Authors
1
Philosophy and Islamic Theology, Department of Islamic Studies, Shahid Madani University of Azerbaijan, Tabriz, Iran
2
Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology, Tabriz, Iran, Shahid Madani University of Azerbaijan
3
Professor of Educational Sciences, Shahid Madani University of Azerbaijan, Tabriz, Iran
10.22080/jepr.2026.30436.1306
Abstract
This study presents a comparative analysis between the concept of “emotion” in contemporary psychology and “psychic states” (ahwāl nafsāniyyah) within Mulla Sadra’s Transcendent Philosophy (al-hikmah al-muta‘āliyah). The necessity of this research stems from modern psychology’s tendency to limit emotional study to biological and behavioral dimensions, whereas Islamic philosophy views emotion as integral to the soul’s reality and linked to existential perfection. The primary objective is to elucidate the similarities and differences in the nature and purpose of emotions in both frameworks and to explore how Sadra’s philosophical foundations can critique and complete the psychological interpretation.
The methodology involves philosophical content analysis and comparative study, examining Sadra’s primary sources, such as al-Asfār al-Arba‘ah, alongside major psychological theories from Darwin, James–Lange, Lazarus, and Gross. Findings indicate that despite differing ontological foundations—one empirical and material, the other immaterial and existential—both approaches consider emotions as mechanisms for behavioral regulation and adaptation. However, while the ultimate purpose in psychology is survival and psychological well-being, in Sadra’s philosophy, psychic states function as instruments for transcendence, purification, and nearness to the Divine. Consequently, the Sadrian interpretation, by introducing a teleological and metaphysical dimension, offers a more comprehensive model for a profound understanding of human emotions, thereby integrating philosophical insight with psychological science.
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