CHANGING THE LENSE: UNDERSTANDING MODREN PERSONALITY DISORDERS THROUGH ISLAMIC APPROACH OF AL-GHAZALI'S FUNCTIONAL DISORDERS

Abstract

Contemporary personality psychopathology and classical Islamic psychology offer distinct perspectives on enduring patterns of human dysfunction, yet their conceptual relationship has received little systematic attention. This study presents a comparative theoretical analysis of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali's ten functional disorders in relation to contemporary personality disorders to examine shared psychological mechanisms underlying personality dysfunction. Ghazali conceptualized dysfunction as arising from disturbances in the relationship between the qalb (heart), nafs (self), and aql (intellect), resulting in enduring maladaptive patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior. Drawing upon his writings and contemporary psychological literature, each functional disorder is analyzed within its original conceptual framework before being compared with relevant personality pathology. His descriptions of functional diseases reflect patterns comparable to personality pathology while remaining grounded in a moral-spiritual understanding of the self. The analysis identifies meaningful conceptual correspondences between Ghazali's functional disorders and contemporary personality psychopathology and culminates in the proposed Ghazalian Personality Pathology Correspondence Model, illustrating how clusters of functional disorders may conceptually resemble enduring patterns of personality pathology. By bringing Islamic moral psychology into dialogue with contemporary personality theory, the study offers a novel interdisciplinary framework for understanding personality dysfunction.