Life Narratives of Self-Confessed Atheists: Exploring the Psychological Process

Non-belief especially atheism is quickly becoming popular among the young adults of this generation. This study aimed to explore the underlying psychological process on how an individual adopts an atheist identity through their narratives. It also determined the struggles encountered by atheists though the use of Pargament’s model of understanding the psychological Distress of non-believers. Findings showed that there are five stages which an individual undergo in the process of adopting an atheist identity. These are: Identity Crisis, Doubt Reinforcement, Identity Formation, Dealing with Emotions, and Social Adjustment. It was also found out in the study that factors such as sexual orientation, and rebellion affect an individual’s decision to abandon his/her religion. It aims to understand the point of view on non-believers in the context multiculturalism. Today and future counselors may use this study as a framework for understanding the psychological aspect being a non-believer. This may have a huge impact on the call to eradicate stigmas and biases in the counseling profession to address the issue diversity and the rising secularism in the country.