ABSTRACT
Passions play a central role in medieval philosophical psychology both as part of a purely descriptive psychological theory of human nature and as a key aspect of a normative theory of behaviour and moral action. It was clear to most philosophers at this time that passions play an important part in any theoretical understanding of human nature, and they hence devoted a lot of space in various treatises to understand them as well as to lay down a theory that could not only explain our behaviour, but also find ways in which to control the passions. Controlling the passionate side of our nature was seen as key to a good and moral life.
