William James was among the first theorists of motivation in the US. He conjured a theory of motivation that focused on instincts. The major concepts of his theory revolved around the idea that instincts drive behavior and that instincts were responsible for human beings' survival ( Spielman et al., 2014 ). James had taken considerable time to explain his theory, where he cited various instincts that human beings possessed that helped aid their survival. He gave the example of infants breastfeeding as an example of instinct that led to survival.
Instincts are seen as the specific patterns of behavior that each species have. These are behaviors that have not been learned, such as the urge to protect a child by its mother (Richards, 2018). James' theory faced significant criticism on account of what composed instincts. His contemporaries also argued against the theory because learning plays a significant role in much of human behavior. Researchers have been able to demonstrate that some of the believed intrinsic behaviors are the result of associative learning ( Spielman et al., 2014 ). Moreover, instincts cannot be readily tested and do not explain all the behaviors that individuals possess.
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As the theory was among the first suggested theories, it had some significant strengths despite its criticisms. The theory created a foundation on which other theorists would research better to understand the motivation (Richards, 2018). The theory also helped bring an understanding of the power of instincts. A good example of this theory in action is the suckling reflex seen in babies. Children will exhibit this reflex instinctively when the nipple presses on their mouth. Children need to suckle as it helps them grow while giving them immunity, among other needed benefits that can only be gotten from breast milk. This is survival behavior, thus showing that instincts fuel behavior.
References
Richards, R., J. (2018). Instinct. http://home.uchicago.edu/~rjr6/articles/Instinct--Encyclopedia%20of%20Animal%20Behavior.pdf
Spielman, R., M., Dumper, K., Jenkins, W., Lacombe, A., Lovett, M., And Perlmutter, M. (2014). Psychology. OpenStax, Houston, Texas. https://openstax.org/books/psychology/pages/10-1-motivation
