The Survival Instinct

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Avoiding pain is a great motivator in human beings. Neurologically, in fact, it is a bigger motivator than seeking pleasure. This is more so during childhood phase but is also prevalent throughout life
As children we tend to develop habits, solely to survive or to avoid the ‘threat’ of being killed. Human beings are tribal by nature and we survive by being in tribes. A child will copy his peers, to try to fit in. They may dress up as their peers or have the same interests. This is not at all bad as it helps us develop necessary social and life skills.
However, a child that has been bullied by kids or abused at home, may want to ‘avoid’ groups as that is where their survival is. They may believe they are safer away from groups, which they view as a threat. A ridiculed child feels useless and unwanted around people and anyone in any tribe that is unwanted is bound to die alone (at least metaphorically these days). 
A child who has parents that shower love and attention based on the achievement of the child may feel that to survive, and belong, they need to work as hard as possible. Intuitive, achievement becomes their survival mechanism. Humans are also a creature of habits and these habits (and therefore beliefs) may stick long after the situation has changed. However, a child who has been given unconditional love, may make decisions solely for more practical reasons and therefore may up being more fulfilled.

The survival instinct as you can see saves humanity and helps them develop into individuals that contribute to society. However, it can also develop habits in a person, that may seem reasonable but make the individual feel unsatisfied by their situation.
Recognizing the survival instinct, and its impact on one’s life can help us view who, when and why habits developed, and how if required, they can be changed. 

Umair Usman is a Rapid Transformational Therapy practitioner, a businessperson, and a blogger. You can know more about him at https://buff.ly/2zmc9rj . To book a free consultancy session, please fill the form https://tinyurl.com/y6n2vv8w

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