Psychological Study of Islamic Mysticism in Elif Shafak's The Forty Rules of Love

Abstract

Mysticism presents, amidst others, a unique worldview to unfold the cosmic mysteries through experiential ways, often rendering mystical experiences somewhat subjective and elusive. This makes it highly pertinent to delve into the human psyche, which is the fountainhead of such experiences. Psychology offers theoretical tools, thereby enabling researchers to resolve riddles at one hand and enriching their understanding on the other. It is almost in the same vein that the current research is carried out, namely analyzing mystical experience from a psychological perspective. The paper contends that the culmination of a mystic's experience of the Divine is equated with his psychological wellbeing and emotional development. Drawing on Kazimierz Dabrowski's theory of positive disintegration, the researchers study a literary text, The Forty Rules of Love, written by Elif Shafak. The findings of this research lead to a nullification of the confusion of mystical experiences with psychological disorders.