biological imperative
Inborn survival urge
A biological imperative is an innate drive or behavior essential for survival or reproduction—eating, sleeping, mating, protecting offspring.
The term often appears in arguments that certain human behaviors are hardwired rather than learned: The biological imperative to reproduce shapes much of human behavior.
Critics note the phrase can oversimplify complex social phenomena by attributing them to nature alone.
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- survivalRemaining alive against odds
- fitnessGood physical shape
- survival instinctInborn drive to live
instinct · self-preservation · fight-or-flight · species preservation · hereditary · hardwired · primal urge · evolutionary psychology
Generating biological offspring
- matingReproductive pairing behavior
- fertilityCapacity for reproduction
- breedingReproductive cultivation of organisms
- offspringBiological descendants produced
conception · libido · copulation · mate selection · courtship · pair bonding · nesting · nurturing
natural selection
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- survivalRemaining alive against odds
- fitnessGood physical shape
survival instinct · instinct · self-preservation · fight-or-flight · species preservation · hereditary · hardwired · primal urge · evolutionary psychology · selfish gene
procreation
Generating biological offspring
- matingReproductive pairing behavior
- fertilityCapacity for reproduction
- breedingReproductive cultivation of organisms
offspring · conception · libido · copulation · mate selection · courtship · pair bonding · nesting · nurturing · maternal instinct
biological imperativelearned behavior
Action acquired through experience
conditioned response · cultural conditioning · socialization · nurture · environmental influence
biological imperativefree will
Autonomous choice capacity
conscious choice · voluntary action · rational choice · self-determination · agency
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