In counseling terminology, the word instinctual refers to behavior that:

• A. A habit acquired through repetition
• B. A learned, conditioned response
• C. A behavior unique to a single individual
• D. A behavior that manifests in all normal members of a given species

Answer: (D)

Instinctual behavior is inborn and shared by all typical members of a species; it does not come from learning or individual experience. These actions emerge without practice and tend to be universal across the species, supporting why this kind of behavior would appear in all normal members. A habit acquired through repetition is learned, not instinctual; a learned, conditioned response is also learned; and a behavior unique to one person reflects individual variation rather than a universal, inborn pattern.