Resilience and the Virtue of Fortitude: Aquinas in Dialogue with the Psychosocial Sciences Book

Contents Acknowledgments....................vii
Introduction....................ix
PART ONE. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF RESILIENCE AND VIRTUE THEORIES 1. The Resilience Perspective....................3
Origin and Breadth of the Resilience Concept....................4
Risk, Stress, and Vulnerability versus Protection, Coping, and Buffering....................11
Religious and Spiritual Resilience....................20
Conclusions....................28
2. Resilience Input for a Virtue-Based Philosophical Anthropology....................30
Temperament....................31
Emotions....................35
Cognitive Processes and Meaning....................42
Volitional Processes: Attention and Competency....................51
Family Interactions....................59
Interactions outside the Family....................65
Transition: Resilience Insights for Philosophical Anthropology....................71
3. Renewing Moral Theology: Aquinas' Virtue Theory and Resilience Research....................76
Aquinas' Moral Theology and Resilience Research....................77
Employing Psychosocial Resilience Findings in Moral Theology....................85
Flourishing in Aquinas' Moral Theory and Resilience Theory....................98
Aquinas on Emotions and Moral Development....................109
Aquinas on Virtue, Education, and Resilience....................127
PART TWO. APPLICATIONS 4. Resilience and Aquinas' Virtue of Fortitude....................143
Aquinas on the Virtue of Fortitude....................144
Managing Human Fear....................153
Fortitude: Characteristicsand Context of Moral Resilience....................165
Progress and Failure in Fortitude....................175
Concluding Remarks on Fortitude and Resilience....................186
5. Constructive Resilience and Aquinas' Virtues of Initiative....................188
Arduous Activity: Confronting Difficulty with the Energy of the Passions of Hope and Daring....................189
Magnificentia as the Virtue of Making and Generosity?....................204
Magnanimitas as the Natural Virtue of Hope....................214
Accenting Honors or Excellence?....................229
Conclusion: Constructive Resilience and Virtues of Initiative....................239
6. Resistant Resilience and Aquinas' Virtues of Endurance....................241
Emotions Related to Sorrow, Suffering, and Waiting....................241
The Virtues of Patience and Perseverance in a Resilience Perspective....................247
The Development of Patience, Perseverance, and Resistant Resilience....................253
Some Conclusions on Patience, Perseverance, and Resistant Resilience....................261
PART THREE. FORTITUDE AND RESILIENCE TRANSCENDED 7. Aquinas' Theological Transformation of Fortitude and Resilience....................267
The Infused Virtue of Fortitude....................267
Resilience in Martyrdom?....................280
The Gift of Fortitude and the Beatitude of the Just....................291
8. A Theological Dimension of Resilient Initiative-Taking?....................300
Infused Greatness and Initiative: Theological Dimensions of Magnificentia and Magnanimitas....................300
Theological Honor and Excellence....................314
9. Theological Dimension of the Virtues of Enduring....................325
Infused Patience, Perseverance, and Resilience....................326
Theological Supports for Patience....................340
Development of Patience and Spiritual Resilience....................349
10. Conclusions: Resilience Research and the Renewal of Moral Theology....................363
Abbreviations....................371
Bibliography....................375
Index of Subjects....................399
Index of Names....................407