A Dictionary of Human Instincts [Paperback]

Nils Oeijord (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 2001

This dictionary is probably the first dictionary of human instincts to be published. Moreover, the Introduction of the dictionary contains the first publication of the new and important Bronston heritability coefficient.Note: A Dictionary of Human Instincts also appears as an appendix to Human Behavior: The New Synthesis by Mitch Bronston and Nils K. Oeijord.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nils K. Oeijord was born in Norway in 1947. A graduate of the Agricultural University of Norway, he also studied mathematics at the University of Trondheim, in Norway as well. He is a former assistant professor of mathematics at Tromsoe College, Norway, and is the author of several scientific works in Norwegian. He is currently a full time science writer. Nils K. Oeijord?s first book in English, Human Instincts Explained, was published in 2000 (Vantage, New York).Mitch Bronston was born in Sioux City, Iowa and is 52 years old. He is a graduate of Drake University, and currently a science writer and facilitator of abnormal human behavior. His recent papers on Primal Instincts and Their Effect on Human Behavior appear widely on science websites. Previously, he has taught neuro-electrophysiology at a St Louis technical school, and now lives in Sioux City. Mitch and his wife Sydney have four grown children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (August 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595197469
• ISBN-13: 978-0595197460
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,057,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars A Dictionary Of Human Instincts, March 27, 2011

By 

S. Gray - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Dictionary of Human Instincts (Paperback)

This is the best we can come up with?

I'm going to recommend another book, (which is definitely a dictionary of human instincts),

and that is Cavemen With Cell Phones by Simon Gray.

It's simple, straight forward, easy to read, and obviously way ahead what else is out there.

Happy reading!

3.0 out of 5 stars Reading a list - they claim are 600 Instincts?!, August 13, 2009

By 

Michael B. Sprague "micheal sunanda" (Eugene, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Dictionary of Human Instincts (Paperback)

A DICTIONARY OF HUMAN INSTINCTS - N.K.Oeijord & M.C.Bronston, 01 US

This small book is innovative in 3 ways listing 600+ Human instincts alphabetically, including many learned abilities & repeats the word `instinct' over 1000 times without defining how they're learned or function in human life. Its a long brainstorm & assumes we know or agree on the general term like: "child-parent fixation instinct", "loathing instinct & "a sense of purpose instinct". It vaguely mentions learning & instinct but not very different, so innate needs & abilities are all mixed up with learning like help instincts: to beg for, to give, to help (verb), helpful, shout for, & helpless 2x. Assuming help & 100s of other `instincts' are innate or inborn o learned, "only instincts can learn". That looks like `learning theory' in education, not primal abilities whether human nature, inherited, learned or psychic perception. So reader needs a another dictionary to define many terms missing in most normal English dictionaries, social science, medical & psychology texts. Its redundant, conformist, speculative, & maybe interesting to considering we even have natural instincts?

Many multi `instincts are listed, there's 10 kinds of awareness, 34 `love' instincts, 34 kinds of aggression, 13 body instincts, 6 attack-er, 8 attention, 11 babies instincts, 1 Balance instinct, 2 cooperation, 5 control-ing, 8 clinging,

1 belongingness, 3 nature, 6 romantic, 6 humor, 1 healthy, 6 control-ing, 54 dis... disagreement to distrust, 7 - fall..., 10 fear - less, 8 fight-ing, 12 food, 14 - group, 6 humor, 3 insult & 14 signals of, 11 laugh-ter, 10 looks, memory - 21 varieties, 9 moods, 6 music-al, 5 panic, 7 parent-al, 5 status, 6 passion-ate, 9 person-al, 12 play-ful-ness,

6 pleasure, 5 power & less, 5 pride, 4 property, 5 quizzical, 5 rage, 6 relaxation, 7- sleep, 6 squat, 6 revenge, 72 `self' ways, 25 sex-ual, 4 shriek, 5 skin, 6 sleep-ing, 6 smell-ing, 8 smile-ing, 15 social, 6 stare, 4 stress, 4 success,

6 sweet-ness, 4 talking, 5 tension, 6 territorial, 5 thinking, 6 threats, 6 touch-ing,

29- "un.. appetizing to unwillingness", 5 violent-ence, 6 visuial-ize, 7 voice-vocal, 4 vulgar, 5 wander-ing, 4 worry,

4 worship, 4 blame, 14 eyes, 5 grin-ing, 4 prude...nce, 1 infantile play & a `birth cry' but no 'birthing' instincts of mother or baby.

However it mentions (not listing) there's 60 infant reflexes, or mini-instincts. It has 3 'rational/reason' & no researching or realizing. I bet the authors live indoors thinking too much, & not feeling in wild Nature?

It lists NO instincts on - afterbirth, asking or answering ?, agreeing, androgynous, awake-ning, balancing, birthing labor contractions, bisexual, biting, bonding, carrying, centering, changing, conception, connecting, cooperating, cough or coffing, discovery, doubting, escaping, falling, farting, flashback, flexibility, gazing, grounding, healing, equality, growing, laying, massage, needing, nursing, oness, orienting, parenting, peeing, pooping, presence, questioning, reaching, recognizing, rolling, scanning, sensation, sneezing, sucking, synchronicity, spirit or soul, spasms, squatting, stretching, stroking, spiraling, sweating, tracking, urinating, unity, vomiting, weening,

There's many learned patriarchal, dominating, controlling prejudice, scary words of modern life, illness, disability, prejudice, fears, neurosis, mutations, trauma, etc; claimed to be instincts. I believe organic instincts are healthy

innate needs, feelings & responses from birth that blossom during natural growing cycles, not living in cities stress.Iron Shirt Chi Kung