A Comparative Analysis of the Opposites Principle and its Relation to Individuation from Jung and Mawlānā's Point of Views

Psychoanalytic criticism is a relatively new branch of literary criticism that links literature to psychology. That mystical texts are introverted is due to their special significance in this area of criticism. Masnavi-e Manavi is one of the most valuable Islamic texts on mysticism which is distinguished in this regard and which brings literature closer to psychology. This is because of the fact that in Masnavi, Mawlānā does not restrict himself to regulations and rules of theorization or to the rules of writing Masnavi and of storytelling and expresses the realities and mystical experiences without any restraint or without any need to decorations.In the field of psychology, Jung's views and theories could be congruent to mysticism and they could be a ground for literary research and psychoanalytical criticism. Therefore, it is timely and beneficial to study Masnavi through psychoanalytic analysis. One of Jung's theories is referred to as the principle of opposites. It is feasible to study this principle and its repercussions and subordinates in Masnavi. This article aims at conducting a comparative analysis of the principle of opposites from Jung and Mawlānā's views. It also studies the role of opposites in the process of individuation and self-development through those views.