The idea of having two identities, or split personalities has been popular over the years. Some people believe that one person can have more than one identity or personality, and this kind of alter ego cannot be controlled. This idea of having two identities or split personalities is seen in the novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. In this novel, Dr. Jekyll believes that every person has a "good" and "bad" side. Dr. Jekyll creates a potion that turns him into his "bad" side, which is Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde is one hundred percent evil, and he commits crimes and does evil without ever feeling regret. Mr. Hyde is also very ugly, deformed, and short. Dr. Jekyll is the opposite of Mr. Hyde; Dr. Jekyll is the "good". He is tall, handsome, smart, and friendly (when he isn't scared of randomly turning into Mr. Hyde). This idea of turning yourself into another person or another form of yourself is seen unethical to some people. Some people see Dr. Jekyll's experiments and potions that turn himself into Mr. Hyde unethical as well.
In today's society, it has been discovered that people can actually have split personalities. This does not happen in result of potions or experiments, but it is seen as a disease. This disease is known as "dissociative identity disorder" or "multiple personality disorder". This disorder is characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states. People who have this disorder have different identities, and these identities have their own age, sex, or race. Each identity has his or her own postures, gestures, and distinct way of talking. Sometimes the alters are people; sometimes they are animals. As each personality reveals itself and controls the individuals' behavior and thoughts, it's called "switching." Switching can take seconds to minutes to days. This disorder can last a persons whole lifetime, and it cannot be cured.
I believe that the reasons why Dr. Jekyll created Mr. Hyde in the novel are unethical. I don't think there were any real needs for creating him, and in creating him he made a one hundred percent evil person. In the end, Dr. Jekyll was cursed for creating Mr. Hyde; Mr. Hyde took over his body and his mind, and in the end Mr. Hyde was all that was left. This resulted in the death of both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I also think it's interesting how this real disorder connects to the novel. I couldn't imagine having this disorder, and "becoming" different people or animals in my mind.
