Among all creations of God living in this planet, man is the most intelligent, innovative and creative. Imbued with these qualities, man was able to plan, create and recreate new things using the resources available in the environment. Man’s position as God’s best creation and as the recipient of the creative intelligence from his Creator has further advanced him in mastering science and technology. As a result of his advancement in knowledge and science in one way or another has ushered man into creating great civilizations. While the discussion goes on as to whether man’s creativity is an inborn or a learned behaviour, this paper intends to explore and analyze some of the existing concepts on human creativity found in Western and Islamic psychologies. Very particularly, the researchers would like to examine the concept of creativity put forward by Freudian Psychoanalysis, Behaviorists, Humanistic and Islamic psychologies. It is expected that the findings of this research can motivate mankind to be more dynamic and productive in bringing upon the much needed positive change to the present world conditions.
Man and Creativity: A Contrastive Analysis between Western and Islamic Psycho...mohd abbas abdul razak
This document provides an overview of concepts of creativity and human nature from Western and Islamic perspectives. It discusses how Western psychology, including Freudian psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and humanism, have differing views on human nature ranging from pessimistic to neutral to optimistic. Islamic psychology presents a holistic view of human nature based on the Quran and hadith, seeing humans as having physical, social, psychological and spiritual dimensions. The document then defines creativity and explores how creativity is perceived differently in various cultural contexts before contrasting Western and Islamic views on creativity.
Islamic Psychology and the Call for Islamization of Modern Psychology (Journa...Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak
The shifting of paradigms in modern psychology has left modern men in a state
of confusion on the issues pertaining to what should be the paramount concern
of psychology and in the proper understanding on the topic of human nature. In a contrastive manner Islamic psychology which has been promoted by Muslim
scholars alongside with the process of Islamization of knowledge and education, has its roots in the philosophical ideas of early Muslim scholars. Its resurgence, which started some two decades ago, is seen as an initiative to introduce Islamic understanding on man to the conflicting ideas prevalent in modern psychology. Its approach, which is mainly philosophical in nature, goes back to the ideas on
man mentioned in the two primary sources of Islam, the Qur’an and Hadith. Islamic psychology with its comprehensive ideas on human nature has been seen by Muslim scholars as a new perspective in psychology that can fill in the lacunae present in the modern psychological thoughts on man, and clears the mist that surrounds most Western theories on man. This paper represents anattempt to analyze and also synthesize Western psychology and Islamic psychology in terms of their nature, development, contributions, and problems.
Man: A Contrastive Analysis between Western and Islamic PsychologiesMohd Abbas Abdul Razak
1) The document presents a contrastive analysis between Western and Islamic psychologies and their differing views of human nature.
2) Western psychologies like Freudian psychoanalysis and behaviorism portray negative or mechanistic views of human nature, seeing humans as irrational, driven by instincts, or entirely shaped by environment.
3) In contrast, Islamic psychology and humanistic psychology present more positive views of human nature, seeing humans as inherently good, possessing qualities like free will, spirituality, and striving for self-actualization.
Personality psychology studies differences between individuals, including their formation of self-image, psychological processes, and reactions in various situations. Major theories of personality include psychodynamic, humanistic, biological, behavioral, evolutionary, and social learning approaches. Key concepts in personality theories include Carl Jung's introversion-extroversion types, Sigmund Freud's id-ego-superego model of the mind, and B.F. Skinner's behavioral perspective that human behavior is shaped by environmental influences and consequences.
The document provides an overview of several Eastern philosophies and religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Hinduism believes in Brahman as the supreme god and views mankind as divine. The goal is to achieve moksha and cease to exist through reincarnation. Buddhism teaches that suffering can be ended through the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path. Confucianism focuses on human morality and relationships. Taoism emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao or natural order of the universe.
Human Nature & Motivation: A Comparative Analysis between Western and Islamic...mohd abbas abdul razak
In the fi eld of psychology, the topics on human nature and motivation
have been quite extensively discussed. These two topics are interrelated
and inseparable. Any endeavor to understand man and his potentials makes
it necessary for one to venture into the study of human nature. Major topics
in psychology like motivation, personality, creativity, psychotherapy, mental
health, etc. could be well understood with a proper understanding on human
nature. In the light of this reality, what makes this research an appealing and
interesting one is the fact that the researchers had comparatively analyzed the
ideas on human nature and motivation showcased to the world by Western and
Islamic psychologies. The fact that there exist a great number of schools of
thought in Western psychology, the researchers had narrowed their scope of
investigation to three only. As such, they discussed the ideas on human nature
and motivation as conceptualized in Psychoanalysis, Radical Behaviorism and
Humanistic psychology. Upon analyzing Western theories, the researchers
performed a compare and contrast analysis with ideas provided by Islamic
psychology on human nature and motivation. This academic exercise was done
in the hope of identifying as to whether there exist any similarity and difference between the two psychologies. Since the nature of this study was a qualitative
one, the researchers conducted a library research to collect the relevant data.
In analyzing the data related to the study, the researchers used the content and
textual analysis methods.
This document provides an overview of major psychological theories, including:
1. Structuralism - Focused on analyzing the basic elements of conscious experience through introspection. Pioneered by Wundt and Titchner.
2. Psychoanalysis - Developed by Freud, focuses on discovering unconscious meanings and motivations to change problematic behaviors. Includes concepts like the id, ego, superego, and defense mechanisms.
3. Behaviorism - Known as the learning perspective, believes all behaviors can be explained by stimuli and responses. Includes theories of classical and operant conditioning from Pavlov, Watson, Skinner, and others.
4. Gestaltism - Developed in response to structural
This document provides an overview of several major world religions and philosophies, including Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It describes some key details about each, such as their founders, core beliefs, and important scriptures. The document aims to convey basic information about the origins and teachings of these influential religious and philosophical traditions.
Man and Creativity: A Contrastive Analysis between Western and Islamic Psycho...mohd abbas abdul razak
This document provides an overview of concepts of creativity and human nature from Western and Islamic perspectives. It discusses how Western psychology, including Freudian psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and humanism, have differing views on human nature ranging from pessimistic to neutral to optimistic. Islamic psychology presents a holistic view of human nature based on the Quran and hadith, seeing humans as having physical, social, psychological and spiritual dimensions. The document then defines creativity and explores how creativity is perceived differently in various cultural contexts before contrasting Western and Islamic views on creativity.
Islamic Psychology and the Call for Islamization of Modern Psychology (Journa...Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak
The shifting of paradigms in modern psychology has left modern men in a state
of confusion on the issues pertaining to what should be the paramount concern
of psychology and in the proper understanding on the topic of human nature. In a contrastive manner Islamic psychology which has been promoted by Muslim
scholars alongside with the process of Islamization of knowledge and education, has its roots in the philosophical ideas of early Muslim scholars. Its resurgence, which started some two decades ago, is seen as an initiative to introduce Islamic understanding on man to the conflicting ideas prevalent in modern psychology. Its approach, which is mainly philosophical in nature, goes back to the ideas on
man mentioned in the two primary sources of Islam, the Qur’an and Hadith. Islamic psychology with its comprehensive ideas on human nature has been seen by Muslim scholars as a new perspective in psychology that can fill in the lacunae present in the modern psychological thoughts on man, and clears the mist that surrounds most Western theories on man. This paper represents anattempt to analyze and also synthesize Western psychology and Islamic psychology in terms of their nature, development, contributions, and problems.
Man: A Contrastive Analysis between Western and Islamic PsychologiesMohd Abbas Abdul Razak
1) The document presents a contrastive analysis between Western and Islamic psychologies and their differing views of human nature.
2) Western psychologies like Freudian psychoanalysis and behaviorism portray negative or mechanistic views of human nature, seeing humans as irrational, driven by instincts, or entirely shaped by environment.
3) In contrast, Islamic psychology and humanistic psychology present more positive views of human nature, seeing humans as inherently good, possessing qualities like free will, spirituality, and striving for self-actualization.
Personality psychology studies differences between individuals, including their formation of self-image, psychological processes, and reactions in various situations. Major theories of personality include psychodynamic, humanistic, biological, behavioral, evolutionary, and social learning approaches. Key concepts in personality theories include Carl Jung's introversion-extroversion types, Sigmund Freud's id-ego-superego model of the mind, and B.F. Skinner's behavioral perspective that human behavior is shaped by environmental influences and consequences.
The document provides an overview of several Eastern philosophies and religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Hinduism believes in Brahman as the supreme god and views mankind as divine. The goal is to achieve moksha and cease to exist through reincarnation. Buddhism teaches that suffering can be ended through the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path. Confucianism focuses on human morality and relationships. Taoism emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao or natural order of the universe.
Human Nature & Motivation: A Comparative Analysis between Western and Islamic...mohd abbas abdul razak
In the fi eld of psychology, the topics on human nature and motivation
have been quite extensively discussed. These two topics are interrelated
and inseparable. Any endeavor to understand man and his potentials makes
it necessary for one to venture into the study of human nature. Major topics
in psychology like motivation, personality, creativity, psychotherapy, mental
health, etc. could be well understood with a proper understanding on human
nature. In the light of this reality, what makes this research an appealing and
interesting one is the fact that the researchers had comparatively analyzed the
ideas on human nature and motivation showcased to the world by Western and
Islamic psychologies. The fact that there exist a great number of schools of
thought in Western psychology, the researchers had narrowed their scope of
investigation to three only. As such, they discussed the ideas on human nature
and motivation as conceptualized in Psychoanalysis, Radical Behaviorism and
Humanistic psychology. Upon analyzing Western theories, the researchers
performed a compare and contrast analysis with ideas provided by Islamic
psychology on human nature and motivation. This academic exercise was done
in the hope of identifying as to whether there exist any similarity and difference between the two psychologies. Since the nature of this study was a qualitative
one, the researchers conducted a library research to collect the relevant data.
In analyzing the data related to the study, the researchers used the content and
textual analysis methods.
This document provides an overview of major psychological theories, including:
1. Structuralism - Focused on analyzing the basic elements of conscious experience through introspection. Pioneered by Wundt and Titchner.
2. Psychoanalysis - Developed by Freud, focuses on discovering unconscious meanings and motivations to change problematic behaviors. Includes concepts like the id, ego, superego, and defense mechanisms.
3. Behaviorism - Known as the learning perspective, believes all behaviors can be explained by stimuli and responses. Includes theories of classical and operant conditioning from Pavlov, Watson, Skinner, and others.
4. Gestaltism - Developed in response to structural
This document provides an overview of several major world religions and philosophies, including Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It describes some key details about each, such as their founders, core beliefs, and important scriptures. The document aims to convey basic information about the origins and teachings of these influential religious and philosophical traditions.
Coaching draws from theories in related fields like psychology. Psychology has been influenced by four major forces - Freudian, Behavioral, Humanistic, and Transpersonal approaches. Key theorists like William James, Sigmund Freud, B.F. Skinner, Abraham Maslow, and Carl Rogers contributed to developing these approaches and shifting the view of human nature. Coaching also utilizes research on human development across the lifespan to better assist clients in achieving their goals and potential.
This document provides an overview and critical appraisal of Sigmund Freud's ideas about human nature and personality development. It discusses Freud's view that human beings are driven by unconscious desires and instincts, and are not much different from animals. Freud believed that personality develops through psychosexual stages in early childhood that shape one's behavior. He proposed that the human psyche consists of the id, ego, and superego, which are in constant conflict as they strive to control psychic energy. The document analyzes Freud's controversial conceptions of human nature as selfish, determined by unconscious drives, and in ongoing conflict between basic needs and social demands. It provides a high-level critical examination of Freud's influential yet problematic theories.
1. The document discusses various philosophical concepts of the human person from both Eastern and Western perspectives. It covers Hindu, Buddhist, Aristotelian, and Thomistic views that see humans as embodied spirits or beings with both rational and animal attributes.
2. Key concepts discussed include the body as intermediary between self and world, narrative identity, dependent rational animals, karma, samsara, and the four noble truths in Buddhism.
3. Limitations of Eastern perspectives are evaluated regarding concepts like forgiveness, nature, vulnerability, failure, loneliness, and love. The document provides an overview of different cultural understandings of human transcendence and responsibility.
This study analyzes and contrasts Sigmund Freud and Muhammad Iqbal's theories of personality. Freud viewed human nature as pessimistic and deterministic, driven by unconscious desires and instincts. He believed personality is shaped by conflicts between the id, ego, and superego. In contrast, Iqbal promoted positive ideas of human potential and free will. Iqbal's theory holds that personality develops as individuals assimilate God's divine attributes, strengthening their ego and bringing them closer to God. While Freud focused on human sexuality, Iqbal emphasized actualizing latent human powers to transform society for humanity's benefit.
The document discusses several key topics:
1. It provides an overview of Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama, including the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path that lead to the cessation of suffering through enlightenment or Nirvana.
2. It examines perspectives on the biblical God and humanity from Augustine and Aquinas, emphasizing that faith supplements reason and humans need God to avoid failure or going astray.
3. It clarifies common misconceptions about Nirvana in Buddhism, stating it is a state of perfect insight and freedom from attachment, not inactivity or indifference to the world.
Abstract
Human nature is a widely and popularly discussed topic not only in the East but also in
the West. This topic has drawn people from diverse backgrounds of knowledge to
explore and investigate who or what man is in relation to his Creator and other
creations that exist in the universe. The research on man and the attempts to answer
many of the intricate questions related to his creation and existence which started in the
ancient past is still on-going. The fact that the latest findings on man have added
information to the existing body of knowledge makes the study on human nature a
dynamic and perennial one. Within the scope of thispaper, the researcher has made an
attempt to discuss the topic on human nature from the Islamic perspective. In
discussing the nature of man, the researcher has ventured into the physical and
metaphysical realms of his existence as described in the Qur’an. Besides that, the
researcher has also entertained some discussions on how man has been perceived in the
mainstream Western and Islamic psychologies. In concluding the paper, the researcher
has anchored the discussion as to why the study on human nature is important
This document discusses the history of Islamic psychology and some of its key figures. It summarizes the contributions of early Islamic scholars such as Al-Kindi, who used experimental methods in psychology, and Abu Zayd al-Balkhi, who was the first to differentiate between neurosis and psychosis and classify mental disorders. It also discusses the work of later influential figures such as Ibn Sina, who described numerous mental illnesses, and al-Ghazali, who discussed concepts like the self and its causes of misery/happiness. Overall, the document shows that Islamic scholars made many important advances in understanding the mind and treating mental illness as early as the 7th-9th centuries.
This presentation on ‘The Call for Islamization of Modern Psychology’ elucidates the nature and focus of psychology in the West and Muslim world. Since the West has gone through a period of shifting of paradigms in its views on man and psychology, and the fact that there exist a myriad of schools in psychology, the presenters would like to restrict their scope of analysis to only three schools from the western mainstream psychology. Among others that include psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and humanistic psychology. In a contrastive manner ideas on Man from the three schools will be compared with what has been conceptualized in Islamic psychology. Due to the fact that at times western schools of psychology agree and complement one another in matters related to man and at other times they are at loggerhead with one another, has created an opportunity for the introduction of Islamic psychology. It is the conviction of the presenters that Islamic ideas on man which are comprehensive and all-encompassing can act as a ‘peace-maker’ to the polemical issues that are prevalent in western schools of psychology. It is believed that ideas provided by Islamic psychology can harmonize many of the differences found in western mainstream psychology.
Philosophy introduction of eastern philosophypascastpt
The document introduces Western and Eastern philosophy. It discusses the aims of philosophy as including cosmological unity, behavioral ethics, and the relationship between philosophy and religion. It then summarizes several Eastern religions and philosophies - Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism - covering their main beliefs and founders. Hinduism believes in one universal soul and karma. Buddhism's aim is to end suffering through eliminating desire. Taoism is based on the fundamental principles of yin and yang. Confucianism focuses on ethics and building character. Mysticism involves becoming one with the absolute and attaining ultimate truth.
A Critical Appraisal of Freud's Ideas on Man and Personality (pre-publication...Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak
This paper is the pre-publication work on Freud. In its published version the paper lost many vital information due to limitation of space. Since the paper has caught the attention of many researchers in Asia and Europe, I have uploaded the actual version of the paper before it went through editing. A more comprehensive analysis of Freud can be read in " Iqbal's Theory of Personality: A Contrastive Analysis with Freud" by Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak.
This document provides an introduction to the major approaches in psychology: biological, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, and humanistic. It explains that the biological approach studies behavior from the perspective of biological functioning and the brain/nervous system. The psychodynamic approach emphasizes unconscious motivations and drives. The cognitive approach examines mental processes like thinking and memory. The behavioral approach focuses on observable behavior. And the humanistic approach views people as unique organisms striving for growth. Modern psychologists integrate multiple approaches and use scientific methods like research and measurement.
This document provides an introduction to the course "Introduction to Psychology". It discusses the objectives of understanding how psychology has developed as a social science. It defines psychology as the study of the mind and behavior. The subject matter of psychology is described as affecting behavior and cognition. The document then discusses how an understanding of psychology can help students in business and economics fields. Finally, it provides a detailed overview of the historical background of psychology, from ancient Greek and Islamic philosophers to the modern scientific period.
This document discusses educational philosophy and the major branches and traditions of philosophy. It explains that philosophy seeks to understand the nature of reality, knowledge, and values. The three main branches are metaphysics, epistemology, and axiology. Some major traditional philosophies discussed are idealism, realism, pragmatism, and existentialism. Each philosophy approaches the questions of reality, knowledge, and values from a different perspective.
1) Greek philosophers such as Thales, Anaximenes, Pythagoras, and Plato viewed the human person as composed of both body and soul. For Plato, the soul is immortal and divided into rational, spirited, and appetitive parts.
2) Aristotle saw no dichotomy between body and soul, viewing them as a unified whole with the soul actualizing the body's potential for life.
3) Stoics such as viewed the soul as material with seven parts, and that human nature is determined by the universe and should conform to nature's laws.
Islamic Psychology and the Call for Islamization of Modern Psychologymohd abbas abdul razak
The shifting of paradigms in modern psychology has left modern men in a state
of confusion on the issues pertaining to what should be the paramount concern
of psychology and in the proper understanding on the topic of human nature. In
a contrastive manner Islamic psychology which has been promoted by Muslim
scholars alongside with the process of Islamization of knowledge and education,
has its roots in the philosophical ideas of early Muslim scholars. Its resurgence,
which started some two decades ago, is seen as an initiative to introduce Islamic
understanding on man to the conflicting ideas prevalent in modern psychology.
Its approach, which is mainly philosophical in nature, goes back to the ideas on
man mentioned in the two primary sources of Islam, the Qur’an and ×adÊth.
Islamic psychology with its comprehensive ideas on human nature has been
seen by Muslim scholars as a new perspective in psychology that can fill in the
lacunae present in the modern psychological thoughts on man, and clears the
mist that surrounds most Western theories on man. This paper represents an
attempt to analyze and also synthesize Western psychology and Islamic psychology
in terms of their nature, development, contributions, and problems.
Human nature is a widely and popularly discussed topic not only in the East but also in
the West. This topic has drawn people from diverse backgrounds of knowledge to
explore and investigate who or what man is in relation to his Creator and other
creations that exist in the universe. The research on man and the attempts to answer
many of the intricate questions related to his creation and existence which started in the
ancient past is still on-going. The fact that the latest findings on man have added
information to the existing body of knowledge makes the study on human nature a
dynamic and perennial one. Within the scope of this paper, the researcher has made an
attempt to discuss the topic on human nature from the Islamic perspective. In
discussing the nature of man, the researcher has ventured into the physical and
metaphysical realms of his existence as described in the Qur’an. Besides that, the
researcher has also entertained some discussions on how man has been perceived in the
mainstream Western and Islamic psychologies. In concluding the paper, the researcher
has anchored the discussion as to why the study on human nature is important.
Human nature is a widely and popularly discussed topic not only in the East but also in the West. This topic has drawn people from diverse backgrounds of knowledge to explore and investigate who or what man is in relation to his Creator and other creations that exist in the universe. The research on man and the attempts to answer many of the intricate questions related to his creation and existence which started in the ancient past is still on-going. The fact that the latest findings on man have added information to the existing body of knowledge makes the study on human nature a dynamic and perennial one. Within the scope of this paper, the researcher has made an attempt to discuss the topic on human nature from the Islamic perspective. In discussing the nature of man, the researcher has ventured into the physical and metaphysical realms of his existence as described in the Qur’an. Besides that, the researcher has also entertained some discussions on how man has been perceived in the mainstream Western and Islamic psychologies. In concluding the paper, the researcher has anchored the discussion as to why the study on human nature is important.
This study in the area of philosophical psychology is a contrastive analysis on the personality theories that have been showcased to the world by Freud and Iqbal. In analyzing the data pertinent to the study, the researcher has used the historical and content analysis methods. As a prelude to the kernel of the research, the researcher has explored the historical and philosophical developments that have taken place in the areas of human nature and personality in the West and Islamic world. The fact that both Iqbal and Freud believed the inner dimension of man, particularly the ego, which plays a pivotal role in all human behaviours has drawn the interest of the researcher to explore their concepts on the human psyche, and on how personality development takes place in individuals. Through the contrastive analysis, it has come to light that Freud and Iqbal had conceptualized their theories on personality as a response to the demands and challenges of their time. Besides that, factors like their personality, philosophy towards life, education and their travels have influenced directly or indirectly their conceptualization of their theories.
The Concept on Man: A Contrastive Analysis between Western and Islamic Psycho...Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak
Being placed in the highest pedestal in the hierarchy of creations, man has been the focus in many areas of research, be it in religion, psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc. Regardless in the East or West, the study on man which started in the ancient past is still an on-going one. In the West, the research on man which started with the Greek philosophers has not ended for the reason there does not exist a comprehensive conclusion on the many enigmatic questions that surround the study on man. This scenario has opened the opportunity in West for the emergence of a divergent concept on man. In the Islamic world ever since the heydays of the Islamic civilization (750-1258), Muslim scholars have been constantly researching on the many dimensions of man stated in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Since the quest to understand man is a perennial one, this paper intends to explore and make an exposition on the concepts of man provided by the mainstream Western psychology; namely psychoanalysis, behaviorism and humanistic psychology. In this research too, in a contrastive manner the researchers would like to compare the Western theories on man with that mentioned in the Islamic psychology.
The Concept on Man: A Contrastive Analysis between Western and Islamicmohd abbas abdul razak
Being placed in the highest pedestal in the hierarchy of creations, man has been the focus in many areas of research, be it in religion, psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc. Regardless in the East or West, the study on man which started in the ancient past is still an on-going one. In the West, the research on man which started with the Greek philosophers has not ended for the reason there does not exist a comprehensive conclusion on the many enigmatic questions that surround the study on man. This scenario has opened the opportunity in West for the emergence of a divergent concept on man. In the Islamic world ever since the heydays of the Islamic civilization (750-1258), Muslim scholars have been constantly researching on the many dimensions of man stated in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Since the quest to understand man is a perennial one, this paper intends to explore and make an exposition on the concepts of man provided by the mainstream Western psychology; namely psychoanalysis, behaviorism and humanistic psychology. In this research too, in a contrastive manner the researchers would like to compare the Western theories on man with that mentioned in the Islamic psychology.
Shifting Paradigms in the Study of Personality: A Retrospective Survey of Wes...Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak
The birth of the Renaissance movement in the West ushered the scholars as well
as the masses into a broader perspective of learning and knowledge seeking. The spirit
of the Renaissance paved the way forward for scholars to gain freedom of speech and
liberation from their old mindset. Europe that was bursting with new philosophical and
scientific ideas also gave its people a wide range of perspectives in understanding man
and personality. Secularism and modernism that came as a result of the Renaissance
movement caused a shift in the understanding on man and his personality from a religious
to a scientific one. In this study, the researchers would like to venture into the
areas of man and personality from the Western perspective. Very precisely, the researchers
would like to conduct a survey on the shifting paradigms in the field of Western
psychology, pertaining to the study on man and personality. Upon performing the
survey, the researchers would like to identify and analyze the underlying factors that
caused the emergence of the different paradigms in Western psychology.
Coaching draws from theories in related fields like psychology. Psychology has been influenced by four major forces - Freudian, Behavioral, Humanistic, and Transpersonal approaches. Key theorists like William James, Sigmund Freud, B.F. Skinner, Abraham Maslow, and Carl Rogers contributed to developing these approaches and shifting the view of human nature. Coaching also utilizes research on human development across the lifespan to better assist clients in achieving their goals and potential.
This document provides an overview and critical appraisal of Sigmund Freud's ideas about human nature and personality development. It discusses Freud's view that human beings are driven by unconscious desires and instincts, and are not much different from animals. Freud believed that personality develops through psychosexual stages in early childhood that shape one's behavior. He proposed that the human psyche consists of the id, ego, and superego, which are in constant conflict as they strive to control psychic energy. The document analyzes Freud's controversial conceptions of human nature as selfish, determined by unconscious drives, and in ongoing conflict between basic needs and social demands. It provides a high-level critical examination of Freud's influential yet problematic theories.
1. The document discusses various philosophical concepts of the human person from both Eastern and Western perspectives. It covers Hindu, Buddhist, Aristotelian, and Thomistic views that see humans as embodied spirits or beings with both rational and animal attributes.
2. Key concepts discussed include the body as intermediary between self and world, narrative identity, dependent rational animals, karma, samsara, and the four noble truths in Buddhism.
3. Limitations of Eastern perspectives are evaluated regarding concepts like forgiveness, nature, vulnerability, failure, loneliness, and love. The document provides an overview of different cultural understandings of human transcendence and responsibility.
This study analyzes and contrasts Sigmund Freud and Muhammad Iqbal's theories of personality. Freud viewed human nature as pessimistic and deterministic, driven by unconscious desires and instincts. He believed personality is shaped by conflicts between the id, ego, and superego. In contrast, Iqbal promoted positive ideas of human potential and free will. Iqbal's theory holds that personality develops as individuals assimilate God's divine attributes, strengthening their ego and bringing them closer to God. While Freud focused on human sexuality, Iqbal emphasized actualizing latent human powers to transform society for humanity's benefit.
The document discusses several key topics:
1. It provides an overview of Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama, including the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path that lead to the cessation of suffering through enlightenment or Nirvana.
2. It examines perspectives on the biblical God and humanity from Augustine and Aquinas, emphasizing that faith supplements reason and humans need God to avoid failure or going astray.
3. It clarifies common misconceptions about Nirvana in Buddhism, stating it is a state of perfect insight and freedom from attachment, not inactivity or indifference to the world.
Abstract
Human nature is a widely and popularly discussed topic not only in the East but also in
the West. This topic has drawn people from diverse backgrounds of knowledge to
explore and investigate who or what man is in relation to his Creator and other
creations that exist in the universe. The research on man and the attempts to answer
many of the intricate questions related to his creation and existence which started in the
ancient past is still on-going. The fact that the latest findings on man have added
information to the existing body of knowledge makes the study on human nature a
dynamic and perennial one. Within the scope of thispaper, the researcher has made an
attempt to discuss the topic on human nature from the Islamic perspective. In
discussing the nature of man, the researcher has ventured into the physical and
metaphysical realms of his existence as described in the Qur’an. Besides that, the
researcher has also entertained some discussions on how man has been perceived in the
mainstream Western and Islamic psychologies. In concluding the paper, the researcher
has anchored the discussion as to why the study on human nature is important
This document discusses the history of Islamic psychology and some of its key figures. It summarizes the contributions of early Islamic scholars such as Al-Kindi, who used experimental methods in psychology, and Abu Zayd al-Balkhi, who was the first to differentiate between neurosis and psychosis and classify mental disorders. It also discusses the work of later influential figures such as Ibn Sina, who described numerous mental illnesses, and al-Ghazali, who discussed concepts like the self and its causes of misery/happiness. Overall, the document shows that Islamic scholars made many important advances in understanding the mind and treating mental illness as early as the 7th-9th centuries.
This presentation on ‘The Call for Islamization of Modern Psychology’ elucidates the nature and focus of psychology in the West and Muslim world. Since the West has gone through a period of shifting of paradigms in its views on man and psychology, and the fact that there exist a myriad of schools in psychology, the presenters would like to restrict their scope of analysis to only three schools from the western mainstream psychology. Among others that include psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and humanistic psychology. In a contrastive manner ideas on Man from the three schools will be compared with what has been conceptualized in Islamic psychology. Due to the fact that at times western schools of psychology agree and complement one another in matters related to man and at other times they are at loggerhead with one another, has created an opportunity for the introduction of Islamic psychology. It is the conviction of the presenters that Islamic ideas on man which are comprehensive and all-encompassing can act as a ‘peace-maker’ to the polemical issues that are prevalent in western schools of psychology. It is believed that ideas provided by Islamic psychology can harmonize many of the differences found in western mainstream psychology.
Philosophy introduction of eastern philosophypascastpt
The document introduces Western and Eastern philosophy. It discusses the aims of philosophy as including cosmological unity, behavioral ethics, and the relationship between philosophy and religion. It then summarizes several Eastern religions and philosophies - Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism - covering their main beliefs and founders. Hinduism believes in one universal soul and karma. Buddhism's aim is to end suffering through eliminating desire. Taoism is based on the fundamental principles of yin and yang. Confucianism focuses on ethics and building character. Mysticism involves becoming one with the absolute and attaining ultimate truth.
A Critical Appraisal of Freud's Ideas on Man and Personality (pre-publication...Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak
This paper is the pre-publication work on Freud. In its published version the paper lost many vital information due to limitation of space. Since the paper has caught the attention of many researchers in Asia and Europe, I have uploaded the actual version of the paper before it went through editing. A more comprehensive analysis of Freud can be read in " Iqbal's Theory of Personality: A Contrastive Analysis with Freud" by Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak.
This document provides an introduction to the major approaches in psychology: biological, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, and humanistic. It explains that the biological approach studies behavior from the perspective of biological functioning and the brain/nervous system. The psychodynamic approach emphasizes unconscious motivations and drives. The cognitive approach examines mental processes like thinking and memory. The behavioral approach focuses on observable behavior. And the humanistic approach views people as unique organisms striving for growth. Modern psychologists integrate multiple approaches and use scientific methods like research and measurement.
This document provides an introduction to the course "Introduction to Psychology". It discusses the objectives of understanding how psychology has developed as a social science. It defines psychology as the study of the mind and behavior. The subject matter of psychology is described as affecting behavior and cognition. The document then discusses how an understanding of psychology can help students in business and economics fields. Finally, it provides a detailed overview of the historical background of psychology, from ancient Greek and Islamic philosophers to the modern scientific period.
This document discusses educational philosophy and the major branches and traditions of philosophy. It explains that philosophy seeks to understand the nature of reality, knowledge, and values. The three main branches are metaphysics, epistemology, and axiology. Some major traditional philosophies discussed are idealism, realism, pragmatism, and existentialism. Each philosophy approaches the questions of reality, knowledge, and values from a different perspective.
1) Greek philosophers such as Thales, Anaximenes, Pythagoras, and Plato viewed the human person as composed of both body and soul. For Plato, the soul is immortal and divided into rational, spirited, and appetitive parts.
2) Aristotle saw no dichotomy between body and soul, viewing them as a unified whole with the soul actualizing the body's potential for life.
3) Stoics such as viewed the soul as material with seven parts, and that human nature is determined by the universe and should conform to nature's laws.
Islamic Psychology and the Call for Islamization of Modern Psychologymohd abbas abdul razak
The shifting of paradigms in modern psychology has left modern men in a state
of confusion on the issues pertaining to what should be the paramount concern
of psychology and in the proper understanding on the topic of human nature. In
a contrastive manner Islamic psychology which has been promoted by Muslim
scholars alongside with the process of Islamization of knowledge and education,
has its roots in the philosophical ideas of early Muslim scholars. Its resurgence,
which started some two decades ago, is seen as an initiative to introduce Islamic
understanding on man to the conflicting ideas prevalent in modern psychology.
Its approach, which is mainly philosophical in nature, goes back to the ideas on
man mentioned in the two primary sources of Islam, the Qur’an and ×adÊth.
Islamic psychology with its comprehensive ideas on human nature has been
seen by Muslim scholars as a new perspective in psychology that can fill in the
lacunae present in the modern psychological thoughts on man, and clears the
mist that surrounds most Western theories on man. This paper represents an
attempt to analyze and also synthesize Western psychology and Islamic psychology
in terms of their nature, development, contributions, and problems.
Human nature is a widely and popularly discussed topic not only in the East but also in
the West. This topic has drawn people from diverse backgrounds of knowledge to
explore and investigate who or what man is in relation to his Creator and other
creations that exist in the universe. The research on man and the attempts to answer
many of the intricate questions related to his creation and existence which started in the
ancient past is still on-going. The fact that the latest findings on man have added
information to the existing body of knowledge makes the study on human nature a
dynamic and perennial one. Within the scope of this paper, the researcher has made an
attempt to discuss the topic on human nature from the Islamic perspective. In
discussing the nature of man, the researcher has ventured into the physical and
metaphysical realms of his existence as described in the Qur’an. Besides that, the
researcher has also entertained some discussions on how man has been perceived in the
mainstream Western and Islamic psychologies. In concluding the paper, the researcher
has anchored the discussion as to why the study on human nature is important.
Human nature is a widely and popularly discussed topic not only in the East but also in the West. This topic has drawn people from diverse backgrounds of knowledge to explore and investigate who or what man is in relation to his Creator and other creations that exist in the universe. The research on man and the attempts to answer many of the intricate questions related to his creation and existence which started in the ancient past is still on-going. The fact that the latest findings on man have added information to the existing body of knowledge makes the study on human nature a dynamic and perennial one. Within the scope of this paper, the researcher has made an attempt to discuss the topic on human nature from the Islamic perspective. In discussing the nature of man, the researcher has ventured into the physical and metaphysical realms of his existence as described in the Qur’an. Besides that, the researcher has also entertained some discussions on how man has been perceived in the mainstream Western and Islamic psychologies. In concluding the paper, the researcher has anchored the discussion as to why the study on human nature is important.
This study in the area of philosophical psychology is a contrastive analysis on the personality theories that have been showcased to the world by Freud and Iqbal. In analyzing the data pertinent to the study, the researcher has used the historical and content analysis methods. As a prelude to the kernel of the research, the researcher has explored the historical and philosophical developments that have taken place in the areas of human nature and personality in the West and Islamic world. The fact that both Iqbal and Freud believed the inner dimension of man, particularly the ego, which plays a pivotal role in all human behaviours has drawn the interest of the researcher to explore their concepts on the human psyche, and on how personality development takes place in individuals. Through the contrastive analysis, it has come to light that Freud and Iqbal had conceptualized their theories on personality as a response to the demands and challenges of their time. Besides that, factors like their personality, philosophy towards life, education and their travels have influenced directly or indirectly their conceptualization of their theories.
The Concept on Man: A Contrastive Analysis between Western and Islamic Psycho...Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak
Being placed in the highest pedestal in the hierarchy of creations, man has been the focus in many areas of research, be it in religion, psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc. Regardless in the East or West, the study on man which started in the ancient past is still an on-going one. In the West, the research on man which started with the Greek philosophers has not ended for the reason there does not exist a comprehensive conclusion on the many enigmatic questions that surround the study on man. This scenario has opened the opportunity in West for the emergence of a divergent concept on man. In the Islamic world ever since the heydays of the Islamic civilization (750-1258), Muslim scholars have been constantly researching on the many dimensions of man stated in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Since the quest to understand man is a perennial one, this paper intends to explore and make an exposition on the concepts of man provided by the mainstream Western psychology; namely psychoanalysis, behaviorism and humanistic psychology. In this research too, in a contrastive manner the researchers would like to compare the Western theories on man with that mentioned in the Islamic psychology.
The Concept on Man: A Contrastive Analysis between Western and Islamicmohd abbas abdul razak
Being placed in the highest pedestal in the hierarchy of creations, man has been the focus in many areas of research, be it in religion, psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc. Regardless in the East or West, the study on man which started in the ancient past is still an on-going one. In the West, the research on man which started with the Greek philosophers has not ended for the reason there does not exist a comprehensive conclusion on the many enigmatic questions that surround the study on man. This scenario has opened the opportunity in West for the emergence of a divergent concept on man. In the Islamic world ever since the heydays of the Islamic civilization (750-1258), Muslim scholars have been constantly researching on the many dimensions of man stated in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Since the quest to understand man is a perennial one, this paper intends to explore and make an exposition on the concepts of man provided by the mainstream Western psychology; namely psychoanalysis, behaviorism and humanistic psychology. In this research too, in a contrastive manner the researchers would like to compare the Western theories on man with that mentioned in the Islamic psychology.
Shifting Paradigms in the Study of Personality: A Retrospective Survey of Wes...Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak
The birth of the Renaissance movement in the West ushered the scholars as well
as the masses into a broader perspective of learning and knowledge seeking. The spirit
of the Renaissance paved the way forward for scholars to gain freedom of speech and
liberation from their old mindset. Europe that was bursting with new philosophical and
scientific ideas also gave its people a wide range of perspectives in understanding man
and personality. Secularism and modernism that came as a result of the Renaissance
movement caused a shift in the understanding on man and his personality from a religious
to a scientific one. In this study, the researchers would like to venture into the
areas of man and personality from the Western perspective. Very precisely, the researchers
would like to conduct a survey on the shifting paradigms in the field of Western
psychology, pertaining to the study on man and personality. Upon performing the
survey, the researchers would like to identify and analyze the underlying factors that
caused the emergence of the different paradigms in Western psychology.
Shifting Paradigms in the Study of Personality: A Retrospective Survey of Wes...mohd abbas abdul razak
The birth of the Renaissance movement in the West ushered the scholars as well
as the masses into a broader perspective of learning and knowledge seeking. The spirit
of the Renaissance paved the way forward for scholars to gain freedom of speech and
liberation from their old mindset. Europe that was bursting with new philosophical and
scientific ideas also gave its people a wide range of perspectives in understanding man
and personality. Secularism and modernism that came as a result of the Renaissance
movement caused a shift in the understanding on man and his personality from a religious
to a scientific one. In this study, the researchers would like to venture into the
areas of man and personality from the Western perspective. Very precisely, the researchers
would like to conduct a survey on the shifting paradigms in the field of Western
psychology, pertaining to the study on man and personality. Upon performing the
survey, the researchers would like to identify and analyze the underlying factors that
caused the emergence of the different paradigms in Western psychology.
Since ancient times, scholars in the West have shown great enthusiasm towards understanding
the subject on man and personality. Driven by this zeal, there appeared a multitude
of theories discussing man and his nature. Various concepts on man showcased by
the scholars, quite often, complemented one another and, at times, their ideas contradicted
and discredited one another. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) the founding father of
psychoanalysis presented to the world a concept on man and his personality which
turned out to be a controversial one. His idea of man seems to have shaped the western
culture and human psyche in general. What appears from the impact of Freud’s concept
of man and personality is that it has denigrated man. This paper represents an appraisal
of his idea of man and personality from human angle.
This document provides an overview of personality psychology and various theories of personality. It discusses major approaches including type theories, psychoanalytic theories, behaviorist theories, social cognitive theories, humanistic theories, and biopsychological theories. For each approach, it provides details on influential theorists and concepts. The document aims to give a broad introduction to the study of personality and different frameworks used to understand personality.
Introduction to schools & perspectives of psy.pptxanayanoor28
The document provides an overview of various schools and perspectives in psychology including:
- Structuralism focused on analyzing the basic elements of consciousness. Prominent figures included Wundt and Titchener.
- Functionalism examined how the mind helps people adapt to their environment. Figures included William James and John Dewey.
- Biological perspectives studied heredity, genes, and endocrine glands to understand behavior. The document also briefly mentions psychodynamic, behaviorist, cognitive, humanistic, existential, Gestalt, and socio-cultural perspectives.
Theoretical orientation to human developmenteagles9984
This document discusses several classical and contemporary theories of human development in psychology. It begins by defining psychology and theories, and explaining that theories aim to describe and predict behaviors. It then outlines some major classical theories from the 17th-19th centuries from thinkers like Descartes, Darwin, and others. Contemporary theories discussed include behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, biological, socio-cultural, and evolutionary perspectives. The document emphasizes that no single perspective can fully explain human behavior on its own.
Human psychology can be summarized as follows:
1. Psychology is the science of the mind and behavior, studying both conscious and unconscious phenomena as well as feelings and thoughts. It aims to understand individuals and groups to establish general principles.
2. The word psychology derives from Greek roots meaning "study of the soul". It refers to the academic study of mental processes and behavior.
3. Key areas of psychology include biological psychology which studies the biological bases of behavior; cognitive psychology which examines mental processes; developmental psychology which focuses on changes across the lifespan; and personality psychology which analyzes enduring patterns of thought and behavior.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is an approach that emphasizes the systematic study of unconscious psychological forces that influence behavior and emotions. It focuses on the dynamic relationship between conscious and unconscious motivations. Sigmund Freud developed psychoanalysis, which uses concepts like the id, ego and superego to understand psychic energy and how it relates to early childhood experiences and internal conflicts. Modern psychodynamic theory continues to explore these unconscious dynamics and how they influence thoughts, behaviors, and relationships.
When psychology first emerged as a science separate from biology and philosophy, the debate over how to describe and explain the human mind and behavior began.
The different schools of psychology represent the major theories within psychology.
This document discusses personality and its various theories and definitions. It begins by defining personality as a dynamic set of characteristics that uniquely influence cognition, motivation, and behavior. It then discusses the philosophical assumptions that different personality theories are based on, such as nature versus nurture, determinism versus free will, and uniqueness versus universality. The document goes on to explain several major theories of personality, including psychoanalytic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, biological, and evolutionary theories. It concludes by discussing the Big Five model of personality traits - openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism - and how each trait exists on a continuum.
The document discusses several theories of personality, including psychodynamic, behaviorist, humanistic, and trait perspectives. The psychodynamic perspective focuses on unconscious conflicts from childhood, as proposed by Freud and his followers like Jung and Erikson. The behaviorist perspective sees personality as learned through conditioning and social learning. The humanistic perspective views personality as developing through self-actualization and having a positive view of human nature. Trait theories describe personality in terms of consistent traits that predict behavior across situations.
The discussion on the mind and body continues to be debated by
philosophers and psychologists. Ever since the Renaissance, Western scholars
have shifted their research on the man from a religious to a scientific one. They
argued that spirituality cannot be scrutinized using science and scientific tools.
Yet, they are not any closer to finding a comprehensive solution to many of
man’s psychological problems. In realizing that man’s spiritual dimension is an
area avoided by Western mainstream psychology, this study analyzes some
aspects of the soul entity and its varied manifestations from an Islamic
perspective. Through a review of related literature and documentary analysis,
this study highlights the spiritual dimension of man as understood by Muslims
scholars and psychologists.
Similar to Man and Creativity: Contrastive Analysis between Western and Islamic Psychologies1 (19)
STABILIZING MUSLIM MARRIAGES: SOME REFLECTIONS ON ETHICAL MANAGEMENT OF FAMIL...mohd abbas abdul razak
Marriage breakdowns and family instability with their debilitating after-effects on women and children are the hallmark of greatly mechanized global community at present time. To remedy the situation, social scientists have diagnosed a multitude of variables as the precursor for the upward trends in marriage breakdowns and family disintegration. In Malaysian context, women`s financial independence, easy access to multimedia and early marriage are among the factors which account for the rising phenomenon of divorce even during the early years of marriage among Muslims. To remedy the situation, marriage counseling, law reform and pre-marriage courses are mostly emphasized by both mainstream legal scholars and women right activists. It is my considered opinion that these formalistic approaches if not integrated with the emphasis on ethical side of Islamic law may cause more marriage breakups than enhancing families. The bigger issues in terms of ethical management of Muslim family, such as marriage fidelity, sense of commitment to care for women and children, and spousal mutual empathy and responsibility may help a great deal in acculturating our society from early childhood to adolescence and through adulthood. The paper, therefore, argues for the more concentrated ethical approach for addressing the underlying causes of marriage disability in order to give more effect and meaning to the existing formalistic social and legal measures by reforming Muslims` mindset and outlook towards family.
This document outlines Iqbal's model of personality development, which involves obeying God, attaining self-control, fulfilling one's role as God's representative, utilizing resources to enrich one's spiritual status, and developing virtues while avoiding vices. The model has three stages to reach the status of insan al-kamil, or the ideal person who earns God's pleasure, with the Prophet Muhammad as the role model.
Slides on the topic of Human Nature. The focus is on the concept of the human at showcased by Psychoanalysis, Behaviorism, Humanistic Psychology and Islamic Psychology.
Impact of Multicultural Environment of Islamic Educational Institutes on Stud...mohd abbas abdul razak
The study focuses on the effect of exposure to Multicultural and international environment of an Islamic educational institution on the acculturation of its students. Acculturation has been used in this study with a wide sense of meaning that underscores the sense of co-existence and feeling of unity. This study investigated whether the Internationalization process of the International Islamic University, Malaysia, with intergroup contact taking place under optimal conditions helps its students to, appreciate the differences that other cultures bring, be comfortable with differences and also seek diversity of contact. The study employed Miville-Guzman Universality – Diversity Scale, (M-GUDS-S) to collect data by survey method from 400 IIUM undergraduate students selected using Quota sampling. 200 of them were the first year students and the rest were fourth-year students. The result showed that there is a significant improvement in the feeling of unity among the students. The fourth year students showed more appreciation for other cultures and comfort with differences. Based on the finding it has been suggested that if efforts are made to establish optimal conditions for positive intergroup contact to take place, intergroup prejudice can be reduced and problems of co-existence in the Muslim countries and communities can thus be addressed.
Man and Creativity: A Contrastive Analysis between Western and Islamic Psycho...mohd abbas abdul razak
Among all creations of God living in this planet, man is the most intelligent, innovative and creative. Imbued with these qualities, man was able to plan, create and recreate new things using the resources available in the environment. Man’s position as God’s best creation and as the recipient of the creative intelligence from his Creator has further advanced him in mastering science and technology. As a result of his advancement in knowledge and science in one way or another has ushered man into creating great civilizations. While the discussion goes on as to whether man’s creativity is an inborn or a learned behaviour, this paper intends to explore and analyze some of the existing concepts on human creativity found in Western and Islamic psychologies. Very particularly, the researchers would like to examine the concept of creativity put forward by Freudian Psychoanalysis, Behaviorists, Humanistic and Islamic psychologies. It is expected that the findings of this research can motivate mankind to be more dynamic and productive in bringing upon the much needed positive change to the present world conditions.
This presentation emphasizes the importance of knowledge and learning from the Islamic perspective. In Islam, seeking knowledge should be a continuous process from cradle to death. The Qur'an states that man of knowledge is held high in the sight of God. A well-educated individual should enjoy good relationship with God, his/her self, flora and fauna, and humanity at large.
This presentation is focused on lifelong learning beyond school. As such, education should not be confined to the four walls of the classroom. Anything can be learning experience under the sun.
The magazine article focuses on the kind of relationship Man should have with the environment. Many of the destructions to flora and fauna happen due to Man's negligence.
Islam seeks to develop the human minds to a total submission to Allah the
Almighty. Through its divine guidance, the Qur’an ushered a large section of
the masses in Arabia from the darkness of ignorance into knowledge and
enlightenment of their souls. Islam grew from a humble beginning into a
mighty civilizational force. Islamic civilization like all other civilizations,
started to decline after reaching its pinnacle of success. Ever since the fall of
Baghdad in 1258, the Muslim world has been confronted with endless
problems in all fields of life. Colonization of Muslim lands by the West had
created the knowledge and technological gap between them and their
colonizers. Being subjected to colonization, neo-colonization, and now
globalization, Muslims are lagging behind other communities of the world. The
Muslim minds which once came up with great ideas, discoveries, innovation
and inventions, at the moment somehow become less prolific, and experiencing
a state of lethargy and malaise. In realizing the great challenges faced by the
Muslims in the modern world, this research intends to re-visit Iqbal’s ideas to
remedy the awful situations experienced by the Ummah.
This document provides a contrastive analysis of Western and Islamic perspectives on the concept of man and creativity. It discusses concepts of man in psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and humanism. In psychoanalysis, man is driven by instincts and lacks free will. Behaviorism views man as a product of his environment conditioned by stimuli. Humanism sees man as having a tendency for growth. Islamic psychology views man as possessing a creative intelligence, having free will but also weaknesses, and being created in the best form. The document then examines concepts of creativity in these perspectives and in Islamic psychology, which sees creativity as existing within man's soul and fitrah. It concludes that understanding different concepts of creativity requires understanding perspectives on human nature and that Islamic psychology
This document discusses globalization and its impact on the Muslim world. It explores how globalization has affected various areas of life like economics, politics, culture, and education. The paper also examines the Muslim era of globalization, noting that it aimed to peacefully share knowledge and call humanity to justice, not force religion or culture on others. While globalization has helped disseminate information through technology, some scholars argue it is actually Western re-colonization in disguise that benefits Western nations. The conclusion calls for Muslims to engage thoughtfully with globalization and find solutions, rather than total rejection or isolation, while also asking the West to move past past mentalities of domination.
Iqbal’s Ego Philosophy and Its Importance in Awakening Man’s Spiritualitymohd abbas abdul razak
History reveals the fact that the coming of modernity and secularism has allured
modern man towards a materialistic concept of life, ignoring his spiritual needs in respect
of his role as the vicegerent of God. This predicament has not only marred man’s
relationship with God but has also failed him toward understanding his true nature and
mission in life. The large segment of humanity today is on the brink of losing its human
and spiritual values, resulting in severe environmental degradation, racism, terrorism,
war, poor mental health, and other psychopathological illnesses. This paper intends to
explore and draw out conclusions from the philosophical thoughts of Muhammad Iqbal
(1877-1938) with regard to his ego philosophy that explains man’s relationship with
God, community and the universe (flora and fauna). Lessons drawn out from Iqbal’s
ideas can be of great use in awakening man’s spirituality and improving his quality of
life by establishing a harmonious relationship with God, environment and fellow human
beings.
Early ideas on human nature and personality were presented by Muslim scholars during the Golden Age of Islam (750-1258). The decline of the Islamic civilization and the dawn of the era of European colonization has somehow dwindled the study on man and his personality until the poet-philosopher Mohammed Iqbal (1879-1938) came up with his philosophy on the Ego (Khudi). Using philosophy and poetry as his vehicles, Iqbal called upon the Muslims to pay attention to the development and maintenance of the human Ego. Given Iqbal‟s fame in the East and West, it is pertinent to explore his ideas on human nature, philosophy of Ego or self, and personality. This study surveys the underlying factors that challenged Iqbal to conceptualize a theory on personality which is very different from others in the Islamic world.
Ramadan and Eid are highly anticipated events in Malaysia. During Ramadan, families wake up early to eat sahur before the start of the daily fast. Iftar is an important meal to break the fast together. As Ramadan ends, preparations begin for Eid, including making new clothes and traditional foods. On Eid day, millions attend mosque prayers dressed in their finest attire, expressing gratitude and forgiveness. People spend the day visiting family and friends, strengthening social bonds and celebrating their faith with food and goodwill.
The Islamic world has witnessed the emergence of great number of
Muslim scholars. The names of those who made positive
contributions are mentioned till to these days. The poet-philosopher
Allama Muhammad Iqbal is one of those great scholars who have
left a legacy behind to be followed by other scholars particularly in
the area of how to deal with the West. His own reconciliatory
approach in dealing between the West and the Islamic world should
be an interesting one. Within the confines of this paper, the
researcher would like to explore and analyze the life, works and
mission of Iqbal, focusing on his philosophical approach to Muslim
ummah.
Early Muslims were able to embellish their civilization with great achievements in the areas of science and technology. The Holy Qur‟an not only speaks about spirituality but also on science and the natural world. The Qur‟an was the driving force in encouraging the Muslim scholars to go into science and research. The zeal to understand the hidden message of Allah, in the natural world, made them learn from contributions made by earlier civilizations. In taking knowledge from others, early Muslims used the methodology of adopt, adapt and integrate. During their heydays, Muslim scholars were pioneers in many areas of knowledge and sciences; natural and social. The peak of Islamic civilization drew Europeans scholars to their centers of learning. In modern times, the European renaissance movement which started in the 14th century got the impetus from the culture of learning, doing research and exploration that was shown by the Muslim scholars of the Golden Age of Islam (750-1258). The decline of the Islamic empires and the internal conflicts within the Ummah in some ways made the Muslims to lag behind others in science and technology. This paper intends to explore the ideas of Iqbal (1873-1938) on science and what are the obstacles highlighted by him that hindered the Muslims‟ march towards making this world a better place for them and others as well.
History indicates that before the coming of modern globalization, the Muslims
had their own version of globalization. During the Muslim era of globalization
which coincides with the Golden Age of the Muslims, the West benefited
immensely from the scholastic works produced by Muslim scientists and
scholars. Modern globalization which started during the era of Western
colonization of the East has now gone to every nook and cranny of the world.
The usage of internet and other modern electronic media directly or indirectly
has speeded up the process of transporting modern globalization to the world
community. Modern globalization has brought about radical change in aims of
education; it has marginalized local culture and language; it has caused brain
drain everywhere in the world. Muslims, it seems, are perceiving globalization as
identical to re-colonization. This paper intends to explore and investigate how
modern globalization heralded by the west is different from Muslim
globalization in the past.
In the history of Islam, the fall of Baghdad in 1258 indicates the decline of the Islamic empires.
The fall of the empires also marked the fall of the Islamic civilization and intellectualism. As the Islamic empires
fell one after another, starting with Baghdad, this left the Muslims in a pathetic condition, hardly able to regain
the prestigious position once they held on the world stage. The internal conflicts within the Ummah, also in a
way failed them in making any significant contribution during the great Industrial Revolution that happened
in the West. After that, Western colonization of Muslim lands, to some extent deprived them the success of
reconstructing and regaining the great civilization once they had during their heydays. Evers since the fall of
Baghdad, the Muslims are constantly bombarded with challenges they have to face in maintaining their faith,
culture and heritage. In modern times, after their independence, one of the serious problems they have to face
is globalization. Globalization which started some time ago is an ongoing thing that cannot be stopped. It is a
multi-faceted phenomenon which ramifies into all areas of the human life. Since the idea of globalization is a
thing that comes from the rich and affluent countries of the West, many in the developing and third world
countries welcome it with much delight as it offers them a great deal in terms of capital flow which promises
prosperity. Others perceive it with a doubtful and skeptical attitude by questioning as to what are the hidden
agendas of globalization. To them, globalization is a new agenda of the West to re-colonize the East. It is seen
as a new approach of how the Western hegemony can be imposed on the political, economic, social, cultural
and other aspects of the people in the East, particularly in the Muslim world. In the light of the present world
scenario, this paper intends to explore what globalization is all about, what sort of impact it has on the Islamic
civilization, very particularly in the areas of education and culture. Since globalization is irreversible, the paper
also aims at discussing on how the Muslim countries should strategize in facing the ferocious onslaught of
the tidal waves of globalization that have touched their shores
This is a philosophical expression to show the cohesion of the individual with the rest of humanity. All people and all countries are great in certain ways. Instead of thinking we are great about ourselves, we should be able to learn the good qualities of others that live on this planet
The document consists of short quotes and reflections on various topics such as God, civilization, relationships, home, success, humanity, music, food, prayer, life, Freud, social media, and being a universal man. The quotes are attributed to Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak and were collected from IIUM.
Man and Creativity: Contrastive Analysis between Western and Islamic Psychologies1
1. 1
Man and Creativity: A Contrastive Analysis between Western and
Islamic Psychologies1
By:
Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak2
& Muhammad Adil Khan Afridi3
Department of Fundamental & Inter-Disciplinary Studies
Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, IIUM
Email: maarji@iium.edu.my & dradil@iium.edu.my
Abstract
Among all creations of God living in this planet, man is the most intelligent, innovative and creative.
Imbued with these qualities, man was able to plan, create and recreate new things using the resources
available in the environment. Man’s position as God’s best creation and as the recipient of the creative
intelligence from his Creator has further advanced him in mastering science and technology. As a result of
his advancement in knowledge and science in one way or another has ushered man into creating great
civilizations. While the discussion goes on as to whether man’s creativity is an inborn or a learned
behaviour, this paper intends to explore and analyze some of the existing concepts on human creativity
found in Western and Islamic psychologies. Very particularly, the researchers would like to examine the
concept of creativity put forward by Freudian Psychoanalysis, Behaviorists, Humanistic and Islamic
psychologies. It is expected that the findings of this research can motivate mankind to be more dynamic
and productive in bringing upon the much needed positive change to the present worldconditions.
Keywords: Man, Creativity, Contrastive Analysis, Western Psychology, Islamic
Psychology
Introduction
This qualitative paper intends to survey some of the existing concepts on man and
creativity. Very particularly, it will explore the different notions on man presented by
Western mainstream psychology and Islamic psychology. Upon discussing the various
concepts on man, the researchers will further advance in exploring the topic on creativity
in a contrastive manner given by Western and Islamic psychologies. In anchoring the
discussion on man and creativity, the researchers will provide an appraisal on the
different schools of thought presented in this research.
1
This paper was presented at the 2nd
International Conference on Creativity & Innovation for Sustainable Development, organized by
Dept. Fundamental & Inter-Disciplinary Studies, KIRKHS, IIUM, Conference Room KICT,IIUM, 20th
-22nd October, 2014.
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Fundamental and Inter-Disciplinary Studies, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge &
Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia; E-mail: maarji@iium.edu.my
3
Assistant Professor, Department of Fundamental and Inter-Disciplinary Studies, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge &
Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia; E-mail: dradil@iium.edu.my
2. 2
Concept of Man in the Western Mainstream Psychology
In the field of psychology, the research on man, which started in the ancient past,
is an on-going study even during this modern scientific age. It is an undeniable fact that
with the passing of time from the primitive to modern, new things have emerged with
regard to the study on man and his nature. Being perennial in nature, the old and the new
studies conducted on man, try to unearth and bring to light many of man’s potentials,
which were not known previously. Nye (1986), states that although at times many of
these studies complement one another in answering the intricate questions on the nature
of man, there are also times when they contradict one another in their views on the theory
and concept of man. Strangely enough, even living on the threshold of the modern and
scientific age, psychologists like other professionals who conduct studies on man, have
yet to arrive on a consensus with regard to the question of what is the true nature of man.
In the Western mainstream psychology, the absence of an all encompassing and
holistic idea on human nature has been attributed largely to the diversity of paradigms
adopted by these schools of psychology. In the case of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud
(1856-1939) who was the founding father of this school of psychology, conceptualized
man in a pessimistic and deterministic manner. His pessimistic view on human nature is
based on his assumption that man is evil and selfish by nature. While Freud’s
deterministic concept on human nature explains that every human being is enchained to
the psychosexual developments of his or her life. According to him, man is no more than
an animal enslaved to his sexual impulses. He further thought that man is controlled by
his libidinal impulses and therefore should be un-socialized and irrational in his
behaviour (Corey, 1986). Furthermore, Freud believed that man has no freedom to cut
loose from the shackles of his psychosexual developments. As a consequence of not
having the freedom of choice, man’s behaviour is determined by the warring parties of
his psyche; namely the id, ego and superego. Moreover, Freud through his clinical
research overemphasized to the world that every man is driven by two psychological
forces otherwise known as Eros (life instinct) and Thanatos (death instinct) (Freud,
1948). An exploration into Freud’s ideas on the id, ego and superego gives a clear-cut
understanding that man undergoes endless tensions, stress, conflict, dilemma, chaos, and
a whole range of other psychopathological illness due to the turmoil caused by the forces
that reside within the unconscious part of the human psyche. Simply put, Freud’s ideas on
man revolve around his theory of personality which is pivoted on his ideas on sexuality.
With all these negative ideas, he painted a gloomy picture of man being an intellectual
beast doomed for destruction (George & Cristiani, 1990).
On the contrary, the behaviourist school of psychology which based its ideas on
man in line with the ‘tabula rasa’ theory of John Locke (1632-1704) states that a child is
a blank slate at birth waiting to write down its experiences with the passing of time.
Behaviourism as well as behaviourist psychologists who laid great emphasis on learning
experience believe in a concept of man that can be equated to a mechanical object.
3. 3
According to behaviourists like Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), J.B Watson (1878-1958) and
B.F. Skinner (1904-1990), the environment plays a vital role in shaping man’s behaviour
and personality (Langgulung, 1981). With their ‘S-R’ (stimulus and response) theory, the
behaviourists took the neutral stand by saying that man is neither good nor bad in his
nature. By putting man on a neutral position, they are of the opinion that man becomes
good when placed in a good environment and becomes otherwise when placed in a bad
environment. In taking a neutral position, they do not believe in the concept that states
man is born with some innate knowledge. Furthermore, they also reject the existence of
constructs such as the conscious and unconscious in the human mind. With such ideas, it
is understood that the form of psychology they believe in is just purely a scientific one,
which is based on the learning theory that pays heed only to the observable behaviour of
man (Badri, 1996).
Contrary to the earlier schools of psychology; namely psychoanalysis and
behaviourism, humanistic psychology, which emerged as the ‘Third Force’ of the
Western mainstream psychology, deems man to be of innately good nature. Based on the
existential and phenomenology philosophies, this school of psychology emphasized much
on the conscious experience of man rather than paying too much emphasis on the
unconscious mind, as what has been done by psychoanalysis. Humanistic psychologists
also reject the behaviourist school of psychology for its mechanistic view on how
behaviour and personality develop (Maslow, 1968). They do not agree with the
behaviourist concept, which states that all human actions can be reduced to a stimulus-
response type of reaction. According to them, man has a subjective inner dimension,
which influences his actions and thoughts. As such, man has the freedom of choice either
to respond or not to respond to the demands of his environment. The main icons of
humanistic psychology like Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) and Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
believed that the good potentials of man could only manifest in totality when he
undergoes the process of ‘fully-functioning person’ and ‘self-actualization’ (Misiak &
Sexton, 1973; Morris, 1990).
Concept of Man in Islamic Psychology
Ideas on human nature put forward by early as well as contemporary Muslim
scholars are based on the ideas presented in the Qur’an and Hadith. As such, Islamic
psychology has a rather different approach in the study of man compared to many
Western theories on man. Islamic psychology based on the religion of Islam has given a
concept of human nature, which is diametrically opposite to what has been conceived by
most Western schools of psychology. It presents a concept of human nature, which is
comprehensive and all encompassing, describing that man has a physical, social,
psychological and spiritual dimensions. The last mentioned dimension, is a missing thing
in almost all Western schools of psychology. Islamic psychology highlights the many
interesting facts on man (Ansari, 1992). According to Islamic psychologists, among all
creations in the heaven and earth, only man has been bestowed with many distinctive
4. 4
qualities. As the recipient of these distinctive qualities from God the Almighty, man is
placed on the highest pedestal in the hierarchy of creations. Some of the distinctive
features explained by Muslim scholars are: man has been created in the best of forms (Al-
Qur’an, Al-Tīn:1-4), provided with the creative intelligence (Al-Baqarah: 31-34), given
the power of speech and freedom of choice ( Al-Rahmān: 4; Al-Insān: 3), born in the state
of Fitrah (primordial nature) without the ‘Original Sin’, man is forgetful in nature (Ta
Ha:115), born with the natural tendency to be a believer in God (Al- Rum:30), he has a
dual nature; body and spirit, he is the recipient of the Amānah (trust)(Al-Ahzab:72),
Mīthāq (covenant) (Al-A’râf-172), etc. Apart from that, man has been further honoured in
his stature and position when Allah made all things created in the heaven and earth to be
of service to him. (Al-Jāthiyah: 13; Al-Isrā’: 70). Due to the fact that man has been
endowed with such noble qualities or for some other reasons only known to the Creator,
man has been chosen to be His Khalīfah (vicegerent) on earth. As the vicegerent of God,
man has to administer this world in accordance with the Divine Will of his Creator
mentioned in the holy script of the Muslims. With these metaphysical concepts on man,
Islamic psychology elucidates in clear terms on man’s pre-existence in the form of soul,
his birth, his life on this world with all the duties and responsibilities laid on his shoulders
and also on the spiritual journey undertaken by man upon completing this worldly life
(Rahman, 1988).
What is Creativity?
At a time when scholars are debating on the issue; as to whether creativity is
innate or is a learned behavior, this part of the research would like to briefly venture into
what is creativity and what it means to be creative. According to Webster’s New World
Dictionary, creativity and creative individuals have the following qualities:
1) Creating or able to create,
2) Having or showing imagination and artistic or intellectual,
Inventiveness (creative writing), and
3) Stimulating the imagination and inventive powers.
According to MaimunahOsman (2005), creative thinking among others involves the following:
- Able to generate new ideas;
- The ability to generate alternative ways to do things;
- An individual’s ability to look at a situation from multiple dimensions and perceptions;
- The ability to see things in a broader perspective; and
- The ability to bring new added values to a thing/matter; (p.8)
While explaining what is creativity she is of the opinion that creativity involves the situations
itemized below:
- To bring upon new ideas.
- New ways of solving problems.
- New ways of performing a task.
- Creating a new definition to a job.
- New ways of using a thing.
- Creating new added values to a thing. (p.8)
5. 5
Another vital issue related to creativity is how creativity has been perceived
by people living in the different cultural contacts of the world. Some view
creativity as a godly attribute inherited by some special individuals, while others
think creativity as mimicry and a discovery made by someone. Besides this, the
more often related vocabularies to creativity are critical thinking and innovation.
Our reading on the topic of creativity has revealed that modern scholars
overwhelmingly agree that being creative and critical are two qualities or
attributes that are inseparable. Analogically explained they are the two-sides of a
coin. In many instances, creative people demonstrate a high level of critical
thinking. While innovation in the western culture entails a break away from
tradition and old traditional ways of doing and looking at things and situations. In
the East, innovation has been perceived as reinterpretation of traditional ideas in
the new setting. For some, regardless in the East or West, innovation means to
recreate new things and ideas out of the old and existing things or ideas (Paul &
Linda, 2012.
Turning to the question on what hinders one being creative, critical and
innovative. There can be many factors. Below here are some of the factors:
1. One’s belief that he or she is not creative because creativity is a trademark
owned by some gifted individuals.
2. Afraid of being different from others. Don’t want to be seen by others of
his/her actions as outlandish, and not keeping to the tradition. Also, afraid
of being criticized and marginalized by the society.
3. The fear of failure on promoting new ideas.
4. Feeling shy to be different from others.
5. Personal attitude of being negative to new ideas.
6. Never liked change of views and behavior.
7. Always looking at things from one’s perspective only; narrow
mindedness, “my way or no way” etc. (Maimunah Osman, 2005)
The latest trend in understanding what are creativity, critical thinking and
innovation indicates people generally agree that all these qualities are not the
possession of a certain selected group of people. These are attributes that can be
learned, borrowed or imitated and experimented over times to be refined. Through
these qualities people can further improve their lives and able to bring the
sustainable development for the survival of the entire human race.
Creativity According to Psychoanalysis
The psychoanalysis school of thought in the Western mainstream psychology
deems creativity or being creative as a sort of energy that comes from the id impulses
which are sexual and aggressive in nature. In Freud’s view, since this energy that gushes
forth from the unconscious is unpleasant and socially unacceptable to the society, it needs
to be transformed so that it finds acceptance in the society. In order to do this, the ego as
the peacemaker of the human psyche between the id and superego, uses one of its defense
mechanism known as sublimation to transform what is originally sexual and aggressive
6. 6
into a creative energy that produces behaviour and works of creativity. Freud in
describing the origin of creativity in the mind said:
..first is repression, which is quite energetic. The second outcome occurs when sexual
investigation is not totally repressed but is coped with by thought processes or by
compulsive defenses. In the third outcome which is the' most rare and perfect type,'
sexual curiosity is sublimated into that inquisitive attitude which leads to creativity
(Freud in Arieti, 1976, p.22)
Freud believed that a creative work of an individual is the outlet through which an
individual releases all the stored up contents of his unconscious from early childhood for
the reason they are not accepted by the society for being sexual and aggressive in nature.
But through sublimation at a later stage in life the unconscious of an individual manifests
itself in the form of creative work that will be acceptable to the society. Corey (1986) in
elaborating on sublimation as one of the Freudian defense mechanisms stated the
following:
From the Freudian perspective, many of the great artistic contributions resulted from a
redirection of sexual or aggressive energy into creative behaviors. Sublimation involves
diverting the sexual energy into other channels, ones that are usually socially acceptable
and sometimes even admirable. For example, aggressive impulses can be channeled into
athletic activities, so that the person finds a way of expressing aggressive feelings and, as
an added bonus, is often praised (p.15).
Kris (1952) shared the same idea with Freud on creativity except he differed in his
view to say that the ego uses regression and not sublimation as its defense mechanism as
an outlet for the unconscious to express itself in the form of a creative work. In further
explaining on how creativity comes to the surface, he explains:
From the release of passion under the protection of the aesthetic illusion to the highly
complex process of re-creation under the artist’s guidance, a series of processes of
psychic discharge take place, which could be differentiated from each other by the
varieties and degrees of neutralization of the energy discharged. All these processes,
however, are controlled by the ego, and the degree of completeness of neutralization
indicates the degree of ego autonomy (p. 63).
Creativity According to Behaviorism
Unlike psychoanalysis, the behaviorist school of psychology is interested in all
that are observable behaviours of man. They are only interested in the observable things
in man that can be subjected to scientific psychological investigation. Since human
creativity, emotion and thoughts are not tangible, behaviourism is not interested in
exploring at the very core of how these processes take place in human psyche. As such,
the behaviorist school of psychology presents an over simplified concept of creativity.
Behaviorism is at loggerhead with the psychoanalysis concept of creativity which says
that creativity in general or any creative work in its original nature is the libidinal and
aggressive energy of the id which through sublimation is made presentable, adorable and
acceptable to the society. To the behaviorists, creativity is something that can be
answered in terms of stimulus-response (Frager & Fadiman, 1984).
7. 7
No doubt behaviorists agree in principle that creativity is something that emerges
from stimulus-response but they somehow differ in their own views in defining
creativity. Radical behaviorist like Skinner argued that there is no such thing as creativity
as all human activities have been controlled by people who dispense reinforcements and
punishments like parents, teachers, peers, police, etc. He also believed that human dignity
that comes from individual accomplishment and achievements are nothing more than
something determined by the reward and punishment. To him, even creativeness in
poetry is just nothing but merely an act of composing a poem out of ‘bits and pieces’ of
the stimulus that come from the environment. He further deemed that even though
creating a poem needs exploration and discovery but these acts are not viewed as
creativeness, rather it is something related to the history of the poet and to the trial-and-
error in the learning activities (Langgulung, 1991). Irving Maltzman, a well known figure
in Behaviorism, believed that one can increase original behavior in others by simply
rewarding them for their actions. As such, this explains that creativity in man is the result
of encouragement and reward given to man’s actions. Besides Skinner and Maltzman,
Staats also explained creative thinking in terms of stimulus-response. He explains that
creative ideas of an individual are made up of new combination of previously stored up
unrelated ideas in the human memory. The final view on creativity from the behaviorist
school comes from Mednick. His view on creativity is focused on mental association (e.g.
when the word carrot is mentioned, one associates it to rabbit, etc.) In his opinion, a
highly creative person is one who stores a large number of verbal and non-verbal mental
associations which are readily at the disposal of an individual for recombining them into
creative ideas (Davis, 1992).
Creativity According to Humanistic Psychology
Humanistic psychology deems that every individual has the capacity to be
creative. Developing one’s creativity is very much related to the social environment in
which one lives. In a free society where there is no restriction and hindrance that blocks
the natural human tendencies, man would be able to bring forward and develop his
creativity which has been in existence innately within his inner self. According to
Humanistic psychology, man by actualizing his creative potentials, he becomes as a ‘self-
actualized’ person. Furthermore, some humanistic psychologists, especially Maslow,
believes that the unconscious is not a storehouse of man’s instinctual drives alone but it
also stores many hidden potentials that are creative and adorable to others once they are
brought out from man’s inner self (Maslow, 1968). They also believe that these hidden
creative potentials should not make use any of the ego defense mechanisms as this will
damage and distort the true quality and essence of the good and creative contents of the
inner self. Humanistic psychologists highlighted that there are two kinds of creativity.
One that is reflected on all creative works that bears special characteristic and
recognition, and the other type of creativity that does not represent any creative work that
demands any special talent or skill. The latter is the concept of creativity expressed by
humanistic psychologists like Maslow and Rogers (Langgulung, 1991).
8. 8
The above expressed views of the humanistic psychologists explain that man’s
unconscious caters to store creative and adorable potentials is something contrary to the
Freudian view that states the unconscious to be the powerhouse which stores sexual and
aggressive instincts only. Moreover Maslow and Rogers were on the same wavelength on
their approval to say that creativity in a way means self-actualization. The following
quotes will act as a justification to their idea on creativity:
The main spring of creativity appears to be the same tendency which we discover so
deeply as the curative force in psychotherapy- Man’s tendency to actualize himself to
become his potentials…the urge to expand, extend, develop, mature- the tendency to
express and activate all the capabilities of the organism, or the self (Rogers 1961, pp.350-
351).
My feeling is that the concept of creativeness and the concept of healthy, self-actualizing
fully human person seem to be coming closer and closer together, and may turn out to be
the same thing (Maslow, 1973, p. 57)
Creativity According to Islamic Psychology
Under the Islamic perspective of psychology, man’s creativity in life is what he
has got from Allah as the Supreme Creator of the universe. In discussing man’s creativity
from the Islamic perspective demands some elucidation on Allah’s attributes as the
Creative Creator of the world, and universe at large. The attributes mentioned in the
Qur’an that reveal Allah’s power as the mighty Creator are namely; Al-Khaliq or Al-
Khallaq, Al-Badi, Al-Musawwir and Al-Fatir. The following are the references of God’s
attributes as the Creator:
To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: How can He
have a son when He hath no consort? He created all things, and He hath
full knowledge of all things (Al-An‘am 6:101).
That is Allah, your Lord! There is no god but He, the creator of all things;
then worship ye Him, and He hath power to dispose of all affairs (Al-
An‘am 6:102).
He it is Who shapes you in the wombs as He pleases. There is no god but
He The Exalted in Might, The Wise (Ali ‘Imran 3:6).
All praise is due to God, Originator of the heavens and earth, who causes
the angels to be [His] message-bearers, endowed with wings, two, or
three, or four. [unceasingly] He adds to His creation whatever He wills:
for, verily God has power to will anything (Fatir 35: 1).
According to Langgulung, the verses above and many more such verses in the
Qur’an that explain the Majesty and Power of Allah as the Almighty Creator can be
classified into three different time periods in the creation of man and other forms of life
in the universe. The first one explains how He created the universe, man and the other
living organisms in the beginning merely out of nothingness. The second one explains
how He will bring creations into existence once more again on the day of resurrection for
9. 9
judgment. The third one explains His on-going act in creating things which depict all
changes and progress that take place between His first and second time periods.
Furthermore, Langgulung is of the opinion that the last said act of creativeness of Allah
in creating and bringing changes and progress in this world is being shared by man at a
lesser degree (Langgulung, 1991).
Similar to Langgulung, Iqbal has highlighted man’s God given qualities to create
and to be creative. In Iqbal’s view, man being the vicegerent of Allah has been imbued
with the many godly attributes. Due to this reason Iqbal feels that the ideal believer in
God should be one whom he calls as the ‘co-worker’ with God. Since Allah gave this
world to man as a raw and unfinished product to deal with, it becomes the duty of man to
beautify and ameliorate what is unfinished. This idea of man being the ‘co-worker’ with
God has been stated by Iqbal in one of his poems in Payam-i- Mashriq (Message from
the East):
You made the night and I the lamp.
You made the clay and I the cup.
You made the deserts, forests, mountains high,
I flowerbeds and orchards and the park.
It is I who grinds the mirror out of stone.
It is I who makes from poison, antidote. (Iqbal in Schimmel, 1998:pp.26-27).
Being the co-worker of Allah, man has to be an active individual who is strong in
his will to further develop what has been given to him by God. In this sense Iqbal in
many of his poems has asked man to take a vital role of being in possession or in control
of one’s environment. Furthermore, Iqbal believed that it is the duty of man to bring forth
the riches from the belly of the earth to be utilized for his spiritual development. In order
to do this, man must equip himself with knowledge. As man has been taught by God, and
given the faculty of naming things and forming concepts, it should be this gift of God that
man must use to his advantage to gain dominance over the world of matter for his own
spiritual upliftment (Iqbal, 1996). The claim made by Iqbal and Langgulung of man being
a creative creator at a lesser degree than God finds validity in the following verse of the
Qur’an:
Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump [of
flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then
We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators (Surah
Al-Mukminun: 14).
Since the last part of the verse suggests that Allah as the best of creators, then
surely man who is the best creation of God with all the noble qualities given to him also
qualifies to have the ability to create and innovate creatively new things on this planet.
Furthermore, Iqbal believed that man is not a static being. By relating to the Quranic
message that the universe in which man lives is one that is constantly growing every
minute and every second, Iqbal applied the same to state that in man too there is a
constant growth (Schimmel,1998). By reading Iqbal’s philosophical ideas on the human
personality one can understand that he highly valued the role, potentials and creative
mind possessed by man. Iqbal’s ideas on man perfectly reflect the message found in the
10. 10
Qur’an. Iqbal’s (1996) positive views on man can be clearly seen in what he said in his
monumental philosophical work of the Reconstruction:
Man, therefore, in whom egohood has reached its relative perfection, occupies a genuine
place in the heart of Divine Creative energy, and thus possesses a much higher degree of
reality than things around him. Of all the creations of God, he alone is capable of
consciously participating in the creation of life of his Maker. Endowed with the power to
imagine a better world, and to mould what is into what ought to be, the ego in him aspires,
in the interests of an increasing unique and comprehensive individuality, to exploit all the
various environments on which he may be called upon to operate during the course of an
endless career (p.58).
The Quranic verse that states Allah taught all the ‘names’ to Adam (Surah al-
Baqarah 2: 31) could also mean that man inherits the many attributes of Allah in him.
Among the many attributes of Allah, names like Al-Khaliq, Al-Badi, Al-Musawwir and
Al-Fatir have great significance to the Islamic concept of creativity. Man, who inherits
these attributes of Allah, has the tendency to exhibit creativity during his life in this
world. The only difference between Allah and man as a creator is that, Allah is the
Almighty Creator and His power to create and being creative is Absolute, while man’s
power to create is relative or rather limited. Allah can create out of nothingness, but man
needs something to create other more advanced, developed, sophisticated and innovative
things.
The prerequisites for man’s creativity and being creative are due to his position as
Allah’s vicegerent on earth; given the freedom to exercise his freewill to choose all that is
good for this life and for the hereafter, and also for being Allah’s trustee in this world
which demands responsibility and accountability at the same time. Despite the task of
being Allah’s vicegerent, having to shoulder the trust given to him, and the fact that he
will be held accountable for his action, man has to actualize his innate potentials by being
industrious, productive, progressive, innovative and creative. All these qualities and their
manifestation in the human life in a way can be interpreted as worship (Ibadah) in Islam.
As such, Islamic psychology views man’s creativity as something that should be
constructive and morally acceptable to the society, in line with the purpose for which
man has been sent to this world. Creativity and creativeness in Islam also demands man
to be upright, just, and ready to abide by Allah’s commandments and to keep away from
His prohibitions, also having no resentment and prejudice towards others (Langgulung,
1991).
Appraisal
The concept of creativity put forward by the three Western mainstream
psychologies is different from one another. Freudian psychoanalysis looks at creativity as
the sublimated energy of the Id made presentable in arts and artistic works. Freud was of
the conviction that the Id is at work at the very core of all works of creativity. To prove
his case he analyzed great personalities in history like Plato (428-348BCE),
Michelangelo (1475-1564) and Leonardo Da Vinci (1425-1519). In the case of Da Vince
he analyzed this great Italian artist and inventor’s life and wrote a book on him (Freud,
1916). To him, the state of being a creative person or a neurosis is separated by a thin line
in the human psyche. One can be either one of the two depending on the situation and on
11. 11
how well the ego handles the situation. In Freud’s view, creativity is not the spark that
one gets from the environment to produce great works but it is the energy that comes
from the unconscious of the human psyche which is later transformed into something
acceptable by the help of one of ego’s defense mechanisms.
J.B Watson, Skinner and others from radical Behaviorism think that creativity like
knowledge exists in the environment. To them, man is a ‘Tabula Rasa’ right from birth.
As such, knowledge, motivation and creativity come through the stimuli from the
environment. People can be motivated, energized and display creativity for being in the
right environment and given the right stimulus. Based on the learning theory, they think
people can be creative if there is a reward for them. Moreover, they do not believe that
things like innate knowledge and man’s inner psychic powers that can be a source of his
creativity. In short, they believe that creativity is a learned behaviour.
Maslow and Rogers believed that man is good in his nature and the human self
has a lot of potentials for growth. Furthermore, they believed that man comes to this
world with some basic, innate or latent knowledge. They also stated that man’s
creativeness not only comes from within his human psyche but also from the
environment. To them, a ‘fully-functioning person’, ‘self-actualized person’ and the one
who goes through ‘peak experience’ is an individual who is creative in his/her life. In
short, they explained creativity in association with all these terms.
Islamic psychologists believe that every individual regardless male or female is
capable of being creative. According to Islamic psychology, the state of man being
creative is related to the Al-Asma taught to Adam by Allah the Almighty. The word Al-
Asma in (Surah Al-Baqarah: 31) can be of anything like knowledge, languages, names of
things, God’s beautiful Names, etc. Langgulung and others have highlighted that the
Asma given to Adam will be inherited by all his progenies (humanity as a whole).
Besides this, Islamic psychologists also believe that creativity is within the human Fitrah
(man’s primordial nature) in which man has been created. As such, there is creativity in
the human soul that need to be actualized through proper parenting, schooling and
conducive environment. From the Islamic perspective, man’s creativity and creativeness
come from the human psyche and also from the environment. Man’s qualities being able
to create and to be creative can be seen clearly in the civilizations he has created. Gifted
with these noble qualities man has been given the position of God’s vicegerent on earth
(Mohd Abbas, 1997)
Conclusion
This research on man and creativity has highlighted that different schools of
thought in psychology have different concepts on what is creativity. The differences of
opinion in their concept of creativity are based on their concept of human nature.
Regardless in the East or West, all marks of human achievement and civilization were
only made possible due to man’s attributes of being a creative creator, inventor and
innovator. Man being the best creation of God, should use his creativity and all other God
given qualities towards creating a better world and not use his creativity to create war and
destruction. Man’s creativity should stop all destructions that have happened to the flora
12. 12
and fauna. Lastly, man has to use creativity in an ethical manner in line with the purpose
for which he has been sent to this world.
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