Abstract Death has been an important issue for humans throughout history, so religions, philosophical traditions, psychological and psychiatric approaches have analyzed this phenomenon. Meanwhile, the Existential Psychology approach has a more serious view of death and does not have the pessimistic view of some philosophical and psychological schools. This research examines the Existential Psychology approach and Islamic sources about the issue of death, apart from addressing before and after death qualities. The answer to three basic questions is the purpose of examining "death" based on Existential Psychology and Islamic sources. Examining the reality of death in Psychology and Islamic sources is the first question of the present research. The second question is the characteristics of death in terms of Psychology and Islamic sources; therefore, after examining death in Existential Psychology and Islamic sources, the characteristics of death have been examined from the point of view of these two approaches. The third question is a brief comparison between the two approaches of Existential Psychology and Islamic sources regarding the issue of death. Using a descriptive-analytical and deaskreaserch method this paper has been conducted.

Among Iranian novelists, Gholam Hossein Saedi has managed, as a writer and a psychiatrist, to portray the manifestations of anxiety rooted in Existential concerns (life and death, loneliness, and freedom and emptiness) in realistic and believable characters. Some critics believe that the presence of some of the characters and their actions in the works of Saedi, especially Azā dā rā n-e Bayal (Mourners of Bayal), are misplaced due to the weak story. The author of this essay has tried to show that, contrary to this viewpoint, these characters and their actions can be explained with the Existential Psychology approach. In the story collection of Azā dā rā n-e Bayal, loneliness arises from the anxiety of demise, and each fictional character of these stories, by denying death and the experience of its anxiety, chooses a certain defense mechanism against this inevitability in order to continue living. Saedi, with respect to his education and research among the people in west and south of Iran, is familiar with this kind of defense mechanisms and could depict them well in his works; unfortunately, however, he had no solution for the elimination and treatment of mental disorders and only shows this ugly and frightening turmoil with honesty and courage. He leaves the reader to his or her own, to reflect on this issue, and while affected by the atmosphere of the story, to think about one’ s situation and the world around.

Criticism is judging the merits and demerits of something and showing its weaknesses and strengths. Textbook evaluation, as a small step in learning and teaching process, can help teachers and learners find books that suit their needs and likes. In the present article, the book ‘ Educational Psychology’ (the 13th global edition) authored by Anita Woolfolk (2016) is reviewed and evaluated. This is a qualitative evaluation based on the writer’ s experience in teaching this source in postgraduate classes for several years. To do so, the formal characteristics and the content of the book and the degree of its success in fulfilling the objectives, which are mentioned in the introduction of the book, are examined. Although this book, like any other book, is not flawless, it can surely be recommended to those who are interested in the learning-teaching process. It is hoped that, via this article, this book would be read and used by more people in the scientific community of Iran.

The Existential Psychology is based on phenomenological philosophy. In this approach, the world has no meaning and is futile. What makes man distinguished from other creatures is his freedom and ability to choose. Psychological assumptions in this approach include human freedom, death anxiety, and humanism. In contrast, the unity-oriented Psychology approach maintains that human nature has a purposive existence with a unity-oriented meaning and intention, and has founded its psychological assumptions on the basis of a unity-oriented nature, as well as the motivation of love, attachment and immortality of mankind. In this approach, the universe is not futile and vain, has inherent meaning, and each person, with his own unique characteristics is the creator of the story and meaning of his life. The purpose of this research was to answer these questions: What is the ontological nature of human existence, his cognition, motivation, and purpose? How is the analysis process in the native approach of unity-oriented Psychology? And, what are the conceptual differences between this approach and the Existential approach with regard to these indices? Unity-oriented Psychology does not see human as a disposed object thrown away into the universe, and accounts human nature and psychological motives as a derivation of his love, connection, and attachment to the universe of unity that gives life a divine meaning and purpose. Therefore, the psychological interventions of the phenomenalist approach have little success or justification in the innatist and religious societies.