Psychology of perfection (perfect man) in Shams lyric poems based on the theorists of psychologists

Rumi (Mawlānā) is a mystic who has discussed the subject of man and perfect man comprehensively. In his poetry, he introduces a touchstone for being complete and becoming complete. Having contemplated the spiritual life of man and ways to direct him toward perfection, Rumi has gained a great status in Islamic and Iranian mysticism.

The present article attempts to compare the major theories of perfection in psychology with Rumi’s Shams Sonnets through an analytical descriptive method and then juxtaposes Rumi’s idea of perfect man with that of psychologists, including Allport, Moslow, Rogers, Frankl, Fromm, Jung, and Perls.

The results show that bearing the problems, overcoming the crises, caring for others’ needs, and fellowship are of the commonalities that the so-called psychologists and Rumi share regarding the process of perfection. Jung and Fromm’s ideas, each with 29% and 22%, are the most similar and Perls and Rogers’s ideas, each with 4% and 7%, are the least similar to Rumi’s elements of reaching perfection.

Rumi has addressed the content of perfect man in the context of Iranian mysticism and has maintained a personal psychological view toward man and the process of perfection in The Works of Shams and this makes him analogous to the psychologists, such as Moslow, Jung, and Fromm.