The term vehemence is used to refer to a type of attitude that humans can have in certain situations. Vehemence always implies passion and complete commitment to defending a certain position, idea or situation and although in many cases it is viewed negatively because it signifies impulsiveness or exaggeration, in many others it implies a high level of commitment and clarity of ideas. This is why vehemence as a way of acting is appropriate for some areas but not for all (for example, it is not recommended in formal and work settings).
If one analyzes the word vehemence in an etymological way, one will discover that this term comes from the Latin, more specifically from the term vemens. In this sense, ve means in Latin "out of" or "far away", while mens just means "mind". Thus, we can understand that the word vehemence could literally mean out of mind, clouded, irrational.
This undoubtedly has a negative view of this word because it means that an individual who acts vehemently does so irrationally, without thinking or reasoning. This is why many times the idea of vehemence or of someone who is vehement can lead us to think that he is a very impulsive person, who does not stop to think about his actions or sayings, who acts with emotion more than with reason and on numerous occasions with violence.
However, the term vehemence also has a positive meaning, which is one that implies the notion of commitment and defense of certain values. Regardless of what these values are, what matters in this regard is the good sense and how to commit to them that a person can demonstrate.
Many times it is present when issues such as political issues, sports, ways of understanding the world or even personal styles are raised, since all of them involve choices of the person that make their identity and their way of being.