When we hear about bad things happening, especially when many lose their lives at the hands of a few, we need to remind ourselves that people can be good. “We all have an innate capacity for goodness—and this is the hope for the human race as well as the hope for each individual person in the journey of life,” clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst Jennifer Kunst, Ph.D., writes. “Side by side with our destructive capacity is our constructive capacity—our capacity to do good and to be good, our impulses to love, to care, to help, to heal.” “In the context of psychotherapy, we might even say that it is the aim of the psychoanalysis to strengthen each patient’s good, constructive capacities so that they can be used productively to manage the destructive elements.” However, Kunst believes that at the same time, it is essential to acknowledge and own the destructive capacities because “it is only when there is a bridge between love and hate that humility, authentic guilt, and forgiveness can make way for healing and restoration.” Baby boomers are the most likely to hold this belief (91 percent) compared to Generation X (84 percent), Millennials (81 percent) and Generation Z (75 percent). This might tie to life experience, which can reassure you that people can unify and overcome. The same generational disparity seen for the fundamental belief in human goodness shows up here too, as 94 percent of Boomers say they’ve given to a charity, for example, while just 69 percent of Generation Z claim they have. There might be moments when you feel like are the worst beings in the universe. But we can reach common ground, we want to help each other, and something tells me we’re going to be ok. For more proof that humans are metal, fire up our previous publication on the subreddit! Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
