On the human need for personal goodness and the goodness of others, and what it means for the future of humanity.

Kindness or benevolence is a very important psychological attribute. We are kind to others for various altruistic and sometimes selfish reasons. An individual may be nice to a homeless man and give him a blanket for reasons of sympathy and empathy, or a man may be nice to a woman for ulterior motives. Therefore, kindness is triggered by personal motivations, including the need for fame or reputation, the need for love or companionship, or genuine considerations of empathy and sympathy.

Kindness towards a homeless man is an understanding type. whereas kindness kindness towards a friend is an empathic type.

Kindness to someone in need may come from altruism or a need for a personal reputation. For example, your act of kindness may stem from your need to be seen as a Good Samaritan or a benevolent member of society. Or a man can be kind to others because he needs fame for his donations and gifts to society. A man can be kind to men or women, as it may be necessary to win the affection, love, sexual favors, respect, or the company of other people. Therefore, kindness may be motivated by empathy, sympathy, the need for a reputation, respect, or other ulterior motives.

Some people are kind by nature and cannot refuse if someone asks them for a favor. Goodness is more related to mental strength than to weakness. Developing a theory of kindness in psychology could involve studying the activity of the brain and neural circuits when people suddenly feel this overwhelming emotion of kindness. Therefore, a physiological basis is important in a psychological theory of goodness. There may also be a “kindness gene” and some people may be kinder than others due to hereditary reasons, they may have had a caring father and therefore inherit the trait. Kindness can be learned through social conditioning and some people are kind because they saw and learned from their parents or teachers.

Personally, I believe that kindness is an innate psychological trait and some people are kinder because they are born that way. I will not return to the debates between nature and nurture, but learning the goodness of others can eventually become too superficial if there is no innate natural goodness. So I would suggest that kindness is innate and that kind people are born that way.

Psychologists should definitely study the kindness gene and, if any, what triggers kindness, what kind of emotion or neural activity is related to kindness, and how it can be defined in psychological terms. The social conditioning of goodness is a possible theory, and as I said, social conditioning may not ultimately lead to genuine goodness in individuals, as I believe that goodness is inherent or innate and is not taught or learned.

I wrote in my other essay on altruism that altruism, which is a social or more intentional goodness, could be due to hidden or unconscious recognition motives. Do philanthropists always give away wealth because they are genuinely kind, or do they seek fame, reputation, respect, and recognition for their philanthropic services?

Kindness can be based on sympathy, empathy, a need for personal fame or recognition, or a sense of duty or responsibility towards society or fellow citizens. So some children are kind, they give away their clothes to the homeless, because they are naturally kind and understanding. Some may see a homeless person and feel empathy, as they too may have been homeless at some point. Some men may intentionally develop personal goodness because they need fame and recognition, and others feel a strong responsibility to society and perform acts of kindness. So there are specifically six reasons that suggest six kinds of goodness based on the underlying reason or cause.

1. Empathetic

2. Supporter

3. Altruistic or social

4. Motive-oriented

5. Responsible

6. Based on superstitions

These six different types can be worked out with more examples. You feel sympathy for your dog and you let go of his chain and you empathize with your friend and help him with advice or resources. People may have a genuine altruistic need to give, or they may have ulterior motives such as fame, recognition, or even money and success. Goodness related to social responsibility comes from a genuine need to influence society, and kindness in older people is often accompanied by this overwhelming sense of responsibility towards other human beings, so this is a type of social goodness.

I would suggest that children are more motivated by genuine sympathy and adults are motivated by the need for recognition or social responsibility when engaging in acts of kindness.

Sometimes you will see people leaving large amounts of cash at Church or donating large amounts of money to others because they feel it will bring them good luck. This is based on superstition or may be called “superstition” goodness. Let’s move on to responsibility. Some people are “nice” to a cause because they may feel responsible to society and may want to do something about it. You see an advertisement to donate clothes and money to refugees in a foreign country. He immediately decides to give a large sum quite impulsively. Is this drive due to genuine sympathy, empathy, responsibility, altruism, superstition, or a need for recognition? As I wrote in the essay on the psychology of altruism, there may be ulterior motives for being altruistic and genuine selfless altruism is rare or non-existent. However, kindness or generosity as a result of social responsibility or responsibility towards other less privileged people can be considered a type of altruistic kindness. So, altruism and social responsibility are fundamentally associated.

Now let me talk about the human need for kindness and this means both giving kindness and receiving kindness. Human beings have a genuine need for love, affection, happiness, and also kindness. Kindness comes from love, affection, sympathy, and empathy, so it can be considered a secondary or derived type of emotion rather than a primary emotion such as love or anger. Let’s say that sympathy creates kindness but it is necessary to give and receive kindness because human beings are social beings. Kindness creates a bond between the giver and the recipient and, in cases where you show kindness towards a cause, it is a generic social or altruistic kindness. It also creates your emotional bond with society and its cause. So giving creates social bonds and that is why it exists in the first place. Kindness created social bonds and helped build families and societies. On the other hand, receiving also evokes a sense of gratitude among recipients of kind acts and helps create attachments and generosity. If you are generous to a homeless man, he can learn from you and become generous to others when he is no longer homeless. So kindness develops or creates a cycle of positive interaction in society. These positive interactions are at the center of social change, transformations, and a spirit of genuine concern for others. This is ultimately the goal of humanity.