Deindividuation from an Islamic Perspective: Reconstructing Selfhood, Moral Agency, and Collective Behaviour

Abstract

Deindividuation is a psychological phenomenon in which individuals in a group lose their sense of personal identity and self-awareness. This process can lead people to engage in impulsive, deviant, and sometimes violent acts when they feel they cannot be personally identified. This paper observes deindividuation from an Islamic perspective by integrating contemporary social-psychological theory with the Qur'an and Sunnah, Islamic moral psychology, and the concepts of nafs (self), taqwā (God-consciousness), taklīf (moral responsibility), muḥāsabah al-nafs (self-accountability), and ummah. From an Islamic perspective, deindividuation is viewed as a dangerous lapse in moral agency (taklif) and conscious intention (niyyah), where base impulses take precedence over spiritual accountability. This psychological state can impact many individuals, as it often drives behavior that people would not normally exhibit when alone. Instead, these actions tend to occur in group settings, making them difficult to control. Thus, Islam presents a balanced approach in which belonging to a community does not eliminate individual accountability. Understanding deindividuation through an Islamic framework may contribute to a more culturally and spiritually informed understanding of group behavior, identity, and moral decision-making.