Designing a Psychological Security Model from Imam Khamenei's Perspective Using a Data-Based Method

Psychological security, a fundamental component of the health and progress of societies, has always been a subject of scholarly interest. The concept of security has evolved throughout human history, encompassing various dimensions. Today, in addition to its material aspects, psychological and spiritual dimensions are also been highlighted. From the Islamic perspective, security is a profound and comprehensive concept that incorporates spiritual, moral, and ideological dimensions. The primary objective of this research is to develop a conceptual model of "psychological security" based on the perspective of Ayatollah Khamenei. Given the phenomenon of soft war and the spread of rumors that threaten the psychological security of society, and his repeated emphasis on this
issue, a detailed analysis of his views and the design of this comprehensive model are essential.
The present study employed the qualitative strategy of the grounded theory method, an inductive approach to generating theory from existing data. This method was conducted in three stages: data collection, coding, and selective coding. During the data collection stage, Ayatollah Khamenei's statements from 1978 to 2024 were selected using the keywords "security", "psychological security", "social security" and "moral security". During the coding stage, basic concepts were extracted from the statements and categorized into twelve groups. In the selective coding stage, a paradigmatic model of psychological security was developed. This model, based on the perspective of Ayatollah Khamenei, includes the following components:
- Causal factors: solving societal problems, instilling a spirit of hope among people, proper performance of law enforcement, drafting laws and acting according to the Quran, stability of society, lack of corruption in the social environment, and hope for life.
- Contextual factors: the role of the media and social atmosphere, judiciary performance, behavior and speech of elites and officials, cultural and religious values of society, the educational system, and prevailing social and political conditions.
- Intervening factors: government institutions, lifestyle, judicial and law enforcement performance, level of religiosity, governance, public awareness and media literacy, activities of non-governmental organizations, and individual and social resilience.
- Strategies: promoting religion and spirituality in society, strengthening the family foundation, emphasizing the Islamic lifestyle, promoting moral security in society, providing real security and a sense of security, dealing with rumors and lies, promoting morality and peace in public spaces.
- Consequences: strengthening national unity and cohesion, achieving true happiness, distinguishing from Western societies, confronting social and moral harms, individual and social happiness and progress, preserving public rights, preventing insecurity and anxiety, and promoting peace and tranquility in society. The research findings indicate that psychological security, according to Imam Khamenei's thought, is a multidimensional concept influenced by various factors at both individual and social levels.