The psychology of elitism and social change : an Islamic perspective

Abstract EN

Social change in Islamic theology is partly contingent on the personality of people whose responsibility it is to produce the change .

Two types of personalities seem to have been indicated.

Haya oriented and izza oriented personalities.

Both the theoretical analysis and the historical events in the world of Islam seem to suggest that an amulgum of the two types of personalities is necessary to effectively induce social change; assuming that it can be willfully induced.

The Haya/Azza model is obviously a theoretical contention which stands in need for a rigorous examination using a psychometric factor analysis study as well as an empirical survey using a causal comparative design.