Is Human Nature Good or Evil?

What is human nature? This is a question that has perplexed philosophers and psychologists throughout the ages. Are people essentially socially constructive and altruistic or are they destructive and selfish in nature?

There is no definite answer that we can turn to, and there are competing theories and research findings. Some psychologists like Sigmund Freud pointed to the more destructive elements of human behavior; others like Carl Rogers were more optimistic in their view. To this day, the debate rages on as to which is the more realistic viewpoint.

Most of us have our own view, whether we side with the more pessimistic perspective or are more hopeful about humanity. If we look around at what is happening in the world, we can see evidence either way. There is no doubt that many people cause great harm and suffering to others, but is their behavior a result of nature or nurture?

In my book, Think Like a Therapist, I make the case that the more developed and emotionally mature people are, the more their gaze turns outward to others in more caring and compassionate ways. This is because the more psychologically mature person is intrinsically collectively minded. It is in their authentic nature to be empathic and helpful. In essence, I take the view that human nature is toward being socially constructive.

I don’t deny that people often do not behave like this, but along with other humanistic psychologists, I think this is down to the ways in which human societies create pressures on people that twist and distort the expression of their human nature. Psychological maturity is about getting closer to that deep-seated nature.

As a lens from which to view other people and the world, I realise that many other people see it differently. In a recent conversation with a colleague, I was struck by how whichever lens we choose becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy for each of us. In my experience, those holding a more negative view of humanity approach others with suspicion and mistrust. Their starting point is to get the better of the other person before they get the better of them. They assume they are being cheated, that others are insulting them, and they constantly feel under personal attack. All this often leads to a downward spiral of failing relationships and conflict, but they tell me that it is just human nature and they are only being realistic.

For them, I am naïve in my view, but I can see the upward spiral of how empathy and acceptance lead other people to open up, to become more accepting of themselves and of others. To me, that is the reality of human nature. I would encourage others to try looking out through that window for themselves. It is a view most often associated with the psychologist Carl Rogers and his client-centered approach to therapy and human relationships. He described how the more that people are able to be accepting and empathic, the more it will promote constructive personality changes and growth in others.

This is not to say we should not be alert to the dangers that others can pose, only that this should not be our defining position. Understanding that our view of humanity becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy seems ever more important in the modern world, in which it has become all too common to only look for the worst in each other.