Final answer:
According to William James, human instincts lead to innate behaviors that aid survival, like a mother's protection of her child. However, while instincts are important, learned behaviors and environmental interactions also significantly shape human actions.
Step-by-step explanation:
William James, often regarded as the father of American psychology, suggested that human instincts inspire a specific pattern of behavior that is innate, not learned. He postulated a list of several dozen instincts that contributed to survival. Among these behaviors, for example, are a mother's protection of her baby and an infant's rooting for a nipple. This theory encountered challenges due to the evident role of learning in human behavior, as behaviors are also shaped by experiences, rewards, and punishments. However, James's foundational idea was that some aspects of our behaviors are instinctual, arising from our genetic makeup and the physical drives common to all humans.
Indeed, James argued that our moral sense stems from social instincts like sympathy, which presumably evolved through natural selection. Additionally, the interaction with physical and social environments, coupled with reward and punishment systems throughout life, condition human behavior. These insights contribute to an understanding that while humans possess certain instinctive drives, our actions are also the result of learned behaviors, influenced by both biological urges and environmental factors.