Why did Jean-Jacques Rousseau think personal interests could conflict with the general will?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued that personal interests can conflict with the general will because individuals often prioritize their own private desires or the interests of specific groups over the common good of the political community.1

In his view, while the general will represents the collective interest of citizens aiming at justice, individuals may become enslaved by their own passions or narrow self-interest, leading them to act against the law. Rousseau believed that when a person pursues these private interests instead of the public interest, they are acting against their own "higher interest" as a member of the political community.12

Consequently, Rousseau famously suggested that requiring such an individual to abide by the law is "forcing him to be free," as it compels the individual to return to an awareness of the general will that exists within them, thereby restoring their true autonomy and civil liberty.12