Abstract

Is it possible that fear becomes a habit? A habit thought from two points of view: that of a particular person who gets used to living in fear and processes everything through it, or that of a social group that is, because of fear, subject to a government, which it would lead entire populations to a state of docility or domestication. In this essay, I will explain Aquinate’s position on the subject, and specifically on Summa Theologica. To do this, I will start with a very brief reference to the Greek and Latin mythological origin of the term, then I will briefly analyze what passions are, how they originate, their relationship with appetites, desires, emotions, affections, feelings, etc. Next I will consider the nature of habits and then mention, briefly, the particular case of virtue strength, as a good habit. And finally I’ll conclude whether or not fear can become a habit, according to Thomas Aquinas.