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. 2022 Jun;61(3):2458-2480.
doi: 10.1007/s10943-020-01156-8. Epub 2021 Jan 19.

Grieving the Living: The Social Death of Former Jehovah's Witnesses

Heather J Ransom  1 , Rebecca L Monk  2 , Derek Heim  2
Affiliations

Grieving the Living: The Social Death of Former Jehovah's Witnesses

Heather J Ransom et al. J Relig Health. 2022 Jun.

Erratum in

Abstract

Addressing a relative lack of research investigating the experiences of individuals who have left the Jehovah's Witnesses (JW), this research utilizes a social identity approach to examine qualitatively, the process of transitioning towards post-JW life, experiences of ostracism and perceived threats to self-identity. Semi-structured interviews were carried out in the homes of six former JWs, and transcripts were analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Narratives suggest that experiences of ostracism following religious exit can be associated with diminished mental health, while having a sense of agency and establishing new (online) social connections may help mitigate adverse consequences. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Keywords: Identity; Jehovah’s witnesses; Mental well-being; Ostracism; Self-esteem.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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