I feel it is naturally a part of life; it is a product of cognitive dissonance and is purged when the "storm" hits.
Just as in the story of Noah's flood, and Hollywood's recent rendition of Noah, all individuals are subject to a "flood" wherein if they endure, the storm itself brings them to a mountain top above that which they used to suffer.
The Bible is not literal; it is actually a depiction of the evolution of human consciousness.