Document Type
Thesis
Date of Degree
2007
Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Degree In
Religious Studies
First Advisor
Diana Fritz Cates
Abstract
The introduction of a Thomistic framework to contemporary models of addiction provides new insight that may prove useful in efforts toward therapy and understanding. Aquinas's conception of the human soul and its proper functioning contrasts with the suggested disordered functioning of the addict's soul in such a way that this may prove useful for addicts attempting to interpret their physical, psychological, and moral feelings or intuitions. This framework can then be related to the common contemporary addiction therapy found in Alcoholics Anonymous and other Twelve Step programs in order to provide a greater understanding of what psychological and moral processes may be at work within the addict with the hope that greater understanding will lead to more effective therapy.
Keywords
Aquinas, Temperance, Addiction, Alcoholics Anonymous, Twelve Step Programs
Pages
ii, 74 pages
Copyright
Copyright 2007 Mitchell Carl Coleman