Spirituality and Coping: A Grounded Theory

The central message of Sikhism is contained in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, which compiles holy writings of Sikh gurus and other Indian saints. It is an attempt to explain complexity of life through simplicity of the omnipotent universal power. Sikhism, through its spiritual teachings, helps people make sense of events in their lives and cope better. This study aims at examining the effects of spiritualism on coping through the narratives of Sikh women. For this purpose 10 women were interviewed using semi- structured interviews. Their interviews were transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Grounded Theory (Strauss&Corbin, 1990, 2008). The results demonstrated that certain tenets of Sikhism like 'paath', 'sewa' act as a source of peace and comfort during distress by inducing positivity in the thought process. Through other concepts of Sikhism like, 'hukum', many women found solace by placing the results in god's hands. The results appear to confirm the conceptual link between spirituality and coping and can significantly contribute towards culturally enriching mental health professionals approach in India.