Social Underdevelopment

Regarded as a landmark work in modern Arab clinical and social psychology, this book fundamentally redefines the concept of societal underdevelopment. Dr. Mustafa Hijazi argues that "underdevelopment" cannot be adequately measured by mere economic statistics or surface indicators; rather, it is a complex psychological and existential reality created by enduring human oppression. The study provides a rigorous diagnostic breakdown of the "Oppressed Human" dynamic, detailing how living under arbitrary authority and institutional violence shapes cognition, emotional responses, and social behavior. Hijazi thoroughly explores the psychological coping mechanisms adopted by subjugated individuals: from passive resignation, fatalism, and magical thinking, to internalizing the oppressor's values, seeking refuge in rigid traditions, or eventually erupting into violent counter-rebellion. The work stands as a compelling thesis that true societal progress is impossible without first restoring human dignity, critical reasoning, and freedom.

It is an unmissable masterwork that fundamentally changes how one observes society, providing deep clinical clarity on the psychological roots of political tyranny, social conformity, and collective trauma.

Ideal for sociologists, clinical psychologists, political scientists, human rights scholars, Middle Eastern studies students, and general readers seeking to understand the psychological foundations of social change and oppression.