The aim of this research is to analyze the role of structural-behavioral disorders in the expansion of shadow banking and to propose a strategic model for managing the resulting systemic risks within Iran's banking system. As a significant challenge facing contemporary financial systems—particularly in emerging economies—shadow banking has had profound implications for financial stability and public trust. Despite the sector's massive asset volume and rapid growth in Iran, the absence of a coherent management framework to control and mitigate its associated risks served as the primary motivation for this study. This research employed a qualitative approach utilizing the grounded theory method developed by Strauss and Corbin (1998). Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 13 banking system experts, including financial policymakers, members of Central Bank specialized committees, and senior bank executives. The data analysis process involved three stages—open, axial, and selective coding—and the study's validity and reliability were confirmed using the criteria established by Lincoln and Guba (1985). Based on the findings, five main categories of reform-critical areas (bottlenecks) were identified from 225 extracted open codes: economic challenges, structural inefficiencies, regulatory weaknesses, governance obstacles, and behavioral risks. Subsequently, a three-level management model was designed based on these areas, comprising immediate regulatory reforms, medium-term structural reforms, and long-term strategic reforms. Findings indicate that structural-behavioral dysfunctions—including suspiciousness, a compulsion for control, managerial histrionics, and structural depression—play a pivotal role in exacerbating five categories of reform bottlenecks: economic challenges, structural inefficiencies, supervisory weaknesses, governance obstacles, and behavioral risks. By undermining transparency, increasing opportunistic behavior, and diminishing the effectiveness of institutional oversight, these dysfunctions pave the way for the expansion of shadow banking within Iran's banking system..