Famous psychological theorists, Sigmund Freud and Carl Rogers, possibly two of the greatest thinkers of our time, both made much advancement in the field of psychology with their theories, clinical evidence, and expertise. Some views they shared, others they did not. However, both psychologists theorized that people have a ‘hidden' personality within them, one which they are not aware of. Although both theories were developed through many years of clinical experience, they are each based on their own, inherently different assumptions; although both theories include a ‘hidden personality', the concept of human nature and the role it plays in the rationale behind human motivation are diametrically opposed.

In Freud's view, humans are …show more content…

Freud believed this ‘hidden' personality is our natural state, while Rogers claimed it is the ‘self' created by the imposed demands of society. I agree more with Rogers, in that people are born with an inherently good and pure human nature, but then the many factors of society and civilization exact their toll upon individuals who in turn have their ‘self', or ‘hidden' personality affected. I believe this is what drives people to become destructive and evil. Rogers' theory is a solid concept. When examining society, it is clear that there are many flaws in our system, and that we are far from perfect. I can see how this could definitely swing the pendulum of individuality from good to evil, and cause individuals to stop striving to better themselves, and instead focus their energies on being destructive. There are many arguments against this, such as war, cruelty, and other terrible things that people do to each other all over the world, which make human nature seem inherently bad. Yes, these things happen, it is true, but they are the cause of outside events triggered by society, not evils embedded in the very essence of human nature. Furthermore, these arguments also provide examples themselves that contradict Freud's pessimistic view. Take something as terrible as war, for example. While there are people on both sides trying to kill one another (and most likely succeeding at it), there are also those who selflessly contribute by giving