چكيده لاتين
Media have emerged as one of the most decisive forces in the formation of both personal and collective identity in the contemporary era. While the discipline of media psychology has attempted to account for the psychological impact of media on audiences, its theoretical landscape remains fragmented, largely due to the absence of an integrated philosophical foundation. This gap underscores the urgency of rethinking the conceptual underpinnings of media psychology by drawing upon indigenous philosophical traditions capable of offering a coherent and teleological framework.
The present research seeks to reconstruct the theoretical basis of media psychology through the lens of Mulla Sadra’s Transcendent Philosophy (al-ḥikmah al-mutaʿāliyah). The study begins by surveying and classifying dominant perspectives in media psychology, which are then analyzed against the two overarching paradigms of essentialism and nominalism. Essentialism, with its static conception of human essence, is shown to inadequately capture the dynamic transformations of identity in the mediated context. Conversely, nominalism, which reduces human subjectivity either to physical responses or socially constructed roles, neglects the existential autonomy and ultimate purpose of human beings. Against these limitations, Sadrian thought introduces a third paradigm rooted in the theory of the soul and the principle of substantial motion. From this standpoint, the soul originates in materiality but undergoes a process of ontological intensification toward immaterial and intellectual perfection.
This metaphysical vision redefines the role of media: rather than being mere channels of communication or neutral reflections of reality, media emerge as active participants in the existential trajectory of human beings. By operating within the faculty of imagination, media exert a formative influence on identity construction, capable of directing the soul toward either ascent or descent along its existential arc. Such a framework positions media as agents in the moral and spiritual evolution of human beings, thereby transforming media psychology from a descriptive science into a normative and teleological discipline.
The findings suggest that Mulla Sadra’s philosophy offers a robust foundation for an enriched psychology of media, one that integrates ontology, epistemology, and ethics. This approach not only remedies existing theoretical deficiencies but also paves the way for innovative inquiries, such as the relationship between media and the Active Intellect, the theorization of “sacred media, and the formulation of an ethical system for media practices grounded in Transcendent Philosophy.
