Psychology of Consciousness
THE COMMANDING SELF
Idries Shah
Octagon Press, 1994
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES The reader will be able to:
• Describe the Sufi concept of the 'commanding self,' that mixture of primitive and conditioned responses, common to everyone, which inhibits and distorts human progress and understanding
• Describe why Sufism is considered a traditional psychology
• Describe the Sufi technique of self-observation
• Compare this technique to the behavioral technique of self-monitoring
• Describe the Sufi approach to conscious development
Idries Shah's contributions to psychology have been called 'a blueprint for the human mind' by PSYCHOLOGY TODAY. He spent 12 years studying the Eastern heritage of Sufi philosophy from original sources and contemporary Sufis and spent 12 years studying Western ideas and journeying throughout the Middle East, Central Asia, India, and Africa. He has lectured on the relationships between scientific psychology and Eastern thought at the University of California and Geneva University, among many other educational institutions. He has authored over 27 books including KNOWING HOW TO KNOW.
Described by the author as a key to the entire corpus of his work, The Commanding Self describes the mixture of primitive and conditioned responses, common to everyone, that inhibits and distorts human progress and understanding. This book is designed to offer a way to transcend the limits imposed by this "commanding self."
While complete in itself as an anthology of hitherto unpublished work, the book serves to illustrate and amplify Idries Shah's preceding books on the Sufi Way. Based on tales, lectures, letters, and interviews, it offers both an introduction to Sufi thought and further study for those already acquainted with Shah's writings.