Chapter V - Tendencies, Sentiments, and Passions

Question 1

Two principles of action in a single person:

Answer 1

1. Nature

2. Freedom

Question 2

“Voluntas ut natura”

Answer 2

• The natural inclination of a nature towards its good (intelligible good in humans). - St. Thomas

Question 3

Desires

Answer 3

(aka. impulses, tendencies) - the forms in which man manifests his vital needs in his dialogue with the world (to every need there is an impulse and vice versa)

Question 4

Thomas separates natural inclinations into three groups:

Answer 4

i. Common to living beings: Conservation of Life, self defence, nutrition (vegetative-shared with plants)
ii. Common to animals: Reproduction, care of offspring, (shared with animals)
iii. Proper to man as rational being: Sociality, friendship, love, metaphysical transcendence (proper to man as rational being).

Question 5

Tendencies as used by empirical psychology

Answer 5

• the dynamism that is at the base of human conduct (as opposed to Aquinas’ metaphysical “natural inclinations”).

Question 6

Characteristics of tendencies: (as used by empirical psychology)

Answer 6

o Psychological reflection of the “vital law” of the communication between man and the world. Render our needs known to us.
o Experienced as a movement from the state of need to a future state of satisfaction
o Aim at a particular goal/purpose
o Appear as something imposed on/given to us. They have a passive character.

Question 7

3 groups of tendencies:

Answer 7

o	Tendencies of Vitality
activity
pleasure
sexual tendency (ordered towards life, and the preservation of life – also has a strong link with the transitive tendency to love – to self transcendence through the giving of oneself to the other in love)
“vivential” (self realization).
o	Tendencies of the “I” individual
self conservation
possession
for power
to be esteemed by others
for revenge
for self esteem
o	Transitive Tendencies 
being with others
being for others
creativity
desire to know
to love and be loved
normative tendency (toward abstract goods: truth, justice, solidarity, etc.)
transcendental tendency (artistic impulse, metaphysical aspiration, religion, etc.)

Question 8

Emotions and sentiments

Answer 8

• the interior resonance of the tendencies subsequent to perception

Question 9

The sentiments and the emotions are closely linked to and depend on the tendencies.

Answer 9

o	Sentiments linked to the tendencies of vitality:
pleasure
pain
boredom
fun
worry
panic
o	Sentiments linked to the tendencies “I” individual: 
agitation
trust
mistrust
jealousy
discontent
feeling of inferiority
revenge
shame
etc.
o	Sentiments linked to the transitive tendencies: 
sympathy
love
hate
respect
contempt
esteem
compassion
etc.

Question 10

Passions

Answer 10

• the acts of the sensible appetites - St. Thomas

Question 11

3 ways to distinguish passions: (Aquinas)

Answer 11

1. According to the sensible faculty: Concupiscible or Irascible appetite
   Concupiscible: impulse toward sense pleasure
   Irascible: aggressive impulse (difficult pleasure to be attained, or the evil to be avoided)
2. According to the object of the passions: (the good and the bad, and the presence or absence)
   a. Absent pleasure - desire
   b. Present pleasure - joy
   c. Present evil - sadness
   d. Absent evil - flight
3. Applying only to the irascible appetites:
   a. A good that is hard to reach, but yet possible – hope
   b. The loss of that same good – discouragement

Question 12

Why every appetite searches for its proper object, independently of rational order

Answer 12

• concupiscence.

Question 13

Value of sentiments depends on:

Answer 13

o Truth or falsity of the evaluation that they contain:
True if they judge a good act to be good
False if they judge a bad act to be good.
o Correctness or incorrectness of the behaviour suggested by the passions:
Correct if it leads to good moral behaviour
Incorrect if it leads to a bad behaviour
o Intensity and content: influences the quality of the passion

Question 14

How to educate sentiments:

Answer 14

1. Interpret: Understand why this passion is influencing me.
2. Evaluate: Put the good or evil that we are affectively experiencing in relation to global good of the Christian view.
3. Direct or correct: Accept the sentiment if it’s direction is good. Modify or reject it if its direction is bad.

Question 15

Antecedent passions:

Answer 15

Happen before the act of the will
They influence the will:
through the intellect: Present an act as something good to do. It is disordered if it presents an act as good that the person normally and habitually judges as bad.
through the will: It weakens it by exhausting the person so he loses some of his self control and acts less voluntarily.

Question 16

Concomitant passions / Consequent passions

Answer 16

Happen at the same time as the act of the will / Happen after the act of the will