Friedrich Nietzsche's work “On the Genealogy of Morality” includes his theory on the development of the “bad conscience” in man. Nietzsche believes that in the transition from a free individual to a member of a community, man had to suppress his “will to power,” his “natural instinct for freedom” (59). The governing community threatened its members with punishment for violating its laws, its “morality of customs,” thus creating a uniform and predictable man (36). The fear of punishment limiting his behavior, man no longer had the freedom to give in to all his instincts. He turned his aggression inward, became ashamed of his natural animal instincts, judged himself to be inherently evil, and developed a guilty conscience (46). Throughout his work, Nietzsche uses decidedly negative terms to describe the “bad conscience,” calling it ugly (59), illness (60), or infirmity (56); leading some to assume that he considers "bad conscience" to be a bad thing. However, Nietzsche hints at a different point of view by calling bad conscience a “disease similar to pregnancy” (60). This analogy equates the pain and suffering of a pregnant woman with the suffering of a man when his instincts are repressed. So, just as the pain of pregnancy gives birth to something joyful, Nietzsche's analogy implies that the negative state of bad conscience can also "give birth" to something positive. Nietzsche hopes for the birth of the “sovereign individual” – an autonomous man, not beholden to the morality of custom, and who has regained his free will. An examination of Nietzsche's theory of the evolution of man's bad conscience will reveal: although bad conscience caused man to turn against himself and resulted in the stagnation of his will, Nor. ..... middle of paper.... .. noble morality (16). Furthermore, unlike the self-righteousness of noble morality, the slave's lack of outward power led him to direct his power inward, leading man to an initial exploration of his inner life . While critical of the attitude found in resentment of slave morality, Nietzsche includes it as an important factor contributing to man's guilty conscience. Although Nietzsche dislikes the negative consequences of a bad conscience—man's suppression of his instincts, self-hatred, and stagnation of his will—Nietzsche appreciates it for the promise it contains. Nietzsche predicts that a time will come when man will triumph over his inner struggle and rediscover his “instinct for freedom.” In anticipation of the eventual arrival of that day, Nietzsche views the development of bad conscience as a necessary step in the transformation of man into "the sovereign individual »..”