Bio: (1874-1953) American sociologist. Ellsworth Faris received his undergrad degree and M.A. from Texas Christian University, after which he spent seven years as a missionary in the Congo. After returning to the US, he got his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and was hired to teach there. Eventually, he became chairman of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology there. Faris was the editor of The American Journal of Sociology and the president of the American Sociological Society.

Faris’ work bridges interests and knowledge from sociology, psychology, and anthropology. His goal was to understand the nature of personality, so he studied various subjects: deviant behavior, crowds and mobs, religion and sects, magic, and child behavior.

In his article “Are Instincts Data or Hypotheses?” (1921), he argues that authors such as William James, Angell, and William McDougall, advocated for the existence of many instincts in humans, sometimes even more than animals, but they all strongly disagreed on what counts as an instinct and how many exist (ranging from several to over forty). Proposed lists vary widely, revealing confusion and suggesting that instincts are largely hypothetical rather than observable facts.

Faris criticizes “genetic” explanations of instincts—claims that behaviors are inherited from ancestral experiences—as speculative and often resembling myth-making. Instead, he argues that many behaviors thought to be innate are actually shaped by social customs, as shown through cross-cultural comparisons. Thus, instincts are better seen as assumptions, while observable social attitudes, desires, and behaviors provide more reliable data for sociology.

The study of temperament is considered more useful, since it focuses on individual differences relevant to personality, even though it, too, is partly theoretical. The lack of agreement among psychologists about which instincts exist further weakens the concept.

A key distinction is made between reflexes (like sneezing or coughing), which are consistent and observable, and instincts, which are more variable and uncertain. Overall, the text concludes that so-called instincts are not directly observable phenomena but explanatory ideas, and that human behavior is better understood through social and cultural influences rather than inherited instincts.

In the book The Nature of Human Nature (1937), Faris presents premises of his interdisciplinary approach to culture and human nature: 1) Culture exists as a real set of phenomena governed by its own laws. 2) Culture has priority, meaning that the most important aspects of an individual are shaped by the cultural environment into which they are born. 3) Culture is resistant to change; it evolves slowly and tends to reproduce itself over time. 4) Culture is a natural phenomenon, arising from human activities such as securing food and raising children. 5) Human action comes before thought; reasoning develops as a way to deal with obstacles to action. 6) Imagination is part of ongoing processes, and a wish represents the starting point of action. 7) Humans are unique in possessing a sense of self, a feature not found in other beings. 8) Personality is socially defined; it is shaped through interaction and can only be understood in relation to others. 9) A well-developed personality consists of patterns of behavior, or attitudes, that emerge through social life. 10) The goal of education is to cultivate socially accepted and useful habits and attitudes. 11) Understanding different cultures requires studying how cultural forms originate, function, and change. 12) Conflicts among nations, races, classes, and religious groups should be treated as solvable problems that can be addressed through a scientific understanding of human behavior. 13) Values do not originate from rational thought, but they can be reshaped through reasoning or external influence.

Main works

“Are Instincts Data or Hypotheses?”, in American Journal of Sociology (1921);

The Nature of Human Nature (1937).