2. Does human instinct always predominate?

Let’s assume for one second that this scenario is possible and disregard reality. This is a fictitious scenario but I am still interested what people think about the possible outcome.

Two newborn, a boy and a girl, are left on a deserted island with absolutely no one taking care of them, talking to them, feeding them or educating them. In this fictitious scenario, they are able to find food, shelter, water and sleep, the 4 basic necessity for every human being.

Assuming again that those children have now reached puberty, are healthy, have no physical challenge except for the lack of parental love and affection. How would they develop?

Would their basic instinct take over, even though nobody ever told them, showed them or educated them?

Could they find love for each other? Would they know how to procreate since they have never had access to any visuals or sounds made by others?

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swirlie

As a behavioral specialist I can say that NO, basic instinct would NOT predominate and NO, they could NOT find love for each other and finally, yes, they would intuitively know how to procreate as two human beings but NO, they would NOT feel naturally inclined to procreate with each other. Keep in mind that humans have intuition, not instinct. Only animals have instinct, but animals do not have intuition.

The reason the answers above are "NO" is because of the boy/girl biological connection with each other as biological siblings. The biological connection we have with siblings and bio-parents is Nature's way of diverting us away from acts of incest.

That is why girls hate their biological brothers and why girls suddenly begin to hate their biological father as the girl approaches puberty.

IF on the other hand the brother and sister were adopted within the family or at least one of them was adopted, then all of my "NO" answers above would immediately turn to "YES".

If a girl was adopted into a family and her Dad was not her biological father, she would NOT feel naturally repelled at the sight of her adoptive Dad as she approached the age of puberty and therefore, would not feel naturally repelled from any sexual advances he might make toward her.

This occurs because of the absence of that natural, biological connection between the two of them which otherwise would be Nature's deterrent for incest to occur between father and his otherwise biological daughter.

A biological father to a daughter feels a natural sexual repulsion involving his biological daughter, but would NOT feel a natural sexual repulsion to a non-biological girl who was the same age as his biological daughter.

ArtieKat · M

@swirlie

That is why girls hate their biological brothers and why girls suddenly begin to hate their biological father as the girl approaches puberty.

Whose research are you basing this claim on?

swirlie

@ArtieKat
My own.

KiwiBird · 36-40, F

@swirlie Nowhere is it stated that they are biological siblings.

swirlie

@KiwiBird
That is correct, which is also why I offered at least two different scenarios of what will happen in any of those scenarios. I started out with the base-assumption of them being biological siblings, then altered course for a different scenario that could be presented under the same conditions the OP outlined from the outset.