Misunderstanding as a phenomenon of religious culture and its role in psychological work with Muslim clients

Abstract

: The relevance of this research topic stems from the crisis in contemporary psychological science and practice, which is losing its ability to respond to the challenges of the current post-risk society with its characteristic, ever-increasing uncertainty. This article examines the conceptual dependence of psychological care models on the philosophical vision of science that underlies a given culture. It demonstrates how the religious concept of psychology resolves the contradiction between the positivist and existential-humanistic paradigms by legitimizing and destigmatizing the phenomenon of misunderstanding. A connection is established between the ontological, epistemological, and anthropological foundations of misunderstanding and its realization in concepts of being, as well as at the level of language and, more broadly, interpersonal relationships in religious culture. The most significant idea of ​​the study is the idea of ​​resolving the opposition between understanding and misunderstanding, considering them in the necessary unity characteristic of a synthetic type of thinking. For psychological practitioners providing assistance to clients socialized outside the context of religious culture and who have not assimilated its cultural code, destigmatizing misunderstandings can be a significant resource for increasing tolerance for uncertainty. The study's findings are theoretical and methodological in nature and describe how the phenomenon of misunderstanding in the context of religious psychological counseling can help resolve the contradictions faced by contemporary counseling practitioners.