by Bridget Webber

Created on: April 15, 2009   Last Updated: September 19, 2009

It may be easy to assume that the prime motivations for evil stem from greed and the need for power. Although there are occasion's where these factors come into play, a persons propensity towards carrying out acts of evil begin long before secondary motivating factors like these become established.

No one is born evil. Scientists haven't discovered an evil gene. This means that individuals are all born with a equal chance of becoming either good or evil and that evil is something which is dependent more upon environment and experiences, than it is on genetics.

Although there may be many reasons why people carry out evil acts, there are two primary motivating factors which link them together. A sense of being separate from society and an isolation from empathy.

Separation

As a species we are designed to work together as a team for the good of all. Teamwork ensures the survival of the human race. When our experience of being a human being is that we are part of a system which functions in order to create the best for all, we take others into account when we make decisions. We may also consider the Earth which sustains us and nature surrounding us.

If, however, our experience of being human is that we are alone, or very separate from others, we are likely to base decisions regarding what we deem necessary for our survival, based only on our individual needs. In doing so we will lack consideration for others and the environment around us.

The more we see life as being a 'them' and 'us' experience the more likely we are to disregard the needs and feelings of others and to tap into our base, or primitive desires. It is because most of us understand that it is wrong to hurt others and care that we don't let our primitive urges run riot. If we didn't, chaos would reign and we would carry out evil deeds on a regular basis.

This perceived separation from the rest of society may come about because of the environment that we are born into. If our care givers already feel separate from others and bring us into a childhood where we learn to see ourselves as being outcasts, or even more special than others, we may decide very early on in life that anyone not like us doesn't matter.

At the same time we may learn that hurting others provides a means to an end. Once we witness, or even experience, repeated pain being inflicted we can become hardened to it. This happens when we shut ourselves off from our own emotional pain, and split our feelings into separate categories. What

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