Perhaps I should have said “reason” and not “motive”, since that would make more sense. In any case, I did not necessarily mean anything negative or positive when I said motive.
It could be as you say, and the person might simply do kind things because it is part of their identity/character. Generally, I’ve interacted with three kinds of people like this throughout my life:
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Those that are kind because they genuinely cannot be anything else,
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Those that are kind because they feel some obligation/need/desire to be, and
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Those that appear kind simply because a situation that would reveal their true character hasn’t occurred. This doesn’t necessarily mean they are hiding it, but it could just be that you haven’t really interacted with them much but they are generally polite.
I genuinely can’t think of any other category that someone could fall into. Anyone who is kind without compulsion from the circumstances around them is either doing so autonomously or automatically. If it is automatic, then it falls under #1. If it is autonomous, then it falls under #2, for if you did not feel an internal compulsion, then you would not be kind without an external one.
Depending on who you asked, the first and the third cannot be seen as kind seeing as the first person isn’t acting out of true personal choice/desire and the third just hasn’t been fully diagnosed. The second is selfish for the simple fact that being kind is done to fulfill some internal need or longing. The person still technically benefits from this, just not in a way tangible to others.
It could be that it makes them feel better about themselves, or that it placates a fear within them. Maybe they feel some duty to make the world a better place by their actions, or maybe they do it in order to ensure that no one has to feel the same way they once did. Maybe they were touched by something they heard and don’t want to see themselves as a bad person. All these things are selfish motives, but selfish =/= bad IMO.
I don’t think it’s possible to be indifferently kind. If you were truly indifferent, you would most likely choose not to be kind when you are directly or indirectly disadvantaged by it. If you’re only kind when it takes little to nothing from you, does that even count as kindness or just simple courtesy? Most would disagree. Thus, the indifferently kind is not kind at all but simply “nice”.