Nosce te ipsum - know thyself!

Here is a philosophical understanding of the human person as spirit, soul, and body (1 Thess. 5:23) with an anthropology of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas that Dr. Anna Terruwe and Dr. Conrad Baars used in their rational approach to psychology.

It provides a breakdown of spirit, soul, and body working together as a whole. I find it helpful for understanding the dynamics between thoughts, reason, free will, emotions, sensory memory and judgment, feelings, etc.

1. Spirit
   1. intellect, will, reason, intuition, sanctifying grace
2. Soul
   1. Emotions (Passions)
      1. love, desire, joy, hate, aversion, sadness
      2. courage, hope, fear, despair, anger
   2. Internal Senses
      1. instincts, common sense, imagination, memory
3. Body
   1. Feelings
   2. External senses
      1. sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell

One may see similarities with other models, like the triune brain, that distinguish between the human brain (pre-frontal cortex), the mammalian brain (limbic system), and the reptilian brain (brain stem and cerebellum).

© Copyright Jeff Mazzone, 2024. Last updated 8/9/2024.