Existence and Knowledge

Existence and Knowledge

Emotional Self-Awareness and Self-Knowledge: A Comparative Study of the Views of Goleman and Mulla Sadra

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
1 PhD student in Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
2 Professor, Department of Philosophy and Islamic Wisdom, Shahid Madani Azarbaijan University, Tabriz, Iran.
3 Ph.D. in Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Shahid Madani Azarbaijan University, Tabriz, Iran.
Abstract
This research conducts a comparative analysis of the concept of emotional self-awareness in Daniel Goleman's theory and self-knowledge (ma'rifat al-nafs) in Mulla Sadra's Transcendent Philosophy. The findings indicate that while both perspectives emphasize the importance of self-knowledge, they differ fundamentally in depth, scope, foundations, and ultimate ends. Emotional self-awareness is defined as a psychological skill focusing on recognizing and managing emotions to improve individual and social functioning. In contrast, self-knowledge in Mulla Sadra's view is an existential journey and a dynamic process achieved through presential knowledge of one's essence, guiding the soul along substantial motion towards true perfection and immateriality. This study demonstrates that Goleman's emotional self-awareness can be considered a preliminary step and a part of the lower levels of self-knowledge within Sadra's intellectual framework. Thus, while Goleman emphasizes the practical management of emotions and worldly adaptation, Sadra interprets self-knowledge within a metaphysical framework aimed at divine proximity. A conscious integration of these two perspectives can enrich the path of self-knowledge in both psychological and spiritual dimensions. This study employs an analytical-comparative method, relying on library sources.
Keywords
Subjects

Bibliography
Al-Ghazali, M. Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din. Vols. 1-4. Beirut: Dar al-Kotob al-Ilmiyah, 1992. [In Arabic]
Ekman, P. "An Argument for Basic Emotions." Cognition & Emotion 6, no. 3-4 (1992): 169-200.
Flavell, J. H. "Metacognition and Cognitive Monitoring: A New Area of Cognitive-Developmental Inquiry." American Psychologist 34, no. 10 (1979): 906-911.
Freud, S. The Ego and the Id. Translated by J. Strachey. Vol. 19 of The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, 12-66. London: Hogarth Press, 1961. (Original work published 1923)
Goleman, D. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ. New York: Bantam Books, 1995.
Goleman, D. Hush-e Hayjani [Emotional Intelligence]. Translated by N. Parsa. Tehran: Roshd Publications, 2004. [In Persian]
Goleman, D. Working with Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books, 1998.
Gross, J. J. "Emotion Regulation: Current Status and Future Prospects." Psychological Inquiry 26, no. 1 (2015): 1-26.
Ibn Arabi, M. Fusus al-Hikam. Edited by A. Afifi. Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi, n.d. [In Arabic]
Ibn Sina. Al-Najat. Tehran: University of Tehran Press, 1984. [In Arabic]
Ibn Sina. Al-Shifa' (Al-Mantiq, Al-Burhan). Edited by S. Zayed. Cairo: Al-Hay'ah al-Misriyyah al-'Ammah lil-Kitab, 1980. [In Arabic]
Ibn Sina. Al-Shifa' (Al-Tabi'iyat, Kitab al-Nafs). Qom: Ayatollah Mar'ashi Publications, 1996. [In Arabic]
Izard, C. E. Human Emotions. New York: Plenum Press, 1977.
Keltner, D., and J. J. Gross. "Functional Approaches to Emotion." Cognition & Emotion 13, no. 5 (1999): 467-481.
Kulayni, M. Al-Kafi. Tehran: Dar al-Kotob al-Islamiyyah, 1987. [In Arabic]
Pourhasan, Q. Nafs dar Falsafeh-ye Islami: Az Kindi ta Mulla Sadra. Tehran: Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, 2007. [In Persian]
Rogers, C. R. On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1961.
Rumi, J. M. (Mowlavi). Masnavi-ye Ma'navi. Edited by R. Nicholson. Tehran: Hermes, 2007. [In Persian]
Sadr al-Din Shirazi (Mulla Sadra). Al-Hikmah al-'Arshiyyah. Edited by G. Ahani. Tehran: Mowla Publications, 2002. [In Arabic]
Sadr al-Din Shirazi (Mulla Sadra). Al-Hikmah al-Muta'aliyah fi al-Asfar al-'Aqliyyah al-Arba'ah. Vols. 1-9. Tehran: Sadra Islamic Philosophy Foundation, 2001. [In Arabic]
Sadr al-Din Shirazi (Mulla Sadra). Al-Mabda' wa al-Ma'ad. Edited by J. Ashtiyani. Tehran: Iranian Institute of Philosophy, 1975. [In Arabic]
Sadr al-Din Shirazi (Mulla Sadra). Al-Masha'ir. Edited by H. Corbin. Tehran: Tahouri Library, 1983. [In Arabic]
Sadr al-Din Shirazi (Mulla Sadra). Al-Shawahid al-Rububiyyah fi al-Manahij al-Sulukiyyah. Edited by J. Ashtiyani. Tehran: Sadra Islamic Philosophy Foundation, 2002. [In Arabic]
Sadr al-Din Shirazi (Mulla Sadra). Kasr Asnam al-Jahiliyyah. Edited by M. Bidarfar. Qom: Bidar, 1987. [In Arabic]
Sadr al-Din Shirazi (Mulla Sadra). Mafatih al-Ghayb. Edited by M. Khwajawi. Tehran: Institute for Cultural Research, 1975. [In Arabic]
Sadr al-Din Shirazi (Mulla Sadra). Risalah-yi Seh Asl. Tehran: Mowla, 1985. [In Arabic]
Sadr al-Din Shirazi (Mulla Sadra). Sharh al-Hidayat al-Athiriyyah. Tehran: Sadra Islamic Philosophy Foundation, 2007. [In Arabic]
Sadr al-Din Shirazi (Mulla Sadra). Sharh Usul al-Kafi. Vol. 4. Tehran: Institute for Cultural Studies and Research, 2001. [In Arabic]
Sadr al-Din Shirazi (Mulla Sadra). Tafsir Surat al-'Asr. Tehran: Sadra Islamic Philosophy Foundation, 2004. [In Arabic]
Sadr al-Din Shirazi (Mulla Sadra). Ta'liqah 'ala Hikmat al-Ishraq. Tehran: Sadra Islamic Philosophy Foundation, 2002. [In Arabic]
Salovey, P., and J. D. Mayer. "Emotional Intelligence." Imagination, Cognition and Personality 9, no. 3 (1990): 185-211.
Suhrawardi, S. Hikmat al-Ishraq. Edited and translated by J. Sajjadi. Tehran: University of Tehran Press, 1996. [In Arabic]
Tabatabai, M. H. Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an. Vols. 1-20. Beirut: Muassasat al-A'lami lil-Matbu'at, 1970. [In Arabic]
The Holy Quran.
Tripathy, M. "Emotional Intelligence: An Overview." Journal of Humanities and Social Science 23, no. 3 (2018): 12-18.
Send comment about this article
Enter Name.
Enter a valid email address.
Enter a vaid affiliation.
Enter comments (At leaset 10 words)
CAPTCHA Image
Enter Security Code Correctly.