Comparative Analysis of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the Seven Valleys of Mystical Journey in Attar’s Conference of the Birds
Treasury of Persian Language and Literature January 1, 2025 Dariush Zolfaghari
A comparative analysis of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Attar's seven mystical valleys from the Conference of the Birds reveals structural similarities in the human journey from basic needs toward meaning, unity, and self-transcendence, despite their different origins in modern humanistic psychology and Islamic-Persian mysticism. The analysis preserves epistemological distinctions while highlighting parallel stages of inner evolution. A comparative table provides an overview of each stage. The findings suggest that mystical wayfaring in Islamic mysticism can, with conceptual boundaries preserved, be interpreted as convergent with the psychological path of self-actualization, opening a pathway for interdisciplinary dialogue between psychology and mysticism.