Envy is resentment toward another person who appears to have a benefit or advantage that the resentful individual does not have. This resentment frequently leads to hatred for the other.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines anger as a desire for revenge. However, prior to the time of Jesus, anger was not interpreted as necessarily negative. 

In many lists of the deadly sins, vanity is included within the sin of pride. However, some scholars—including the originator, Evagrius Ponticus—kept it separate due to its difference from pride’s lust for power and dominion.

Lust within the context of the deadly sin refers to an intense and inordinate desire for sexual gratification.  

When we hear the word “humility,” many of us think of low self-esteem and self-deprecation: I for one used to envision the ideal as making a concerted effort to disavow the truth of any compliment ever received.

Greed is the excessive desire for material possessions and wealth. Although greed does not cause physical addiction, it does cause a psychological obsession that leads to an insatiable desire for more. 

One of the deadly sins, gluttony is an excess intake of food, alcohol, or drugs. Gluttony is destructive, because it holds its victims in the spell of sensorial pleasure. Sadly, this spell prevents one from reaching higher levels of meaning and purpose in life.  

Biographers of Walker Percy often begin their work with the distressing tale of how Percy’s grandfather, father and mother committed suicide.