Cultural-Religious Analysis of the Role of the Hijab in Women's Psychological Well-being and Individual Identity Formation

Subject Areas : Psychology

Zeinab Hashemi ¹ , Tasneem Fatema Kermali ²

1 - Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Shahideh Bentolhoda Higher Education Complex, Al-Mustafa International University, Qom, Iran
2 - M.A. Student in Educational Psychology, Department of Educational Sciences, Shahideh Bentolhoda Higher Education Complex, Al-Mustafa International University, Qom, Iran

Received: 2025-08-24 Accepted : 2025-09-06 Published : 2025-09-09

Keywords: Cultural-religious, Hijab, Psychological well-being, Women individual identity,

Abstract :

The present study purpose was the cultural-religious analysis of the role of the hijab in women's psychological well-being and individual identity formation. The statistical universe included all the religious, cultural and psychological texts. The sample enfolded the texts concerning hijab, psychological well-being and women individual identity. The research method was descriptive-analytical. To collect data, a library method was processed in the form of systematic note taking on index cards from valid psychological references with an emphasis on the psychological well-being construct of Riff (1989) and Islamic references (Quranic verses, hadiths, and religious texts). The findings indicated that hijab affects the strengthening of women's individual identity by increasing self-acceptance, strengthening individual independence, facilitating mastery over the environment, deepening positive relationships, increasing purpose in life, and accelerating personal growth, which were among the six categories of psychological well-being. Hijab is not only a religious obligation, but also an effective cultural-psychological capital in promoting women's mental health and identity. Hijab acts not as a restriction, but as a psychological and cultural resource that helps women through various mechanisms of psychological well-being and the formation of an independent and integrated identity. Therefore, it is essential that special attention should be paid to the psychological dimensions of the hijab in cultural and counseling planning.

References:

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