Family Interactions and Coping Styles in the Story of Joseph (Yusuf) in Quran: A
Conceptual Review with Implications for Spiritually Integrated Family
Counseling
ABSTRACT
Family interaction patterns and coping styles play a crucial role in psychological well-being and relational functioning (Nichols & Schwartz, 2004). Religious and spiritual narratives have long served as culturally meaningful frameworks for understanding human suffering, resilience, and moral development (Frankl, 1985; Yalom, 1980). The Qur’anic story of Joseph (Yusuf) presents a multidimensional portrayal of family conflict, emotional trauma, and spiritually grounded coping strategies. This conceptual review integrates insights from family therapy, existential psychology, narrative therapy, and spiritually integrated counseling to analyze key interactional patterns and coping processes depicted in this narrative. Findings suggest that patience, trust in God, forgiveness, moral self-regulation, and meaning-making function as adaptive coping resources that can inform culturally sensitive counseling practices, particularly for families with religious–spiritual worldviews
Keywords:
Family interactions, coping styles, spirituality, Joseph (Yusuf), family counseling, meaning-centered therapy