In Islamic psychology two main views come to the fore, one of which concerns the religious, mystical and philosophical dimensions of man's soul in the context of Islamic doctrines and the other concerns the process of establishing a scientific school of thought in which scientific procedures based on Islamic doctrines are applied. The latter view, which is followed out in this article, provides a good ground for contrasting modern schools of psychology, and the difference between the concept of soul and that of "spirit" has been focused on. Concerning the idea that the "soul" has the power to safeguard man's behavior in its totality and integrity which is proposed by the studies of Islamic psychology and which underlies Mulla Sadra's psychology, The following points seem to be of great significance: 1) Attention should be paid to the difference between the concept of "soul" and "spirit" as far as their meaning and usage are concerned. 2) Man's . "self" is the most important distinctive feature of the "soul" which expresses itself in one's feeling or sense of one's "self"
3) Unconscious aspects of the concept "soul" have been given attention by Islamic psychology. 4) No sharp distinction can be made between the concepts "soul" and "self" which give expression to the idea of man's totality or integrity on the one hand, and their distinction in modern psychology on the other. 5) Such concepts as will or determination, conscience, emotion and perfectability can be dealt with when the concept "soul" is being treated. Admitting that at least at the early stages of its genesis, the soul's wedding to matter is regarded as part of its own nature and its quiddity or, to use the term "mahiyyah" in Islamic philosophy, Mulla Sadra made defencible the concept that soul functions as a bridge connecting psychology to philosophy. The holistic approach which is taken to dinstinguish between Islamic psychology and modern schools of psychology is as such that it does not ignore the particularistic approach, either.
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