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Att bli, att vara och att ha varit : Om ingångar i och utgångar ur Jehovas vittnen

Liedgren Dobronravoff, Pernilla LU (2007)
Abstract
This dissertation seeks to describe and investigate the entering and leaving of a highly structured and hierarchical religious community, exemplified in this case by the Jehovah's Witnesses.



The respondents in this study were chosen from both active members of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Sweden and those who have left the organisation for personal reasons. Repeated interviews with ten active members of the organisation have been conducted in the course of the study and compared to equal numbers of former members. The interviews have been semi-structured to deal with questions of how a person has come into contact with the organisation; how they retrospectively experienced the process of entry; the reasons for becoming a... (More)
This dissertation seeks to describe and investigate the entering and leaving of a highly structured and hierarchical religious community, exemplified in this case by the Jehovah's Witnesses.



The respondents in this study were chosen from both active members of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Sweden and those who have left the organisation for personal reasons. Repeated interviews with ten active members of the organisation have been conducted in the course of the study and compared to equal numbers of former members. The interviews have been semi-structured to deal with questions of how a person has come into contact with the organisation; how they retrospectively experienced the process of entry; the reasons for becoming a member. Questions have also been asked about life in the organisation. The group of "exiters" have also been asked about the experience of leaving, why they wanted to leave, and how this process was started and carried out.



In addition to this I have analysed a four-year diary describing the time inside and the process of leaving the organisation. This has given me an extra psychological insight into the inner experience of someone who has gone through the whole process.



The analysis has been done by categorising the content of the transcribed interviews. The analysis of the diary has involved thorough reading, resulting in a division of it into four different parts, where each part has been given a certain key-word, signifying the author's emotional state when writing it.



A person converting as an adult has to pass six phases before being considered a Jehovah's Witness by the organisation. These are: Contact with the Jehovah's Witnesses, studying the bible with members of the organisation, questioning, accepting, being active as publisher (spreading the belief), being baptised.



For a person brought up in the organisation, the process to full membership is much shorter: Upbringing in the organisation, taking a stand on the belief, being baptised.



The exit process contains of seven phases: Different levels of doubts, testing of doubts, turning points, different kinds of decisions, different steps in executing the decisions, floating, a period of emotional and cognitive consideration of membership and its experiences, relative neutrality. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

Syftet med avhandlingen är att undersöka hur och under vilka betingelser människor blir medlemmar och lämnar en organisation som Jehovas vittnen. Utifrån interaktionistisk teori undersöks aktiva och före detta medlemmars ingångar och utgångar när det gäller organisationen ”Watchtower Bible and Tract Society”, i Sverige benämnd Jehovas vittnen. Utifrån en empiri av upprepade kvalitativa, semistrukturerade intervjuer samt en textanalys av en dagbok, skriven fyra år före en utgång föreslås två processmodeller för ingång samt en processmodell för utgång. För att bli ett Jehovas vittne krävs att personen har en mottaglighet och att hon eller han attraheras av de sociala och religiösa faktorer... (More)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

Syftet med avhandlingen är att undersöka hur och under vilka betingelser människor blir medlemmar och lämnar en organisation som Jehovas vittnen. Utifrån interaktionistisk teori undersöks aktiva och före detta medlemmars ingångar och utgångar när det gäller organisationen ”Watchtower Bible and Tract Society”, i Sverige benämnd Jehovas vittnen. Utifrån en empiri av upprepade kvalitativa, semistrukturerade intervjuer samt en textanalys av en dagbok, skriven fyra år före en utgång föreslås två processmodeller för ingång samt en processmodell för utgång. För att bli ett Jehovas vittne krävs att personen har en mottaglighet och att hon eller han attraheras av de sociala och religiösa faktorer organisationen kan erbjuda. En person som kommer i kontakt med Jehovas vittnen som vuxen passerar ofta sex faser innan han eller hon blivit medlem. Faserna benämns i avhandlingen: kontakt med Jehovas vittnen, bibelstudier med en medlem, ifrågasättande, accepterande, aktiv som missionerande Jehovas vittne och dop. För en person som har vuxit upp inom organisationen är processen mycket kortare, den består av: uppväxt inom organisationen, ställningstagande och beslut att låta döpa sig alternativt avstå från dop. Utgångsprocessen består av sju faser: olika grader av tvivel, prövning av tvivel, vändpunkter, olika beslut, olika steg i verkställighet, "floating" en bearbetning av medlemskapet på en emotionell och kognitiv nivå och relativ neutralitet. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
supervisor
opponent
  • Professor Repstad, Pål, Högskolan i Agder
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
New Religions, exclusion, inclusion, Sociology, Moderna religionsbildningar, utgångar, ingångar, Jehovas vittnen, processer, Sociologi
pages
231 pages
publisher
School of Social Work, Lund University
defense location
Edebalksalen, Socialhögskolan, Bredgatan 26, Lund
defense date
2007-06-08 10:15:00
ISBN
978-91-89604-35-3
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
55880bc1-ee9e-4fbb-8f7a-cde7813a6ecc (old id 26872)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 11:15:19
date last changed
2021-11-17 11:32:27
@phdthesis{55880bc1-ee9e-4fbb-8f7a-cde7813a6ecc,
  abstract     = {{This dissertation seeks to describe and investigate the entering and leaving of a highly structured and hierarchical religious community, exemplified in this case by the Jehovah's Witnesses.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The respondents in this study were chosen from both active members of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Sweden and those who have left the organisation for personal reasons. Repeated interviews with ten active members of the organisation have been conducted in the course of the study and compared to equal numbers of former members. The interviews have been semi-structured to deal with questions of how a person has come into contact with the organisation; how they retrospectively experienced the process of entry; the reasons for becoming a member. Questions have also been asked about life in the organisation. The group of "exiters" have also been asked about the experience of leaving, why they wanted to leave, and how this process was started and carried out.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
In addition to this I have analysed a four-year diary describing the time inside and the process of leaving the organisation. This has given me an extra psychological insight into the inner experience of someone who has gone through the whole process.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The analysis has been done by categorising the content of the transcribed interviews. The analysis of the diary has involved thorough reading, resulting in a division of it into four different parts, where each part has been given a certain key-word, signifying the author's emotional state when writing it.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
A person converting as an adult has to pass six phases before being considered a Jehovah's Witness by the organisation. These are: Contact with the Jehovah's Witnesses, studying the bible with members of the organisation, questioning, accepting, being active as publisher (spreading the belief), being baptised.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
For a person brought up in the organisation, the process to full membership is much shorter: Upbringing in the organisation, taking a stand on the belief, being baptised.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The exit process contains of seven phases: Different levels of doubts, testing of doubts, turning points, different kinds of decisions, different steps in executing the decisions, floating, a period of emotional and cognitive consideration of membership and its experiences, relative neutrality.}},
  author       = {{Liedgren Dobronravoff, Pernilla}},
  isbn         = {{978-91-89604-35-3}},
  keywords     = {{New Religions; exclusion; inclusion; Sociology; Moderna religionsbildningar; utgångar; ingångar; Jehovas vittnen; processer; Sociologi}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  publisher    = {{School of Social Work, Lund University}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  title        = {{Att bli, att vara och att ha varit : Om ingångar i och utgångar ur Jehovas vittnen}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}