Identity Reconstruction through Soul-Conscious Awareness: A Grounded Theory Study of the Spiritual Teachings of the Brahma Kumaris
Author(s): Jangala Sri Nagendra Kumar, Dr. Nagesh N. V., Dr. Vasavi Chunduru
Authors Affiliations:
1. Research Scholar, Manipur International University & Centre for Academic Research, Education Wing, Mount Abu.
2.Senior Professor & Research Supervisor, Manipur International University & Centre for Academic Research, Education Wing, Mount Abu.
3. Research Supervisor, Manipur International University & Centre for Academic Research, Education Wing, Mount Abu.
DOIs:10.2015/IJIRMF/202602027     |     Paper ID: IJIRMF202602027This study explores the process of identity reconstruction through soul-conscious awareness within the sacred teachings of the Brahma Kumaris. Grounded in a qualitative research paradigm, the inquiry adopts a Grounded Theory approach to understand how sustained engagement with Rajyoga meditation and spiritual knowledge facilitates transformation in self-perception, values, and lived experience. The study draws on in-depth interviews with 25 committed practitioners (both male and female), selected through purposive sampling to ensure rich experiential data. Participants had a minimum of three years of consistent spiritual practice within the organization.
The findings indicate that identity reconstruction emerges through a progressive shift from body-consciousness to soul-conscious awareness, characterized by detachment from limiting self-concepts, emotional regulation, moral realignment, and a strengthened sense of universal belonging. A core category “Sacred Reframing of the Self” integrates the emergent themes, illustrating how spiritual cognition, meditation discipline, and collective spiritual culture interact to reshape identity.
Jangala Sri Nagendra Kumar, Dr. Nagesh N. V., Dr. Vasavi Chunduru (2026); Identity Reconstruction through Soul-Conscious Awareness: A Grounded Theory Study of the Spiritual Teachings of the
Brahma Kumaris, International Journal for Innovative Research in Multidisciplinary Field, ISSN(O): 2455-0620, Vol-12, Issue-2, Available on – https://www.ijirmf.com/
- Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
- Chryssides, G. D. (2011). Historical dictionary of new religious movements (2nd ed.). Scarecrow Press.
- Davidson, R. J., & McEwen, B. S. (2012). Social influences on neuroplasticity: Stress and interventions to promote well-being. Nature Neuroscience, 15(5), 689–695. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3093
- Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. W. W. Norton & Company.
- Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and self-identity: Self and society in the late modern age. Stanford University Press.
- Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Aldine Publishing Company.
- McAdams, D. P. (1993). The stories we live by: Personal myths and the making of the self. Guilford Press.
- Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative dimensions of adult learning. Jossey-Bass.
- Roof, W. C. (1999). Spiritual marketplace: Baby boomers and the remaking of American religion. Princeton University Press.
- Taylor, C. (1989). Sources of the self: The making of the modern identity. Harvard University Press.
- Taylor, E. W. (2007). An update of transformative learning theory: A critical review of the empirical research (1999–2005). International Journal of Lifelong Education, 26(2), 173–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370701219475
- Walliss, J. (2002). The Brahma Kumaris as a reflexive tradition: Responding to late modernity. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.
- Walsh, R., & Shapiro, S. L. (2006). The meeting of meditative disciplines and Western psychology: A mutually enriching dialogue. American Psychologist, 61(3), 227–239. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.61.3.227

