A Comparative Analysis of Self-Esteem in Contemporary Psychology and Mulla Sadra's Transcendent Philosophy

Author
mohammadjavad pashaei
Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/mi.2026.8531
Abstract
Self-esteem has long been recognized as one of the fundamental constructs in personality and positive psychology. Contemporary psychological theories generally define self-esteem as an individual’s evaluation of personal worth and competence, emphasizing its significant role in psychological well-being, resilience, interpersonal relationships, and mental health. Nevertheless, these theories are largely grounded in empirical psychology and pay limited attention to the philosophical foundations of human dignity and perfection. In contrast, Mulla Sadra’s Transcendent Philosophy provides a comprehensive anthropological framework in which human value is explained through the metaphysical nature of the soul, existential perfection, and spiritual development. This study aims to compare the psychological conception of self-esteem with Mulla Sadra’s philosophical anthropology in order to determine whether the principal components of self-esteem can be reconstructed within the framework of Transcendent Philosophy. Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology based on library research, the study demonstrates that the two principal dimensions of self-esteem, worthiness and competence, have profound philosophical counterparts in Sadrian thought. The findings suggest that Mulla Sadra’s philosophy offers a richer ontological interpretation of self-esteem and provides new theoretical foundations for integrating philosophical anthropology with contemporary psychological theory.
Keywords
Self-esteem
Mulla Sadra
Transcendent Philosophy
Worthiness
Competence
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