Document Type : research article
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Abstract
Sa’aliks were a group or sect of Jáhilyya society who emerged in the Age of Ignorance of Arab history and defied it. They rebelled against the social, cultural and literary traditions of their time. The fact that they targeted the social norms, and that a considerable number of the society members joined the Sa’alik's movement, indicates a fundamental shortcoming in the relevant social order.
An examination of the political, social and cultural conditions of the relevant time reveals a defective and unsound power structure. Power was monopolized by a particular class and the cultural institutions served for a certain ideology in order to preserve the status quo in favor of the current hegemony. From the point of view of Adler's psychological theory, the ailing power structure under such conditions promotes humiliation in people and consequently brings about the inferiority complex. Following the inferiority feelings, comes about a thirst for power and superiority, which is manifested in various sorts of reaction formations and compensatory mechanisms.
According to historical studies, Sa’aliks also exhibited similar features. Thus, the present study aims, first to show the reaction formations and compensatory means reflected in their poems, and then to analyze them according to Adler’s theories.
Key words: Sa’aliks, Age of Ignorance ,al- Jáhilyya, the inferiority feeling, reaction formation, compensation.
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