Characteristics of Mystical Experience in the Gazals of Bidel Dehlavi; A Review Based on Maslow's Theory of Self-Actualization

By using psychological criticism in analyzing literary texts, critics try to explore the underlying layers of the personality of the author and his/her text. Humanistic psychology, as one of the schools of psychology, emphasizes on the positive side of humanity. Abraham Maslow, as the main figure of the school, describes the healthy and growing people by presenting the theory of self-actualization. The peak experience is one of the main criteria of the theory, whose foundations are very similar to the views of the mystic Muslim poets, including Bidel Dehlavi, on annihilation, union and unity. Divan Bidel</em> is full of descriptions of the romantic experiences that the sālek (the holy traveler) and the seeker of perfection encounters. By using descriptive-analytical method and based on Maslow's findings, the present article attempts to explore the representations of the peak experience in the gazals of Bidel. The results show that there are some similarities between the experiences of Maslow and Bidel like openness of horizon, timeless and unlimited feeling of ecstasy and astonishment, feeling of unconsciousness, tendency to poetry, religion and mysticism.   </strong>