Majnūn or Mental Disorders: Between Cultural Traditions and Western Psychology in Jordan. 2024

Dovilė Valaitė, and Renatas Berniūnas
Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania. dov00ile@yahoo.com.

Mental disorders or altered psychological states are prevalent in all populations, regardless of race or ethnic origin, while at the same time, culture also shapes the conceptions of mental disorders. Religion is deeply rooted in the daily life of the Muslim-majority countries, while Arab countries are affected by an ongoing modernization. Thus, how does the traditional religious conception of mental disorders interact with Western psychological conceptions in contemporary Arab-Muslim society? This study explores the conceptions of mental disorders and their causes among Muslims in contemporary Jordan. By employing cognitive anthropological method (free listing), forty participants were asked to provide three lists of (a) typical names of mental disorders, (b) causes of mental disorders and (c) determining features of mental disorders. Collected qualitative data have been quantitatively analysed and interpreted in the context of relevant ethnographic and interview data. While Western terms of mental disorders are well known among young and educated Jordanians, the study demonstrates that Jordanians employ cultural and religious notions alongside. This co-existence of different conceptions confirms an importance of Islamic notion in the modern rendering of mental health. As a result, despite rapid modernization, mental health is still highly stigmatized.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007514 Islam A monotheistic religion promulgated by the Prophet Mohammed with Allah as the deity. Mohammedanism,Muslims,Islamic Ethics,Ethic, Islamic,Ethics, Islamic,Islamic Ethic,Muslim
D007597 Jordan A country in the MIDDLE EAST, northwest of Saudi Arabia, between Israel and Iraq. The capital is Amman.
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D012069 Religion and Psychology The interrelationship of psychology and religion. Psychology and Religion,Psychology, Religion,Religion, Psychology
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D001523 Mental Disorders Psychiatric illness or diseases manifested by breakdowns in the adaptational process expressed primarily as abnormalities of thought, feeling, and behavior producing either distress or impairment of function. Mental Illness,Psychiatric Diseases,Psychiatric Disorders,Psychiatric Illness,Behavior Disorders,Diagnosis, Psychiatric,Mental Disorders, Severe,Psychiatric Diagnosis,Illness, Mental,Mental Disorder,Mental Disorder, Severe,Mental Illnesses,Psychiatric Disease,Psychiatric Disorder,Psychiatric Illnesses,Severe Mental Disorder,Severe Mental Disorders
D055815 Young Adult A person between 19 and 24 years of age. Adult, Young,Adults, Young,Young Adults

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