The whole industry of psychology is based on Darwinism in which people are nothing more than animals who respond to stimuli. In other words, those who are mentally ill are reacting to those who treated them badly. This doesn't really work well in reality because many abused and neglected people become the opposite of those who abused them because they hated it so much when it was done to them.
Lovely people who were abused have to work through their hurt over the years but they have no desire to harm others who have never harmed them merely because their families used them as emotional punching bags.
Humans are not animals, they respond based on a depraved heart or a good heart through choice, not out of instinct as Darwinists believe.
When an animal is raised from a baby in a kind loving environment they respond by being loving and gentle themselves. When they are raised in a terrible abusive environment they become distrusting and often are dangerous as a self-preservation instinct.
Mankind does not operate from "instinct" as animals do, they have the ability to be mean when all those around them treated them well. Some personalities love to hate, they think it brings them power, at least in their own minds and with some people.
I have known children who grew up to be mean-spirited who had loving and indulgent parents. The parents gave them everything they wanted and cared for them well. Perhaps it was a form of child abuse to refuse to discipline or say no to a demanding child? Nevertheless, these children had no reason to be angry with their parents and yet many of them accuse them of things they never did.
These parents favored the child they indulged believing if they gave the child everything they wanted they would turn out to love them and be good citizens, unfortunately, this was wrong albeit good-intentioned but unwise thinking.
When an animal is indulged they become kinder and more loyal, but a human being who is indulged becomes more demanding and less respectful.
When an animal is not trained with basic things such as to sit or stay or heel, they remain loyal and loving, even though they will not obey the commands when they hear them because there was no training involved, they still remain loving.
Unfortunately, this is not the case with indulged and untrained children. Untrained and indulged children more often than not become unloving and demanding. These children learn that if they have a tantrum when they want something it will be given to silence their bad behavior. So, these children learn to rage to get what they want and believe they deserve whatever they want. They care about no one except themselves.
Yes, there are children who are indulged who turn out well, but most do not. We are seeing the results of an indulgent culture in our country today. Most children who were growing up in the past 40 years are disrespectful toward their elders thinking it is normal and natural to disregard their parents unless that parent is useful in giving them what they want.
They do not listen to counsel and use terms such as, "unsolicited advice", as though advice should only be allowed if it is requested. This is the new mantra today to cause guilt in those who respond in a conversation with advice that is unwanted.
This indulgent culture of the past 50 years has created more nasty mean spirited adults than any other time in history. It is not hard to see why there are so many broken and bleeding families, adults and children alike are suffering as a result of the self-esteem teaching and the indulgent parents that thought they were doing right in allowing the children to act like the parents rather than the other way around.
The entire culture has bought into this monstrous deception. The schools, the churches, every venue one can think of operates from this indulgent standpoint of self-indulgence.
We have children now who boss their parents and use blackmail in the form of tantrums as children and rejection as adults to control their own parents. The narcissistic adults raised by an indulgent culture are rejecting, judging, and bossing their parents without regard to respect or honor.
One of the biggest deceptions ever perpetrated on us in the last 50 years was psychological training that treated human beings like animals and now we have adult children who act worse than any animal would act.
2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but having itching ears, they shall heap to themselves teachers in accordance with their own lusts."
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Difficult Times Will Come
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."
IF you have ever wondered how we got to this point, the disrespect, the dishonor, the mocking, demeaning, and rancorous superior attitudes, it is explained in these above passages. We are nearing the end times in which all goodness, love, and kindness have diminished greatly. Yes, there are still some people who do not act the ways described in these passages, but most people do.
There are also those who do good deeds merely to elevate themselves without regard to the person they are actually serving. Yes, they serve but have little or no regard for the one they serve because the service is to elevate self, appearances become more important than the person they serve. In fact, the person they serve is nothing more than a prop for their use. This is hard to judge because the actions look so good. One way to test it is to correct the server in a mild and kind way and watch what comes out. Often there will be defensiveness and anger, this is the clue that the service is not coming from a pure heart.
An authentic server will never rage at anyone ever. They are humble and interested in improving themselves, they are not defensive even when they might be slightly hurt or embarrassed at a correction. These kind-hearted ones improve with age because they self-reflect to see if the challenge or correction was true.
Proverbs 15:31-32 "31 He who listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. 32 He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.…"
It is good to evaluate ourselves by asking God, "what is the truth about me?", "Please show me my true heart that I might grow into a better person to become Christ-like."
We cannot grow unless we know what is really in our own hearts, not to praise ourselves but to discern the sin that still remains. When we face ourselves in honesty then and only then can we progress in holiness.
Psalm 139:23-24
"23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there is any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way."
Proverbs 28:12-14 "…12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves. 13 He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy. 14 Blessed is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.
