Last week, my psychology class began studying Freudian psychodynamics — specifically how Freud believed that people are governed by a conflict between the ‘id,’ which is impulse; the ‘ego,’ which is balanced reality; and the ‘superego’ which is morality. And yes, the bulk of Freud’s theories of personality are abstract and virtually non-applicable in modernity, however; one aspect of his research caught my attention.

In the discussion of volunteerism, the concept of a ‘superego’ has some merit that human beings have an innate tendency to be moral and compassionate. I was reminded of a similar Islamic concept called the ‘fitrah,’ or the natural disposition of the soul. But what does this have to do with community service?

Volunteering helps to align that natural desire to help others with action. Moreover, even though volunteer work entails a wide spectrum of benefits, new life experience and academic credit, nothing can match its role in igniting the inherently human sense of empathy.

According to a national survey by UnitedHealth Group, the majority of participants reported that they felt that volunteering improved their mental and physical health. In fact, a massive 96 percent of volunteers reported that volunteering enhanced their purpose in life and 94 percent of people who volunteered in the last year said that it improved their mood.

Simply nourishing the conscience through moral instinct can move a person closer to their purpose and heighten their self-efficacy. At the same time, this drive to act on selflessness proves that we have a nobler purpose than existence.

Christian theologian Reinhold Niebuhr wrote, “No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own, therefore, we are saved by the final form of love, which is forgiveness.”

This excerpt implies that human beings enjoy taking part in acts of virtue. We seek a higher purpose in life — which was no doubt implanted from a higher being.

So, in short, what does volunteering do for humanity? It makes us a kinder race in our day to day lives, it brings out the best in our character and it transcends physical benefit to connect us with our ‘superego’ and sense of self. It pushes us to not only serve our communities, but also continue personal growth while inspiring our inborn yearning to serve others.