WHEN UNCONDITIONAL LOVE IS CONDITIONAL

THE SCIENCE OF WHEN UNCONDITIONAL LOVE IS CONDITIONAL

I was once working with a group of teenagers discussing “integrity agreements,” which I described as “either spoken or unspoken agreements not to hurt each other.” These integrity agreements are the fabric of our society. This belief, that we won’t harm each other, is what allows us to walk down the street without worrying about getting shot or intentionally run over. I discussed with the teens how every time we break integrity agreements with each other—every time we cheat, lie, abuse, or  harm—we weaken the agreement and create unstable relationships.

Their families might keep taking them back after a breach of the agreement, I explained, but there could come a point in time in which the integrity of the relationship has been so severely damaged that it cannot be repaired. Some of them, from experience, knew exactly what I was talking about. But one of the teens said, “But my mom and dad love me unconditionally. They have to take me back.” Click HERE to continue