Saturday, June 21, 2025

Fig Fixation Disorder: A Case Study in Ideational Neurosis Triggered by Unwitting Contribution to Intellectual Discovery

By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam 21 June 2025 Abstract: This paper introduces the concept of Fig Fixation Disorder (FFD), a proposed category of ideational neurosis marked by an individual’s compulsive and disproportionate hostility toward a particular intellectual insight, especially one they inadvertently helped to generate. FFD is characterised by repeated, unsolicited references to the subject of discomfort, inability to engage with the idea on its merits, and psychological displacement of unrelated frustrations onto the targeted concept. The disorder’s nomenclature is derived from a real case study involving sustained antagonism toward a Quranic metaphor—the "Fig" in 95:1—and the interpretation it inspired. ------ 1. Background and Trigger The case centres on an individual (hereafter referred to as Subject G), a retired psychiatrist with a public record of dismissing religious belief and sacred texts. Subject G initially made a sarcastic comment—“Why only Buddha?”—in response to an interpretive effort that associated the fig with key figures in humanity's prophetic tradition. Ironically, this remark catalysed a historically grounded and Quranically coherent interpretation of the verse, proposing a universalist framework that includes prior religious traditions. Unable to refute the interpretation or offer a superior alternative, Subject G began exhibiting signs of psychological distress: repeated, unsolicited references to the metaphor in unrelated discussions, public ridicule coupled with defensiveness, and escalating personal attacks on the author of the interpretation. 2. Diagnostic Criteria (Proposed) To qualify as Fig Fixation Disorder, the subject must meet the following diagnostic features: Trigger-based Ideational Obsession: The individual becomes psychologically disturbed by an idea they cannot intellectually refute and to which they inadvertently contributed. Compulsive Displacement: The subject redirects frustration from unrelated personal or professional failures toward the symbolic object (in this case, the Fig metaphor). Reaction Formation: The subject expresses derision or ridicule to mask subconscious guilt, or admiration and recognition of the idea’s merit. Projection and Inversion: The subject accuses others of hubris, lack of humility, boasting —traits more evident in their own behaviour during the episode. Fixation Behaviour: The metaphor is obsessively invoked by the subject in contexts unrelated to its original discussion, signalling unresolved psychological tension. 3. Comparative Framework Fig Fixation Disorder may be seen as a subcategory of Obsessive Reaction Formation and is related structurally to Cognitive Dissonance-Induced Compulsion. However, its distinct characteristics lie in its unique trigger: the subject’s accidental contribution to a breakthrough that undermines their own epistemic position or ideological stance. 4. Implications for Public Discourse FFD sheds light on certain pathologies in intellectual culture—particularly the difficulty some individuals face in responding to original insights that threaten their ideological framework. It underscores how personal identity, ego, and belief systems can collide in ways that manifest not in reasoned debate but in compulsion, ridicule, and displacement. 5. Conclusion Fig Fixation Disorder offers a diagnostic tool to interpret a recurrent behavioural pattern in public and academic discourse: the compulsion to belittle, dismiss, and repeatedly return to a concept one cannot either improve upon or disprove. It illuminates the psychological cost of intellectual displacement and reminds us that insight, even when sparked by mockery, deserves to be judged on its merits—not the neuroses it inadvertently exposes. ----- A frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com, Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He has spent years studying Quran in-depth and made seminal contributions to its interpretation. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/fig-fixation-ideational-neurosis-intellectual-discovery/d/135942 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

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