A study published in the journal Psychological Science recently found that moral behaviour is often driven by underlying feelings of low self worth. The study examined the way in which people make decisions to take positive moral actions and discovered that feelings of negative self-worth can predispose us to acting morally.
It’s as if we have a morality bank account inside us and when our feeling of self worth is low, we do something to boost it. When it is already high, we are less likely to perform a selfless act – we might choose to not act morally, the study found, or just not act at all.
The concept of inner balance is something I discuss a lot in the Sileotherapy personal development website. As this study illustrates, even the negative feelings we have within us serve a purpose. There is no part of us that is not a fundamental and essential part of our current balance – no matter how unpleasant or even ugly it may feel. Our inner world exists in a form of synergy – where the high and low emotional tides are essential for the existence of the stillness, respect and calm that forms our most basic core self. It’s all good, and it’s all necessary.
The pain you feel inside you today will drive you to better things tomorrow. The key to making the most of it is to enable yourself to feel it. Remaining unconscious of your pain or negative feelings just propagates them; as this study also probably verified. It was not just those who possessed low self worth, but likely those who were conscious of it - and so could admit it to the researchers – who acted more morally.
As many a self help and personal development website will attest, it’s not just that every cloud has a silver lining, every cloud is a silver lining!
