self-preservation

American  

[self-prez-er-vey-shuhn, self-] / ˈsɛlfˌprɛz ərˈveɪ ʃən, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

1. preservation of oneself from harm or destruction.

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self-preservation British  

noun

1. the preservation of oneself from danger or injury, esp as a basic instinct

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Other Word Forms

• self-preserving adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-preservation

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

In May, AI firm Anthropic released a controversial report which described how an AI model was capable of seemingly blackmail-like behaviour if it thought its "self-preservation" was threatened.

From BBC

When people feel connected to something larger than self-preservation, trust rises.

From MarketWatch

Anthropic said in May that its latest Claude model is capable of “extreme actions” if it believes its “self-preservation” is threatened.

From The Wall Street Journal

During the trial, prosecution barrister Anne Whyte KC said Harris, who ended his legal career in 2016, had "absolutely no respect" for the victims and had gone through the trial in a move of "self-preservation".

From BBC

“I could think of any adjective to fill the blank. And it would probably work. You find different ways to protect yourself, whether that’s self-preservation or it’s just growing up.”

From MarketWatch