by Amy Rosenberg

Created on: June 21, 2008   Last Updated: November 24, 2009

Most people seem to think that they are independent agents, that their actions are entirely their own. They act as if what they do just happened based merely on their whims, which spring out of their heads full grown. What they do, they will say, they do because they want to and no other reason. They do not stop to wonder why they want to do what they do. However, a careful examination of why a person does what he or she does can be invaluable to understanding who he or she really is, as well as give insight into the limitations and power we as humans have in common.

In general, when someone acts, they act because they want to. If a man robs a bank he does so because he wants to. Perhaps he thinks he needs the money and that a robbery is the best way for him to get it. Perhaps he enjoys the thrill and risk involved or the satisfaction from rebelling against authority. In any case, he does what he does because he wants to.

If, when the robber does his robbery, the teller does not resist or call the police, she refrains because she wants to. She is probably afraid for her life. If, however, the teller does resist she does so because she wants to. Perhaps she wants a reward from her superiors or the police. Perhaps she is tired, ready to go home and in no mood to sit and wait for the robber to finish his crime. Perhaps she just wants to pick a fight. Whatever the reason, she resists because she wants to. She does what she does because she wants to.

The question then is why people want to do what they do. This is a hard question indeed, for while it is easy to guess at motives, it is hard to understand the underlying causes of motives. The bank teller may resist because she cannot stand watching a crime happen in front of her. That is simple enough, but why can't she stand crime? There are almost unlimited possibilities, and one could speculate indefinitely on the matter. Entire philosophies and psychologies have been invented to attempt to answer questions like this one. Why do people want what they want? Freud said it had a lot to do with subconscious and repressed sexuality. Jung said it was all about common archetypes buried in our minds. Skinner thought it all had to with direct automatic responses in the body. Others have proposed causes as various as divine inspiration or hunger or the ultimate longing for power.

Ultimately, all these different theories say the same thing: People do what they do because they are who they are. Whether through archetypes or

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