Instinct or predujice?

Mokele Mbembe · (#1 (**permalink**))

Instinct all the way. Some people who are up to trouble just give off a certain vibe. Perhaps it's their body language, the way they dally over the items and look about. Perhaps it's the tension in their muscles and shortness of breath or something like that you pick up on.

When I'm on the door at work I get the same feeling BM. I can cast my eye over a queue and most people will seem cool but one or two people will just give off an aura somehow. 9 times out of 10 I can predict the people I will find something on when I search them.

The one that I can't is a practised troublemaker/drug user. The person who walks into a shop and steals with nobody noticing at all is practised. That person does not look about furtively, does not dally over items. They walk in calmly and just take stuff. Old ladies, men in suits... people like that. You won't catch them unless you are already looking, they won't give you a reason to look.

Those people you feel suspiscious of are not practised at what they are doing imo. That is why they trigger your instincts.

Your instincts are not always right and CAN be shaped by your prejudices though. I'm thinking of times when I've been walking along a quiet street and somebody crosses the road to obviously avoid me.

An_Advanced_Spark · (#2 (**permalink**))

I agree with DMthat instinct can be shaped by prejudices to some degree, but I notice in BM's account that he does not go into a description of the shopper, whether this is intentional I don't know but it would seem that it was instinct because it seems like a vibe that was given off than anything out of the ordinary.

I had a similar experience a few years ago maybe you could tell me if this was instinct or prejudice.

A younger family member of mine was staying with her aunt and her partner and I was taken over there to see her.

Now I'd never met the aunt's partner before so I was looking forward.

As soon as I got there I did not like him, I never spoke to him just watched him, although he didn't do anything out of the ordinary I just did not like him.

As soon as I metthe other members of my family(away from the house)I insisted that they be removed from that household because he either has or will try something there, as I couldn't explain why I felt like this it was swept under.

A long period of time later it was discovered that he had been sleeping with one of the aunt's children (who was 13/14).

Mokele Mbembe · (#3 (**permalink**))

@ All

Look up the story of "clever Hans" the horse that could do sums and answer questions.

When you read how the horse did it and think about the rest of the animal kingdom don't imagine for a second that we have lost these instincts. I think we just suppress them or don't talk about them. Most of us put no stock in them but I think it's very applicable to man. I go with my instincts quite a lot.