A Psycho-Sociological Study on God men: What Draws Devotees of Various Socio-Economic Groups to Ashrams in India?

Abstract

This paper observes the increasing influence of godmen in India and the socio-economic division among devotees that influences their decision to follow them. The study navigates through various social spheres and predominantly focuses on lower-income groups, middle-income groups, and upper-income groups to piece together the research paper. It focuses on in-depth interviews as a primary source of understanding these differences and is followed by possible deductions of the same, keeping in mind the hypothesis that there is a socio-economic divide in this seemingly secular framework of spirituality and religion, as defined by the devotees. These interviews are narrative analyzed to detect any recurring patterns within the economic groups and the following groups. Constructivism as a theory is used to understand how the arguments put forward by the interviewees are influenced by their social position in society and how they are inclined towards understanding reality on individual terms. The study’s findings prove that a possible correlation can be derived between an individual’s economic standing and expectations while following a certain godmen.