The Nature of Human Disposition: al-Ghazālī's Contribution to an Islamic Concept of Personality

Abstract

The paper provides a critique of contemporary psychological models of human nature and highlights the contribution of al-Ghazālī towards a better conceptualization of human disposition. A brief outline of the philosophical foundations of the three major psychological approaches–Freudian psychoanalysis, Skinnerian behaviorism, and Rogerian and Maslowvian Humanism– are provided. Consequently, the metaphors they adopted for human nature are discussed. The paper also highlights the shortcomings of these models by looking at their practical implications, particularly for psychology of personality. The last part of the paper dwells on al-Ghazālī’s contribution to an Islamic abstraction of human disposition and personality.