Determining Adults’ Perceptions of Tawakkul Through Metaphors: A Cross-Cultural Research

Esra İrk; Mükerrem Saliha Kars; Armin Jasarevic

Article Details

Determining Adults’ Perceptions of Tawakkul Through Metaphors: A Cross-Cultural Research

Authors:

Esra İrk | Mükerrem Saliha Kars | Armin Jasarevic

Publisher:

Hitit University

Main Topics:

Din Psikolojisi

Journal:

Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.23 Issue 2, pp.784-808

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001336427

pISSN:

2757-6949

Keywords:

Abstract:

 As a fundamental concept of religious tradition and culture, tawakkul is an expression of deep faith and trust in Allah. In tawakkul, there is a powerful and effective Creator at the center of everything. It is accepted that He has control and authority over all beings. Therefore, the literature highlights the close relationship between tawakkul, faith, and tawhid. On the other hand, while it is accepted that Allah is the sole determinant in the act of tawakkul, this does not imply an attitude that excludes or postpones individuals efforts. There is a framework in which the individual assumes functional roles, engaging both mental and practical processes. Tawakkul provides a privileged area for strong positive emotions that enrich the individuals spiritual world. By fostering various emotional experiences, it serves as a protective factor, reducing negative internal experiences by providing an optimum level of well-being. Since it includes being content with Allahs distribution, decree and will, it also facilitates psycho-social adaptation. From this aspect tawakkul is seen as one of the factors that most strongly affects the individuals emotional and motivational dynamics. It makes a constructive and constructive contribution to the human-human and human-Allah relationship. Therefore, understanding the nature of the effect of tawakkul is very important for every age group. In the relevant literature, there are both theoretical and empirical studies on the concept of tawakkul; however, no study has been found that examines the concept of tawakkul through metaphors. Therefore, this study is expected to contribute to the gap in the literature and guide other studies on the topic. This main purpose of the research is to reveal the perceptions of adults regarding the concept of tawakkul through metaphors. The study group consists of a total of 237 participants aged 20-70, residing in different cities of Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina. 116 49 of the participants in the study are female and 121 51 are male. The metaphor technique, grounded in the phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. A semi-structured survey form was preferred as the data collection method. Data were collected through online and face-to-face surveys conducted via Google Form. The survey form used in the study has two parts. The first section contains a 4-item personal information form aimed at revealing the demographic characteristics of the participants. The second part includes a question prompting the adult participants to produce metaphors to reveal their perceptions of the concept of tawakkul. In the second part, the participants were asked the question, If you were to compare tawakkul to an image, what would it be like? and were asked to complete the gaps in the sentence, Tawakkul is similar to.metaphor, because....metaphor reason.... MAXQDA 24 program was used in the analysis of the obtained data and the content analysis technique was used. At the end of the research, it was found that 119 different metaphors were produced by 237 participants. Three themes were created based on the metaphors related to the concept of tawakkul: These themes are religious dimension of tawakkul, psychological dimension of tawakkul and relational dimension of tawakkul. Two codes were created for the theme of religious dimension of tawakkul 38: Divine power and personal liability. The metaphors collected under this code emphasized Allahs guiding, controlling and determining position in all matters. In addition, passive behavior patterns were negated in the process of tawakkul; reference was made to variables such as perseverance, effort and determination that give an active role to the individual. Three codes were created for the theme of psychological dimension of tawakkul 58.2. These codes are psychological relief, positive expectation and acceptance and adaptation. With these metaphors, it has been expressed that tawakkul helps reduce psychological tension, increases feelings of hope and optimism, and allows for healthy reflexes and reactions to unexpected negative developments. A single code called divine love and fear 3,8 was created for the theme of the relational dimension of tawakkul. In these metaphors, tawakkul is considered an experience that reflects the balance between divine love and fear. In the study, it was determined that participants in both countries attributed a positive value to tawakkul, pointed out its cognitive and psychological background, and emphasized its constructive and dynamic aspect. It was found that the participants from both countries had a largely similar perception of tawakkul. However, it was also discovered that Bosnian participants developed unique metaphors related to the relational dimension of tawakkul.

 Dinî gelenek ve kültürün temel kavramlarından birisi olan tevekkül, Allaha olan derin inanç ve güvenin bir ifadesidir. Tevekkülde her şeyin merkezinde güçlü ve etkin bir Yaratıcının varlığı bulunur. Onun bütün varlıklar üzerinde tasarruf ve yetki sahibi olduğu kabul edilir. Bu yüzden literatürde tevekkülle iman ve tevhid arasındaki yakın ilişkiye dikkat çekilmiştir. Diğer yandan tevekkül eyleminde yegâne belirleyicinin Allah olduğu kabul edilmekle birlikte bireyin çabasını dışlayan yahut öteleyen bir tutuma yer verilmez. Bireyin fonksiyonel roller üstlendiği, zihnî ve fiilî süreçlerinin devreye girdiği bir yapılanma söz konusudur. Tevekkül, bireyin ruhsal dünyasını zenginleştiren güçlü olumlu duygular için ayrıcalıklı bir alan sağlamaktadır. Çeşitli duygusal deneyimlere zemin hazırlayan tevekkül, optimum iyilik seviyesi sağlayarak olumsuz içsel deneyimlere karşı koruyucu bir faktör olarak işlev görmektedir. Allahın taksimine, takdirine ve iradesine râzı olmayı kapsadığı için psiko-sosyal uyumu da kolaylaştırmaktadır. Bu açıdan tevekkül, sağlıklı bir savunma mekanizması olarak görülmektedir. Çok boyutlu bir kavram olan tevekkül, bireyin duygu ve motivasyon dinamiklerini en güçlü şekilde etkileyen faktörlerden birisidir. İnsan-insan ve insan-Allah ilişkilerinde de inşa edici ve yapıcı bir katkı sağlama potansiyeline sahiptir. Bu yüzden tevekkülün oluşturduğu etkinin niteliğini kavramak her yaş grubu için oldukça önem arz etmektedir. İlgili literatüre bakıldığında tevekkül kavramını konu edinen teorik ve ampirik düzeyde çalışmalar bulunmakla birlikte tevekkül kavramını metaforlar yoluyla inceleyen herhangi bir çalışmaya rastlanmamıştır. Dolayısıyla çalışmanın, literatürdeki boşluğa katkı sağlayacağı ve konuyla ilgili yapılan başka araştırmalara yön vereceği düşünülmektedir. Bu araştırmanın temel amacı, yetişkinlerin tevekkül kavramına ilişkin sahip oldukları algıları metaforlar aracılığıyla ortaya çıkarmaktır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu Türkiyenin ve Bosna Hersekin farklı şehirlerinde ikamet eden 20-70 yaş aralığındaki toplam 237 katılımcı oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmaya katılanların 116sı ,49 kadın, 121i 51 erkeklerden meydana gelmektedir. Çalışmada nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden olgu bilim desenine dayanan metafor tekniği kullanılmıştır. Bilgi toplama yöntemi olarak yarı yapılandırılmış bir form tercih edilmiştir. Araştırmada kullanılan form, iki kısımdan oluşmaktadır. İlk kısımda katılımcıların demografik özelliklerini ortaya çıkarmayı amaçlayan 4 maddelik kişisel bilgi formu yer almaktadır. İkinci kısımda katılımcılara Tevekkülü bir imgeye benzetecek olsanız neye benzetirsiniz? sorusu sorularak Tevekkül... metafor benzer, çünkü... metafor sebebi, cümlesindeki boşlukları tamamlamaları istenmiştir. Veriler, online Google Forms aracılığıyla ve yüz yüze olmak üzere iki farklı teknikle toplanmıştır. Elde edilen verilerin analizinde MAXQDA 24 programı kullanılmış ve içerik analizi tekniğinden yararlanılmıştır. Araştırma sonunda 237 katılımcı tarafından 119 farklı metafor üretildiği bulgulanmıştır. Tevekkül kavramına ilişkin üretilen metaforlarla ilgili tevekkülün dinî boyutu, tevekkülün psikolojik boyutu ve tevekkülün ilişkisel boyutu olmak üzere 3 tema oluşturulmuştur. Tevekkülün dinî boyutu temasına 38 ait 2 kod oluşturulmuştur: İlâhî güç ve kişisel sorumluluk. Bu kod altında toplanan metaforlarla Allahın tüm işleri yönlendirici, denetleyici ve belirleyici bir konumda olduğuna vurgu yapılmıştır. Ayrıca tevekkül sürecinde edilgen davranış kalıpları olumsuzlanmış; azim, çaba, kararlılık gibi bireye aktif rol yükleyen değişkenlere atıf yapılmıştır. Tevekkülün psikolojik boyutu temasına 58,2 ait olarak 3 kod oluşturulmuştur. Bu kodlar; psikolojik rahatlama, pozitif bekleyiş ile kabul ve uyumdur. Bu metaforlarla, tevekkülün psiko-sosyal gerilimleri azaltmada fayda sağladığı; ümit, umut, iyimserlik duygularını arttırdığı ve beklenmedik olumsuz gelişmelere karşı sağlıklı refleks ve tepkilere izin verdiği ifade edilmiştir. Tevekkülün ilişkisel boyutunun incelendiği temada ise İlâhî Sevgi ve Korku adlı 3,8 tek kod oluşturulmuştur. Bu metaforlarda tevekkül, ilâhî aşk ve korku arasındaki dengeyi yansıtan bir deneyim olarak ele alınmıştır. Araştırmada her iki ülkedeki katılımcıların tevekküle pozitif bir değer yükledikleri, tevekkülün bilişsel ve psikolojik arka planına işaret ettikleri, yapıcı ve dinamik yönünü vurguladıkları saptanmıştır. Her iki ülkedeki katılımcıların tevekkülü algılama biçimlerinin büyük ölçüde benzer olduğu anlaşılmıştır. Bununla birlikte Bosnalı katılımcıların tevekkülün ilişkisel boyutuna yönelik özgün metaforlar geliştirdikleri bulgulanmıştır.

 As a fundamental concept of religious tradition and culture, tawakkul is an expression of deep faith and trust in Allah. In tawakkul, there is a powerful and effective Creator at the center of everything. It is accepted that He has control and authority over all beings. Therefore, the literature highlights the close relationship between tawakkul, faith, and tawhid. On the other hand, while it is accepted that Allah is the sole determinant in the act of tawakkul, this does not imply an attitude that excludes or postpones individuals efforts. There is a framework in which the individual assumes functional roles, engaging both mental and practical processes. Tawakkul provides a privileged area for strong positive emotions that enrich the individuals spiritual world. By fostering various emotional experiences, it serves as a protective factor, reducing negative internal experiences by providing an optimum level of well-being. Since it includes being content with Allahs distribution, decree and will, it also facilitates psycho-social adaptation. From this aspect tawakkul is seen as one of the factors that most strongly affects the individuals emotional and motivational dynamics. It makes a constructive and constructive contribution to the human-human and human-Allah relationship. Therefore, understanding the nature of the effect of tawakkul is very important for every age group. In the relevant literature, there are both theoretical and empirical studies on the concept of tawakkul; however, no study has been found that examines the concept of tawakkul through metaphors. Therefore, this study is expected to contribute to the gap in the literature and guide other studies on the topic. This main purpose of the research is to reveal the perceptions of adults regarding the concept of tawakkul through metaphors. The study group consists of a total of 237 participants aged 20-70, residing in different cities of Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina. 116 49 of the participants in the study are female and 121 51 are male. The metaphor technique, grounded in the phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. A semi-structured survey form was preferred as the data collection method. Data were collected through online and face-to-face surveys conducted via Google Form. The survey form used in the study has two parts. The first section contains a 4-item personal information form aimed at revealing the demographic characteristics of the participants. The second part includes a question prompting the adult participants to produce metaphors to reveal their perceptions of the concept of tawakkul. In the second part, the participants were asked the question, If you were to compare tawakkul to an image, what would it be like? and were asked to complete the gaps in the sentence, Tawakkul is similar to.metaphor, because....metaphor reason.... MAXQDA 24 program was used in the analysis of the obtained data and the content analysis technique was used. At the end of the research, it was found that 119 different metaphors were produced by 237 participants. Three themes were created based on the metaphors related to the concept of tawakkul: These themes are religious dimension of tawakkul, psychological dimension of tawakkul and relational dimension of tawakkul. Two codes were created for the theme of religious dimension of tawakkul 38: Divine power and personal liability. The metaphors collected under this code emphasized Allahs guiding, controlling and determining position in all matters. In addition, passive behavior patterns were negated in the process of tawakkul; reference was made to variables such as perseverance, effort and determination that give an active role to the individual. Three codes were created for the theme of psychological dimension of tawakkul 58.2. These codes are psychological relief, positive expectation and acceptance and adaptation. With these metaphors, it has been expressed that tawakkul helps reduce psychological tension, increases feelings of hope and optimism, and allows for healthy reflexes and reactions to unexpected negative developments. A single code called divine love and fear 3,8 was created for the theme of the relational dimension of tawakkul. In these metaphors, tawakkul is considered an experience that reflects the balance between divine love and fear. In the study, it was determined that participants in both countries attributed a positive value to tawakkul, pointed out its cognitive and psychological background, and emphasized its constructive and dynamic aspect. It was found that the participants from both countries had a largely similar perception of tawakkul. However, it was also discovered that Bosnian participants developed unique metaphors related to the relational dimension of tawakkul.

 As a fundamental concept of religious tradition and culture, tawakkul is an expression of deep faith and trust in Allah. In tawakkul, there is a powerful and effective Creator at the center of everything. It is accepted that He has control and authority over all beings. Therefore, the literature highlights the close relationship between tawakkul, faith, and tawhid. On the other hand, while it is accepted that Allah is the sole determinant in the act of tawakkul, this does not imply an attitude that excludes or postpones individuals efforts. There is a framework in which the individual assumes functional roles, engaging both mental and practical processes. Tawakkul provides a privileged area for strong positive emotions that enrich the individuals spiritual world. By fostering various emotional experiences, it serves as a protective factor, reducing negative internal experiences by providing an optimum level of well-being. Since it includes being content with Allahs distribution, decree and will, it also facilitates psycho-social adaptation. From this aspect tawakkul is seen as one of the factors that most strongly affects the individuals emotional and motivational dynamics. It makes a constructive and constructive contribution to the human-human and human-Allah relationship. Therefore, understanding the nature of the effect of tawakkul is very important for every age group. In the relevant literature, there are both theoretical and empirical studies on the concept of tawakkul; however, no study has been found that examines the concept of tawakkul through metaphors. Therefore, this study is expected to contribute to the gap in the literature and guide other studies on the topic. This main purpose of the research is to reveal the perceptions of adults regarding the concept of tawakkul through metaphors. The study group consists of a total of 237 participants aged 20-70, residing in different cities of Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina. 116 49 of the participants in the study are female and 121 51 are male. The metaphor technique, grounded in the phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. A semi-structured survey form was preferred as the data collection method. Data were collected through online and face-to-face surveys conducted via Google Form. The survey form used in the study has two parts. The first section contains a 4-item personal information form aimed at revealing the demographic characteristics of the participants. The second part includes a question prompting the adult participants to produce metaphors to reveal their perceptions of the concept of tawakkul. In the second part, the participants were asked the question, If you were to compare tawakkul to an image, what would it be like? and were asked to complete the gaps in the sentence, Tawakkul is similar to.metaphor, because....metaphor reason.... MAXQDA 24 program was used in the analysis of the obtained data and the content analysis technique was used. At the end of the research, it was found that 119 different metaphors were produced by 237 participants. Three themes were created based on the metaphors related to the concept of tawakkul: These themes are religious dimension of tawakkul, psychological dimension of tawakkul and relational dimension of tawakkul. Two codes were created for the theme of religious dimension of tawakkul 38: Divine power and personal liability. The metaphors collected under this code emphasized Allahs guiding, controlling and determining position in all matters. In addition, passive behavior patterns were negated in the process of tawakkul; reference was made to variables such as perseverance, effort and determination that give an active role to the individual. Three codes were created for the theme of psychological dimension of tawakkul 58.2. These codes are psychological relief, positive expectation and acceptance and adaptation. With these metaphors, it has been expressed that tawakkul helps reduce psychological tension, increases feelings of hope and optimism, and allows for healthy reflexes and reactions to unexpected negative developments. A single code called divine love and fear 3,8 was created for the theme of the relational dimension of tawakkul. In these metaphors, tawakkul is considered an experience that reflects the balance between divine love and fear. In the study, it was determined that participants in both countries attributed a positive value to tawakkul, pointed out its cognitive and psychological background, and emphasized its constructive and dynamic aspect. It was found that the participants from both countries had a largely similar perception of tawakkul. However, it was also discovered that Bosnian participants developed unique metaphors related to the relational dimension of tawakkul.

Article Details

Determining Adults’ Perceptions of Tawakkul Through Metaphors: A Cross-Cultural Research

Authors:

Esra İrk | Mükerrem Saliha Kars | Armin Jasarevic

Publisher:

Hitit University

Main Topics:

Din Psikolojisi

Journal:

Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.23 Issue 2, pp.784-808

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001336427

pISSN:

2757-6949

Psychology of Religion

Metaphor

Tawakkul

Intercultural

AdultDin Psikolojisi

Metafor

Tevekkül

Kütürlerarası

Yetişkin

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Esra İrk | Mükerrem Saliha Kars | Armin Jasarevic

Publisher: Hitit University

Main Topics: Din Psikolojisi

Journal: Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.23 Issue 2, pp.784-808

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 12/2024

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001336427

pISSN: 2757-6949

Issues

Authors:

Esra İrk | Mükerrem Saliha Kars | Armin Jasarevic

Publisher:

Hitit University

Main Topics:

Din Psikolojisi

Journal:

Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.23 Issue 2, pp.784-808

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001336427

pISSN:

2757-6949