Analysis of Desmond Morris' Article Territorial Behavior

Analysis of Desmond Morris' Article Territorial Behavior

In this essay I intend to discuss and evaluate Desmond Morris's

article on

'Territorial Behavior'. After reading his article, and having taken

into account his

thoughts and perceptions, I feel I can relate to as well as appreciate

the most part of what

he wrote, however, on the other hand, our opinions differentiate

moderately over certain

aspects of the article .Morris defines a territory as a 'defended

space'. In my perspective,

I find this definition somewhat vague as it fails to further educate

the reader. By this I

mean it does not deliver a sufficient amount of information needed to

enhance the

readers' knowledge from what they already apprehend. In my opinion,

the instinct of

territorialism is by definition a powerful driving force in a species'

control of the

environment, and therefore this leads me to presume that if one has

more room, then in

turn one has more access to resources. Morris emphasizes this

consistently throughout the

article by describing visual signals that relate to his three

categorized terms of territory.

He mentions the need for us to have our own personal space, and states

boldly that if we are without it, we feel threatened. 'A portable

territory called a Personal

Space…. threatened'. In other words, the message he's trying to

portray to the reader

is that, territorial symbols help us to establish our place in society

and give us a

comfortable sense of security.

I can comprehend on a personal level when Morris states 'when people

are too far

outside our personal space...

... middle of paper ...

...ly different subcultures associated with

region, ethnic

origin, or social class. What we need to put into practice as a whole

is to appreciate one

another for who we are and what we believe in.

From my personal point of view, I found Morris's article to be both

intriguing as

well as educational, in the sense that he made me put into perspective

circumstances that

I normally wouldn't have even considered thinking twice about. He

refreshed my outlook

on the world we live in today and in turn gave me a more in-depth

understanding of

people of different creeds and backgrounds. It's through reading his

article that I have

created an interest in educating myself on how us humans have evolved

and developed

over time to have established a powerful and successful nation such as

America.