Question

What are the differences and similarities between instincts and reflexes?

Answer 1

An instinct is something innate, known from birth, such as animals instinctively knowing how to migrate. A reflex is a response to outside stimulus, such as the muscle reaction when the doctor taps your knee and you're forced to kick.

Answer 2

An instinct is like an inborn feeling.Like survival instincts,mother's love. Reflexes on the other hand are actions, they can be conditioned or unconditioned.Conditioned relfex is the result of Pavlov's experiment while unconditioned reflexes are involuntary actions.Instinct in lay man terms could be loosely termed as a gut feel while one need not act on it.