BENT

leaning, inclination, proclivity, tendency

a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way

fixed in your purpose

a special way of doing something

SYN - hang, knack, set

"He had such a liberal bent that no-one believed his claims of political independence."

"It was the fact that he had a bent for putting the thread through her needles that she kept him around."

"The fact he was bent on the sport of basketball and had a bent for the mental aspects of the went a long ways in getting him the history teacher/basketball coach for the high school."