=Self-Assertion.= It goes almost without saying that one of the strongest and most important impulses of mankind is the instinct of self-assertion; it often gets us into trouble, but it is also behind every effort toward developed character.  At its lowest level self-assertion manifests itself in the strutting of the peacock, the prancing of the horse, and the “See how big I am,” of the small boy.  At its highest level, when combined with self-consciousness and the moral sentiments acquired from society and developed into the self-regarding sentiment, it is responsible for most of our ideas of right, our conception of what is and what is not compatible with our self-respect.

=Self-Abasement.= Self-assertion is aroused primarily by the presence of others and especially of those to whom we feel in any way superior, but when the presence of others makes us feel small, when we want to hide or keep in the background, we are being moved by the opposite instinct of self-abasement and negative self-feeling.  It may be either the real or the fancied superiority of the spectators that arouses this feeling,—­their wisdom or strength, beauty or good clothes.  Sometimes, as in stage-fright, it is their numerical superiority.  Bashfulness is the struggle between the two self-instincts, assertion and abasement.  Our impulse for self-display urges us on to make a good impression, while our feeling of inferiority impels us to get away unnoticed.  Hence the struggle and the painful emotion.

=Gregariousness.= Man has been called a gregarious animal.  That is, like the animals, he likes to run with his kind, and feels a pronounced aversion to prolonged isolation.  It is this “herd-instinct,” too, which makes man so extremely sensitive to the opinions of the society in which he lives.  Because of this impulse to go with the crowd, ideas received through education are accepted as imperative and are backed up by all the force of the instinct of self-regard.  When the teachings of society happen to run counter to the laws of our being, the possibilities of conflict are indeed great.[10]

[Footnote 10:  For a thorough discussion of the importance of this instinct, see Trotter’s Instincts of the Herd in Peace and War.]

=Acquisition.= Another fundamental disposition in both animals and men is the instinct for possession, the instinct whose function it is to provide for future needs.  Squirrels and birds lay up nuts for the winter; the dog hides his bone where only he can find it.  Children love to have things for their “very own,” and almost invariably go through the hoarding stage in which stamps or samples or bits of string are hoarded for the sake of possession, quite apart from their usefulness or value.  Much of the training of children consists in learning what is “mine” and what is “thine,” and respect for the property of others can develop only out of a sense of one’s own property rights.