A Critique of Personality Structure in Psychology Based on Quranic Teachings

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Associate Professor, Research Institute of Hawzah and University, Qom, Iran.

10.30471/psy.2025.11047.2329

Abstract

Extended Abstract
 
Introduction and Objectives: The study of personality structure is one of the most central topics in contemporary psychology. However, existing theories in this field have largely been shaped by the anthropological foundations of Western schools of thought and lack the comprehensive picture that revealed teachings present regarding the multidimensional nature of the human being. This research was conducted with the aim of fundamentally critiquing personality structures in contemporary psychology based on the ontological framework of the Holy Qur’an.
The main research question is: What are the most important shortcomings of prevalent personality structures (such as the theories of Freud, Jung, Allport, and Rogers) from the Qur’anic perspective, and how can a path for the evolution and reform of these structures be delineated by relying on Qur’anic verses and authoritative exegeses? The central hypothesis is that contemporary psychology, due to its neglect of the pre-natal, spiritual, and otherworldly dimensions of the human being, is unable to provide a comprehensive structure that corresponds to the reality of the human being.
Method: This research is fundamental-theoretical in nature and was conducted using a library-analytical method. The dominant approach to analysis is the istiṇṭāqī method (active questioning of the text) as presented by the martyr Muḥammad Bāqir al-Ṣadr. In this method, the researcher infers Qur’anic foundations by posing specific questions to the text of the Qur’an.
The research process was carried out in two main stages:

Collecting and studying the most important theories of personality structure in contemporary psychology (including those of Freud, Jung, Allport, Rogers, Berne, and others).
Inferring and extracting the components of personality structure from the verses of the Holy Qur’an and authoritative exegeses (such as Al-Mīzān by ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī and Tafsīr-i Tasnīm by Āyatullāh Javādī Āmulī).

Subsequently, the data obtained from these two domains were compared, and through logical analysis, psychological theories were critiqued and evaluated against Qur’anic criteria.
Results: The research findings indicate that personality structures in contemporary psychology, despite their precision in describing certain dimensions, suffer from five fundamental shortcomings:

Neglect of the Pre-natal Period

These structures overlook the embryonic period and its influence on human temperament and personality, while both developmental psychology findings and Qur’anic verses (such as Sūrat al-Muʾminūn, 23:12-14) emphasize the importance of this stage.

Reductionism and Neglect of the Spiritual Dimension

Each theory focuses exclusively on a single dimension (emotion, cognition, neurophysiology), and the spiritual dimension has been neglected as an authentic component of personality.

Neglect of the Otherworldly Realm (the Spirit)

These theories confine the human being to the material realm, while the Qur’an explicitly speaks of the composition of the divine spirit with the body (Sūrat al-Sajdah, 32:7-9) and the existence of three worlds (this world, the intermediate realm (barzakh), and the Hereafter) for the human being.

Inability to Explain Transformative Religious Concepts

Concepts such as repentance (tawbah), intercession (shafāʿah), nullification of deeds (iḥbāṭ), and expiation (takfīr), which appear in the Qur’an and cause sudden or gradual transformations in personality, cannot be explained within the framework of these structures.

Inattention to the “Godward Self” as the Central Core

The core of personality in these theories is the ego/self (khwud). However, from the Qur’anic perspective, the true core of human personality is the “divine image” (ṣūrat-i ilāhī) or the “Godward self” (khwud-i khudāsū), which expresses the essential poverty and existential dependence of the human being upon God (Sūrat al-Fāṭir, 35:15; Sūrat al-Inshiqāq, 84:6).
Discussion and Conclusion: These critiques demonstrate that contemporary psychology, due to its limited anthropological foundations, lacks a comprehensive framework for describing the multilayered and dynamic reality of the human being. In contrast, Qur’anic teachings, by emphasizing the following, offer a dynamic, integrated, and transcendental model of personality structure:

The continuity of the personality trajectory from before this world to beyond it.
The combination of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions.
The central role of the human being’s relationship with God in shaping identity and behavior.
The possibility of fundamental transformations (such as repentance).

The final conclusion is that in order to achieve a realistic theory of personality, psychology must, while preserving its empirical achievements, redefine its ontological foundations inspired by the Holy Qur’an and accept a structure that recognizes the “pre natal period,” the “spiritual dimension,” the “otherworldly trajectory,” and the “centrality of the relationship with God” as the main pillars of human personality. This research delineates the path toward a “Qur’an-based psychology” (ravānshināsī-yi Qurʾān-bunyān) with an expanded and comprehensive structure.
Acknowledgement: The authors of this research sincerely thank the esteemed reviewers and the publication staff who have facilitated the dissemination of this intellectual effort. We also appreciate the authorities of the Research Institute of Hawzah and University for accepting the interdisciplinary approach of Qur’an and psychology, thereby paving the way for a serious dialogue between psychology and revealed teachings.
Conflict of Interest: The authors of this article have no conflict of interest concerning the publication of this research.

Keywords

References

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