Self preservation is part of an animal's instinct that demands that the organism survives. Pain and fear are parts of this mechanism. Pain causes discomfort so that the organism is inclined to stop the pain. Fear causes the organism to seek safety and may cause a release of adrenaline which has the affect of increased strength and heightened senses such as hearing, smell, and sight. Phyla Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Myxozoa (slime animals) Superphylum Deuterostomia (blastopore becomes anus) Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... The suckling of a newborn at its mothers nipple is an example of an instinctive behavior. ... Look up Pain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Fear is a basic emotional sensation and response system (feeling) initiated by an aversion to some perceived risk or threat. ... Epinephrine (INN) or adrenaline (BAN) is a hormone and a neurotransmitter. ...

Self preservation and morality

Many moral thinkers have made the human urge of self-preservation a foundation of their moral or political systems. Especially in the brand of social contract theory associated with Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, it is assumed that people form societies in order to better preserve themselves. This can be true of the average person under extreme circumstances such as starvation. In society if one doesn't have the money to buy food one might steal something to eat. This aspect could be self-preservation because what is happening isn't socially acceptable but is understood because of the need to feed. Social contract theory (or contractarianism) is a concept used in philosophy, political science, and sociology to denote an implicit agreement within a state regarding the rights and responsibilities of the state and its citizens, or more generally a similar concord between a group and its members, or between individuals. ... Hobbes redirects here. ... John Locke (August 29, 1632 – October 28, 1704) was an influential English philosopher. ... Human relationships within an ethnically diverse society. ...