title: Is child abuse a human instinct?
abstract: The modern concept of instinct maintains that certain physical signs or events trigger the release of appropriate behavioural responses. According to Konrad Lorenz and other ethological theorists, the features and proportions of the infant body and face convey a sense of cuteness which releases a protective human instinct. Members of the Lorenz-Tinbergen school may also regard violent crime or war as manifestations of aggressive drives. A survey of medical and sociological literature shows that the rate of abuse and neglect of infants and children is higher than violent crimes against adults, which reveals a contradiction in basic premises.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004328:Drive; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007323:Instinct; D010287:Parent-Child Relations