Arnold Toynbee explains the emergence of early civilizations, or what he calls the interrupted civilizations, through his famous theory of 'challenge and response', which he admits to have drawn inspiration from behavioral psychology, particularly Carl Jung.

He suggests that an individual who experiences a shock may lose balance for a while, then may respond in two ways: firstly, regressing to the past for comfort, becoming introverted; and secondly, accepting and overcoming the shock, becoming extroverted. The first is considered a negative response, and the second a positive one. This is applicable to the Arabs who encountered the shock of civilization and opted for regression as self-defense.