The Psychology Behind Cannibalism and Survival
Cannibalism may be practiced by humans for honoring their ancestors or gods. Some may do it because they are addicted to the "high" it gives them. Others do it strictly for survival. Other species practice cannibalism for a number of reasons including killing off blood lines, surviving, and proving dominance. In the case of the Donner Party, however, it is believed survival was the only reason for cannibalism.
Above is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs which can explain the cannibalism of the Donner Party fairly well. At the bottom of the pyramid, is physiological needs. Those needs are breathing, food, water, sleep, homeostasis, and excretion. Without the basic foundation, the other levels, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization cannot occur. The cannibalism of the Donner Party was used to attempt to meet their physiological need of food. The party was starving to death, in the middle of winter with depleting food sources.
The will to survive outweighs any moral or ethical objections. The people in the Donner party were faced with a life-or-death decision, and they chose life, the natural choice of any human being.
Above is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs which can explain the cannibalism of the Donner Party fairly well. At the bottom of the pyramid, is physiological needs. Those needs are breathing, food, water, sleep, homeostasis, and excretion. Without the basic foundation, the other levels, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization cannot occur. The cannibalism of the Donner Party was used to attempt to meet their physiological need of food. The party was starving to death, in the middle of winter with depleting food sources.
The will to survive outweighs any moral or ethical objections. The people in the Donner party were faced with a life-or-death decision, and they chose life, the natural choice of any human being.
Why does cannibalism occur?
This question has been asked ever since the human species has developed into a cultured and sophisticated society. The field of anthropology has defined the different types of cannibalism, but there is no exact answer why cannibalism appeared within our species. There are two reasons why it could have came about: rituals or necessity. No one knows the answer, though. Anthropology has determined two different kinds of reasoning behind