Volume 14, Issue 2 (10-2026)
JRH 2026, 14(2): 0-0 |
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salahshoor A. “Existential Rupture, Faith, and the Reconstruction of Mental Health: A Psychological Analysis of the Story of Jonah in the Framework of William James’s Theory of Religious Experience”. JRH 2026; 14 (2)
URL: http://jrh.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-1309-en.html
URL: http://jrh.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-1309-en.html
University of Kurdistan
Abstract: (34 Views)
This study offers a psychological rereading of the Qur’anic narrative of Prophet Jonah (peace be upon him) in order to elucidate the mechanism of “existential rupture and faith-based return” within the framework of the theory of religious experience developed by William James. The central question is how this narrative can be understood not merely as a historical or moral account, but as an analytical model of the transformation of faith under conditions of crisis, particularly in relation to the reconstruction of psychological well-being.
Adopting a qualitative approach, the study employs interpretive content analysis of relevant Qur’anic verses, examined through three key Jamesian concepts: the “sick soul,” the “will to believe,” and the “cash value” of belief. The findings indicate that the narrative of Jonah embodies a dynamic three-stage pattern consisting of existential rupture, faith as an act of choice in a boundary situation, and the reconstruction of meaning through the realization of deliverance. Within this framework, rupture is interpreted as the collapse of ordinary horizons of understanding, faith as a voluntary response under conditions of uncertainty, and deliverance as a process of restoring psychological balance and lived meaning. Accordingly, faith emerges not as a static state, but as a reconstructive force in times of crisis, playing a crucial role in the recovery of psychological coherence.
Adopting a qualitative approach, the study employs interpretive content analysis of relevant Qur’anic verses, examined through three key Jamesian concepts: the “sick soul,” the “will to believe,” and the “cash value” of belief. The findings indicate that the narrative of Jonah embodies a dynamic three-stage pattern consisting of existential rupture, faith as an act of choice in a boundary situation, and the reconstruction of meaning through the realization of deliverance. Within this framework, rupture is interpreted as the collapse of ordinary horizons of understanding, faith as a voluntary response under conditions of uncertainty, and deliverance as a process of restoring psychological balance and lived meaning. Accordingly, faith emerges not as a static state, but as a reconstructive force in times of crisis, playing a crucial role in the recovery of psychological coherence.
Keywords: Jonah, Religious Experience, William James, Existential Rupture, Will to Believe, Psychological Well-being
Type of Study: Content analysis |
Subject:
Islamic Psycology
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