Habits as Spiritual Affectivity

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between emotions and habits within the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition, challenging the modern identification of habit with mere routine or neurobiological automatism. Drawing on the insights of Magda Arnold and Leonardo Polo, the author argues that while emotions are sensory, preconscious ‘appraisals’ of the environment, habits—specifically virtues—represent a higher, spiritual form of affectivity. By characterizing habit as a stable disposition oriented toward the ‘intellectual good’, the text positions virtue as ‘active feedback’ that perfects the human faculty. Unlike transient sensory passions, these spiritual habits provide a profound, stable emotional tone, such as serenity or joy, which guides and moderates lower sensory responses. Ultimately, the author posits that habits are not ‘cold’ cognitive structures but a ‘hyper-feeling’ that constitutes the most intimate and elevated dimension of human emotional experience.