We continue looking at factors that influence the emotional response of an individual in a given situation. In this episode we consider emotional affirmation and regulation in early childhood and the importance of family life, good example and guidance.

The reading continues the discussion of Emotions. It looks at the influence of temperament on the reaction of an individual to different situations.

Today we begin a deep dive into the emotions from an integrative perspective. Three fundamental emotional needs are identified: feeling safe, a sense of belonging and a sense of significance. These needs are presented as fundamental inclinations that match the inclinations on the biological level.

With this episode we finish chapter 5 on the biological dimension of the human person. We cover the duality of appetites in creatures and discuss the passions related to the appetites. The chapter ends with a diagram showing the cognitive and response sides of concrete action on the biological level.

The reading today looks at the three inclinations on the biological level: the inclination to survival, the sexual inclination and curiosity to learn and communicate. We go on to discuss how sense perception occurs on the biological level, a power present in animals that human beings also share.

This reading begins chapter five on the biological dimension of the human person. The body is considered from the perspective of an integrated whole that has been engineered through evolution over tens of thousands of years to be perfectly adapted to a spiritual soul. All the parts are connected and related to each other to bring about the overall good of the human person. The notion of body integrity is introduced, which is a moral principle that guides interventions of any kind on the human body.

Today we begin Part II – The three dimensions of the human person. The anthropological model used in this text presents the human person in three dimensions: the biological, the emotional or psychological and the spiritual dimension. The three are distinct, yet work together to bring about the overall good of the human person. In fact, there are tendencies or inclinations on each of these levels that orient the human person from within to his end. To introduce part two, along with presenting the model anew, the text discusses the important notion of natural inclinations and how it is used in this book.

We end chapter 4 and part I of the book with a discussion of the importance of the example of others for acquiring virtue. The other side of the coin would be that our own example can have an important impact in helping others to lead virtuous lives.

This section outlines the new approach to virtue in anthropology of integration. Aristotle saw virtues as features of the good man or model citizen. St Thomas Aquinas focused on habits that ensure the proper functioning of the main powers or appetites in man. Anthropology of Integration looks at virtue from the perspective of a model of the human person as an entity in three dimensions – biological, emotional and spiritual. The overall good of the human person lies in the proper integration of these dimensions which occurs in two ways. First there is upward or cognitive integration where the the fundamental values are grasped and adhered to. Then there is downward or formative integration where these values shape the cultivation of habits related to the fundamental values. The most important virtues are those more directly connected to the fundamental values, which is to say, the end of the human person.

A look at the notion of virtue in Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas.