Page:An introduction to ethics.djvu/63

 (3) The instinct of curiosity appears a little later in the life of the child than those which we have considered. The child's interest is excited by objects which are novel to it, but they must not be so strange as to startle it. The instinct of curiosity expresses itself first in the roving of the eyes, and later in the attempt to grasp the strange object with the hands. (4) The closely-related instincts of self-assertion and self-abasement are exhibited by the child in its relations with other people, and especially with other children of about its own age. It is apt to "show off," "put on side," swagger and brag—tendencies in which it is often encouraged by the applause with which parents and friends greet its early efforts to talk and walk. These displays of self-assertiveness often alternate with fits of shyness and bashfulness, which result immediately from the instinct of self-abasement.

(5) The gregarious instinct also appears early in the life of the child. The child's instinct for friendship is a special form of this instinct. The baby's smile seems to welcome everybody, and at a later stage children naturally herd together for their games.

(6) The instinct of acquisitiveness is not long in making its appearance in the normal child. Nearly every child makes a collection of something—stamps, postcards, cigarette photos, scraps, "paper people," birds' eggs, or any of a hundred and one other things, usually simply for the pleasure of collecting and without any definite purpose.

(7) For obvious reasons, the instinct of sex does not emerge until the child has reached the adolescent