Powerlessness is generally thought to be a negative concept. But it is not always negative. Brief times of powerlessness may rejuvenate a person’s body mind, and spirit, much like a vacation does.

A period of hopelessness, about a job, a family member, or a living situation may lead to realistic appraisal and acceptance of a situation that cannot be changed. Mental and emotional energy can then be liberated for the development and pursuit of more satisfying and productive goals.

A time of self-doubt and overdependence can lead to analyzing one’s knowledge and value systems. This may result in a new level of intellectual and physical autonomy (as, for example, when deciding to break out of a brutalizing situation). Self-doubt could lead a person to seek education or help from others.

When guilt is experienced, the positive value may be choosing to make amends. From another perspective, a person may discover that many guilt feelings are neurotic and inappropriate. This discovery can lead to taking more initiative in life, instead of waiting for others to set the goals.

Feeling incompetent occasionally can also be useful. If social skills were not mastered between the ages of seven and twelve or even later, a person is likely to feel inferior or shy with others. Observing how other people initiate or respond in social situations can help one develop new skills that increase chances for happiness. Feeling incompetent academically is so common and widely recognized that men and women increasingly return to schools and universities. Learning something new, or getting a longed-for degree, usually increases competence and decreases feelings of inferiority.

The discomfort of reexperiencing adolescent identity confusion often activates the desire for psychotherapy or, at least, introspection about what it means to be a woman instead of a girl, or a man instead of a boy.

Occasionally feeling distant from people, or feeling cold and hateful instead of warm and loving, leads to a crisis. The crisis is a symptom of the need to choose intimacy over isolation and to actively search for people with whom this might be possible.

A change from indiscriminately taking on responsibilities may allow a person to become more appropriately involved with self-interests. Anew experience of self-care may lead to improved health and greater enjoyment, as well as a more accurate view of reality.

Despair, the opposite of hope, is counteracted by the ego integrity that leads to wisdom. Despair can lead to awareness that continuous integration is necessary, even in the later years of life. To integrate is to make whole. It is bringing the parts together, the parts of one’s personality and the parts of one’s total existence.

To be healthy is to recognize holiness as well as wholeness within oneself and the rest of the world. Recognizing holiness includes recognizing the rights all people have for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness with freedom, justice and peace.

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