearer home’ (Lorenz 15). The attacker in pursue leaves it’s territory while the prey ventures closer to home, finally when it’s within boundaries of home it will strike an attack surprisingly and vigorously, then the predator becomes prey and the oscillation continues till a balance is reached (Lorenz 15). In our society, when guests are visitors, they need to be welcomed and recognized, ‘When a visitor is present, he is treated by the other members of the [vacation residence] club as an extension of his host… the host will be held responsible…transgressions of the guests.. ' (Wilson 12). Even in our society, there is respect and rules that people must follow once in the homes and space of others. While Lorenz focuses on what keeps us alive; the instinct, the means to survival, Wilson argues what it means to truly live; knowledge is power, and through this, even your instincts can be overcome. The branch of a nature versus nurture argument. They do present very strongly that majority of species are very territorial, and once step outside the boundary of our own we must be cautious in where we
In the wild, survival of the fittest is the only rule that everyone obeys, eventually to reproduce and pass on genes, ‘Every one of the fighters gains an obvious advantage by its behaviour or, at least, in the interests of preserving the species it ‘ought to’ gain one. But intraspecific aggression, aggression in the proper and narrower sense of the word, also fulfils a species preserving function’ (Lorenz 8).Its a competition in which the more aggressive ones takes all, especially when fighting for a female. The winner will pass on its superior, more aggressive genes. Humans respond to their environment continuously, whether it’s emotionally or logically, ‘Like so many other forms of behaviour and "Instinct," aggression in any given species is actually an ill-defined array of different responses with separate controls in the nervous system’ (Wilson 3). If human emotions, such as happy, sad, angry etc, are human responses, aggression can just be one of those emotions. This is also the battle of Id and what makes the …show more content…
Species mark their territory, and they know that when they venture into others they are at a disadvantage, ‘we can predict, from the place of encounter, which one will win: the one that is nearer home’ (Lorenz 15). The attacker in pursue leaves it’s territory while the prey ventures closer to home, finally when it’s within boundaries of home it will strike an attack surprisingly and vigorously, then the predator becomes prey and the oscillation continues till a balance is reached (Lorenz 15). In our society, when guests are visitors, they need to be welcomed and recognized, ‘When a visitor is present, he is treated by the other members of the [vacation residence] club as an extension of his host… the host will be held responsible…transgressions of the guests.. ' (Wilson 12). Even in our society, there is respect and rules that people must follow once in the homes and space of others. While Lorenz focuses on what keeps us alive; the instinct, the means to survival, Wilson argues what it means to truly live; knowledge is power, and through this, even your instincts can be overcome. The branch of a nature versus nurture argument. They do present very strongly that majority of species are very territorial, and once step outside the boundary of our own we must be cautious in where we