Sigmund Freud, a notable pioneer of modern philosophy, developed a deterministic view of human nature based on instinct and personality. Unlike other theories, Freud considers us not as humans, but as animals with innate biological drives: a complex species with primitive drives. These impulses, he says, are only kept in check by peer pressure and societal repression. Although the word "instinct" can refer to a wide range of drives, Freud reduced it to four main drives: self-preservation, aggression, the need for love, and the impulse to achieve pleasure and to avoid pain. These topics, together with the model of the psyche embedded in the principles of pleasure and civilization, form the most comprehensive theory of personality and human nature ever developed. The first and perhaps most important point Freud makes is that civilization succeeds on instinct. Instinct, he says, is neither good nor bad. Rather, they are classified into these categories based on their relationship to community needs and demands. A civilized society requires good conduct and social success. Intellectual development is therefore a norm that would not exist without society. Freud believes that the development of human beings requires an explanation similar to that of animals. What appears to be a tireless compulsion towards greater perfection is easily understood as the result of an instinctive repression based on civilization. In his famous work “Civilization and its discontents”, Freud reduces it to two main human characteristics responsible for the regulations of civilization: men love work and the force of passion over reason. The taste for work is quite explicit; because... middle of paper ...... about the pleasure principles and their relationship to the primary drives of preservation, aggression, love and pleasure. The pleasure principle concerns only the happiness and satisfaction of an individual, whereas the civilization principle concerns only the needs of society. Following this, it is important to recognize the interworking of these principles within the id, ego and superego, three components of the human psyche. The id is primarily involved in the pleasure principle, the superego works with civilization, and the ego connects the two. Between these two principles and the structure of the psychic model, Freud successfully interprets human nature. Works Cited Freud, Sigmund. Civilization and its discontents. New York: WW Norton, 1962. Print. Freud, Sigmund, James Strachey and Gregory Zilboorg. Beyond the pleasure principle. New York: Norton, 1975. Print.