So, you think you’re in love…

Miguela Mohammed, a psychology major, distinguishes between love and lust by applying Catholic theology and philosophical definitions. Writing for the Diocese of Port of Spain, Mohammed explains that while people often mistake the desire for intimacy for love, the two concepts represent opposing directions of the human will.

Mohammed notes that lust reduces a person to an object for self-gratification, whereas authentic love wills the good of the other. This distinction draws on the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, who defined love as an act of the will requiring sacrifice and commitment, and Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.