Interplay between Spirituality, Locus of Control and Hardiness: A Qualitative Lens

Description

Arushi Verma and Rajat Kanti Mitra (Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences, AUUP Noida, Uttar Pradesh)

Spirituality, locus of control, and hardiness are three concepts that are commonly linked to resilience but whose interaction has not been extensively investigated. This study investigated the function of spirituality in influencing control and perceptions of resilience via qualitative examination of crisis and coping lived experiences. Semi-structured interviewing was conducted on 20 adults (Males = 9, Females = 11) who were purposively sampled from Indian spiritual communities. A phenomenological method was utilized which post-thematic analysis provided eight overarching themes: (1) crisis as disruption of existence, (2) psychological and emotional distress, (3) maladaptive coping pre-transformation, (4) spiritual turning and ritual engagement, (5) meaning-making, agency, and acceptance, (6) social support and boundaries, (7) adaptive outcomes of spiritual coping, and (8) persistent struggles and complex trajectories). These findings demonstrate that spirituality has dual functions – as a critical turning point and a resource of support so that individuals can reconcile the acceptance of fate with a sense of control of personal responses. This balance affected locus of control perceptions, fostering adaptive externality forms in conjunction with robust internal orientations. Similarly, spirituality grounded the hardiness dimensions of commitment, control, and challenge so that transformational coping could occur. While participants mentioned enhanced sense of well-being, gratefulness, and hardiness, coping remained iterative and dynamic rather than linear. The study highlights the role of spirituality in uniting meaning, agency, and resilience and offers theory for models of coping and applications to counseling, organizational, and cross-cultural interventions.