beast within
Hidden primal self
The beast within is the primitive, violent, or uncontrolled part of human nature that civilization supposedly restrains.
The phrase suggests that beneath social conditioning lurks something savage: He struggled to control the beast within.
It appears in discussions of anger, addiction, or sexual impulse—anything that might overwhelm rational self-control.
- inner demonPsychological self-destructive force
- dark sideHidden negative aspect
- primalFirst in origin
- primal urgeFundamental instinctual drive
- animal instinctsInnate behavioral impulses
fight or flight · savage · feral · unleashed · darkness · instinct · monster · rage · animal · shadow self · hidden depths · wild · untamed · hunger · predator · ferocity · Hyde · Jekyll and Hyde
beast withinhigher self
One's transcendent inner nature
divine spark · inner light · better nature · social self · soul
beast withinbetter angels
Our noblest moral impulses
divine spark · inner light · noble spirit · conscience · moral compass