The treatment of vulnerable narcissism and its application based on the views of Islamic philosophers

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology Payame Noor University, PO. BOX, 19395-3697 Tehran

2 , M.A. in Clinical Psychology, Islamic Azad University (Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Branch), Tabriz, Iran.

3 M.A. in Quran and Hadith Sciences, Department of Quran and Hadith Studies, Azarbijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz,

Abstract

This study aimed to provide a conceptual analysis of the treatment of vulnerable narcissism and to explain its application based on the views of Islamic philosophers. In Psychology of Islamic philosophy, vulnerable narcissism is not merely a psychological disorder but rather a manifestation of a disruption in substantial motion (al-ḥarakah al-jawhariyyah) and a rupture in the soul's existential relationship with the Absolute Truth. This condition is characterized by fragility of the self (nafs), anxiety, and obsessive self-centeredness, rooted in the dominance of certain faculties and illusory imaginings (awhām), leading to the formation of a dependent and unstable identity. Vulnerable narcissism—marked by sensitivity to criticism, experiences of shame, fluctuations in self-worth, and a tendency toward social withdrawal—is examined in this research. Using an analytical-comparative approach, the study first delineates the dimensions of this disorder and then investigates its relationship with the vices of self-admiration ('ujb) and arrogance (kibr) as discussed by Muslim philosophers. Furthermore, by reviving the theories of soul-health (ṣiḥḥat al-nafs), soul-illness (maraḍ al-nafs), and the paradigm of virtue-ethics-based therapy within the Transcendent Philosophy (al-ḥikmah al-muta'āliyah), the principles and stages of an Islamic therapeutic model are extracted. The findings indicate that Islamic philosophers provide considerable theoretical capacity for developing a religion-based therapeutic model for vulnerable narcissism, which can serve as an integrative approach with culturally and spiritually effective dimensions in Iranian society and the broader Islamic world.

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Journal of Philosophical Investigations

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 27 May 2026

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