Paste your essay in here…Macmillan 9
Claire Macmillan
WRC 370
Dr. Klingensmith
5 May 2017
Islamic Psychology
Psychology is defined as the “science of mind and behavior”. Throughout the field of psychology, there are variety of approaches and theories that try to define the mind and our behavior in different ways. Names like Carl Jung or Sigmund Freud are taught to psychology majors within the first week of classes, but what about theories which stem from religious backgrounds? In today’s society, religion and psychology are combined in practice and study. Across the western world, a client seeking therapy can find a therapist that uses their religious background to improve the quality of life. One of the earliest fusions of religion and psychology was the practice of Islamic psychology. Implementing Islamic doctrine into the practice of studying the mind, Islamic psychology widely impacted the field of psychology. Through comparing Islamic psychology to well-known theories and examining the history of this branch of psychology, the effectiveness and influential impact Islamic psychology possesses has brought about a resurgence of this field in the modern world.
At the point of its creation, Islamic psychology was also one of the first psychological approaches that centered more on the action of healing or developing a cure rather than theorizing. By the 8th century, Islamic rulers had actually set up several hospitals in places like Damascus, Cairo, and Baghdad that focused solely on treating mental issues. It is important to mention that the first ever psychiatric ward was established in 705 CE in Baghdad, Iraq (Sabry & Vohra, 2013). Meanwhile, the European world was still focused on demonic possession or curses as being the cause for what science would later be able to define as mental illnesses (Shuttleworth, 2010). As the period of Islamization began, the spread of this way of thinking contributed greatly to how we study the mind today.
While there is a fusion in Islamic psychology’s roots to Western psychology, there are several individuals who directly influenced this field. Islamic psychology stems from philosophy that originates from Ibn Sina. He combined theories of Greek philosophers and Islamic teachings to develop Islamic psychology. In his research, he tried to attribute certain abilities to parts of the brain and seemed to understand the beginning concepts of neuroscience. However, in Muslim doctrine it prohibits any form of dissection so he could never truly build evidence for his claims. Sina brought about many ideas that would later influence several fields of psychology, and historically, he was the first to try and explain the relationship between the mind and the ability to reason (Shuttleworth, 2010). Along with these two very important contributions, he provided definitions for terms that are still relevant today such as: common sense, retentive imagination, memory, and processing. Sina was also one of the first psychologists that helped the belief that people with mental illnesses were possessed in some way. He was able to develop a variety of cures for mental illnesses and provide a link between the body and mind.
Al Ashath Al Kindi, an Iraqi Muslim, was one of the earliest philosophers that majorly impacted the Islamic philosophy that would later develop into Islamic psychology. While he was alive, he contributed over 200 pieces of literature that involved philosophy and psychology. One of his most popular writings, Sleep and Dreams and the Eradication of Sorrow, is his first attempt at explaining the concept of sorrow. According to some research, Al Kindi was the first to try and explain sorrow as a “state of deep distress and suffering” (Haque, 2004). Through trying to explain sorrow, Kindi brought about the notion that pain is a curable thing (Hamarnah, 1984). Kindi would greatly influence the field of cognitive psychology by utilizing the psychological concept of free will. To this day, several fields of psychology debate the understanding of free will and whether we as humans truly have control over our own actions. He believed the soul, or what modern western psychology might define as the “self”, was expressed through free will. In his writings, there is a clear influence of Islamic theology. A key principle to Kindi’s thinking was that the soul could only reach contentment by being stripped from a lust for the world and its treasures; this idea being very much rooted in Islamic belief.
Another significant contributor to the field of Islamic psychology and also western psychology was Ali Ibn Sahl At-Tabari. He made significant impacts on the field of child developmental psychology and the relationship between counseling/psychology and medication. Through his writings, he was one of the first people to meld the need for counseling to cure patients with medicine simultaneously. This idea is still very influential to this day, and several studies have been conducted that prove the significant correlation between therapy and medication.
What exactly is Islamic psychology? Islamic psychology has been described as being “a branch of psychology religion which deals with the religious issues related to human cognition of Muslim” (Shahabi, 2015). Islamic psychology draws its theories primarily through two sources: the Qur’an and the Hadith. While there are several similarities between western psychology and Islamic psychology, Islamic psychology really stresses the importance of Islamic teachings and psychology itself as an interpretation of signs from Allah. This belief that psychology is interpreting signs from Allah stems from the spiritual value of relying on Allah in the Muslim faith. The primary focus of Islamic psychology falls back on a reliance on Allah. This religious incorporation sets Islamic psychology apart from branches like Humanistic or Psychoanalytic because of their tendency to focus more on the individual and less on religion. While Islamic psychology still focuses on the individual, the main focus is the relationship between man and Allah as a source for improving the quality of life. Studies involving Islamic psychology have shown the significant impact that this reliance on Allah greatly reduces anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses (Bonab & Kooshar, 2011). Since the Muslim population has grown, a resurgence of this branch of thinking has developed and is being practiced more often now. An interesting example of what a modern day practicing Islamic psychologist might be like is the example of how they would go about treating addiction. The value of looking after their health is widely attributed to being a gift from Allah, so seeking treatment for a drug addiction is something to be cherished. This idea is believed to increase satisfaction and commitment to treatment (Bonab & Kooshar, 2011). Quite often, when seeking therapy, the person who ends up doing the counseling in this setting is a religious leader or Imam. Mental illnesses are often seen as a test from Allah and that what Allah does not bring about a disease without a cure. If someone does not seek a religious leader or an Imam, another form of counseling in Islam is from a tradition healer which often is influenced by the geographic location. However, traditional healing is banned in certain Muslim countries. A large portion of Islamic counseling comes from Sufism and a Sufi master (Bonab & Kooshar, 2011). This form of counseling incorporates Islamic daily prayers and worship. Islamic psychology stresses the idea of detaching from the world to deal with concerns by focusing solely on Allah.
When studying or researching an area of psychology that can be unique to a certain geographic location, it is important to research the prevalence of certain mental illnesses in that location. Even though the Muslim religion is spreading and present in several parts of the world, the concentrated mass of Muslims are in the Middle East or Asia-Pacific region (Wormald, 2017). A study was done that looked into the number of diagnosed mental illnesses in particular geographic locations around the world.
Figure 1: Global Burden of Disease Study done in 2010
The figure above shows that areas like the Middle East and Asia Pacific have prevalence several disorders such as depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, drug use disorders and more. How these mental disorders are treated in Islamic communities is very interesting. For example, depression can sometimes be inflated through life events, and this is where Islamic psychology truly helps in the treatment of depression. In Islamic therapy settings, a client or patient with depression is encouraged to think positive thoughts and to stay hopeful. Islamic psychology will often draw directly from the Qur’an with certain excerpts that deal directly with relief or difficulty. Islamic psychology encourages clients or patients to truly rely in Allah to ease suffering. Where some cultures stigmatize mental illnesses, Islamic psychology stresses the idea that seeking treatment for disorders like depression is encouraged through Muslim faith. Another interesting take on treating a different mental issue is how the Islamic faith approaches anxiety. The Islamic faith stresses focusing on the gifts from Allah and His blessings and trying to cognitively restructure in order to cope with anxiety by reading the teachings of Muhammad. The last disorder worth mentioning is the way Islamic belief deals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. They describe the obsessive thoughts that come from OCD as “wasawis” and that they are whispers from Ash-Shaytan or Satan (Sabry & Vohra, 2013). Overall, there approach to handling different psychological disorders are very unique and the understanding is driven through their faith.
In order to understand Islamic psychology, it is important to compare it to other theories as well. One theory to compare and contrast it to is the humanistic approach to psychology. Humanistic psychology is a branch of psychology that emphasizes the person as a whole. Both provide unique approaches to trying to understand the mind. While they share several differences, the attempt to define what a healthy individual is like in humanistic psychology is very similar to principles of Islam. The value of improving oneself and reaching absolute potential is very important in Humanistic psychology and Islamic psychology. However, several Muslims reject humanistic psychology because of its focus solely on the self with no involvement of religion. Humanistic psychology also is rooted around Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which in Islamic psychology the main focus is the relationship and reliance on Allah. The idea that certain material needs are required in order to reach maximum potential is widely rejected in the Islamic approach.
Figure 1: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Islamic psychology is centered on the need for a relationship with Allah and the detachment from the materialistic world in order to better oneself. In Sufism counseling, therapy is centered on removing the self from the world and only being aware of the presence of Allah. This is very different from the Humanistic approach to therapy that is mainly focused on making sure one’s needs are met. Overall, they have certain similarities in nature but are vastly different in virtue.
Another approach to psychology that Islamic psychology is actually very similar to is the cognitive theory of psychology. Several scientists that contributed to the developing field of cognitive psychology were actually early Muslims. The field of cognitive psychology in the Western world is very much influenced by these early physicians, philosophers, and scientists. Nowadays, it is actually very common for a practicing Muslim to seek out a modified version of cognitive therapy (Sabry & Vohra, 2013). They modify modern cognitive therapy by adding in spiritual elements. There has actually been research done that showed that certain mental disorders show faster results when met with “Islamically” modified therapy (Sabry & Vohra, 2013). In cognitive psychology, most behaviors are simplified to certain cognitive processes like memory or perception. Often in cognitive therapy, negative thoughts are replaced with positive thoughts, and the way a human thinks or perceives an event is the focus. This method of therapy is also used in Islamic psychology. Islamic psychology greatly influence cognitive psychology and is very similar in practice by redirecting thoughts to focus on Allah.
Overall, Islamic psychology is a unique approach in trying to understand the human mind and body. With its compelling history and beginning, Islamic psychology truly influenced the field of psychology and is highly understudied. For so many different fields, Islamic psychologists were the first to discover or use certain practices but often are not credited with doing so. Islamic psychology represents the power of faith and religion in the approach to psychology.
References
Bonab, B. G., & Koohsar, A. A. H. (2011). Reliance on God as a core construct of Islamic psychology. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 216-220.
Hamarneh, S. K. (1984). In M.A. Anees (Ed.), Health Sciences in Early Islam: collected Papers, Vol. 2, Blanco, TX: Zahra Publications, 353.
Haque, A. (1998). ‘‘Psychology and Religion: Their Relationship and Integration from Islamic Perspective,’’ The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 15, pp. 97–116.
Martyn Shuttleworth (Mar 16, 2010). Islamic Psychology. Retrieved Apr 26, 2017 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/islamic-psychology
McLeod, S. A. (2016). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
NIH-led effort details global brain disorders research agenda in Nature supplement. (n.d.). Retrieved May 05, 2017, from https://www.fic.nih.gov/news/globalhealthmatters/november-december-2015/pages/global-brain-disorders-research-agenda.aspx
Sabry, W. M., & Vohra, A. (2013). Role of Islam in the management of Psychiatric disorders. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(Suppl 2), S205–S214. http://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.105534
Wormald, Benjamin. "10 Countries With the Largest Muslim Populations, 2010 and 2050." Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. N.p., 02 Apr. 2015. Web. 05 May 2017.