Understanding the dynamism of human behaviour in psychology becomes more comprehensive as greater attention continues to grow from psychologists on human functioning. In a recent virtual lecture titled “The mind-body interaction: Islamic viewpoint”, it was learnt that the spiritual element, along with the cognitive, behavior and emotional components, constitutes a holistic paradigm of human psyche.
This holistic paradigm mostly shared by some of the early and modern scholars is being widely discussed among Muslim scholars and students alike. What matters currently involves the basic understanding on how the soul or the spiritual element in man works, and its framework in human psychological functioning.
It’s becoming evidently clear that human behaviour is not only connected to cognitive processes, or its emotional force, how well the individual nurtures his spiritual self in connection to Allah’s code of existence really matters.
Considering the gap between science and religion, there is a great need to highlight certain concepts that may shed light into understanding the limitations surrounding some empirical paradigm.
More interesting is the discourse surrounding the mind-body interaction (MBI) which widens the horizon of the seen and unseen. The MBI has been described as a form of complete interactive process between thinking, belief, and biological reactions.
Connecting this phenomenon to the medical space, the concept of the placebo effect which gained attention since the 20th century comes to the fore. Seen in psychosomatic medicine to be the push of mental states effect, the mind is linked to our beliefs, expectations, and even attitudes, remains a function of behavioural dispositions.
Obviously, what is pushing non-physical elements that eventually results in physical and behavioral outcomes requires not only psychological or biological explanations, but also spiritual ones.
Another possible explanation connecting the mind, beliefs, expectations to physical outcomes is the concept of pseudocyesis, often referred to as false pregnancy. It involves a state of belief that where a woman has many symptoms of pregnancy and expecting a baby when in real terms, she is not carrying a child.
In some cases, the severity involves a situation where the woman rejects every medical test report refuting the pregnancy.
Here, the belief structure that compounds the Islamic doctrine remains the core element in every explanation surrounding man’s psycho-spiritual functioning. This belief structure originates in Allah’s supremacy over everything, including all heavenly and earthly bodies.
The soul which is embedded into the fetus at four months comes with what the individual lives with throughout life. What we do as humans can said to be determined by some inner agents like conscience, freewill, and the eventual choice between good and evil.
Also, abnormal or psychopathic behaviors can be connected to the hadith of the prophet in which when the individual commits a sin, a black mark appears upon his heart. If he abandons the sin, seeks forgiveness, and repents, then his heart will be polished.
If he returns to the sin, the blackness will be increased until it overcomes his heart. In essence, human functioning is more of a spiritual, psychological and biological phenomenon.
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