Islam and cognitive behaviour psychology : an introduction

Abstract

Through the realm of positive psychology,mainstream psychology has gradually accommodates the concept of religiousity and spirituality into its theory and practice.With this growing trend, recent findings from studies depicts that most religious variables like patience, hope, gratitude, meaning, are mostly not explained and adopted from their religious interpretations. Hence, this paper seek to unravel the rich history oflslamic psychology with highlights from some remarkable contributions of notable scholars as well as from mainstream Muslim psychologists within the cognitive-behavioural school. Moreover, the Islamic faith which offers pristine form of belief, human knowledge, and existential patterns stands as a rational approach towards promoting a psycho-spiritual model of human functioning.This model can be further integrated into psychotherapeutic approaches like Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (CBT) as a holistic intervention in treating depression, anxiety, and trauma-related pathologies. It also serves as a new window of integrating the Islamic belief factor into the core element of cognitive behaviour psychology Suggestions for future research and practice for counselors and therapists are discussed.