Narratives of Transition, Information, and Transformation: Exploring Religious Disaffiliation Through the Life Stories of Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Women

Introduction

Grounded in transition theory, this study examines religious disaffiliation among ultra-Orthodox Jewish women who departed religious communities with their children. As these women navigate disengagement from orthodox beliefs and lifestyles, their journeys intersect culture, religion, identity formation, and information practices.

Goals and Methods

Drawing on narrative inquiry and transition theories, this research explores religious disaffiliation and identity transformation processes. The study investigates how information shapes participants' experiences throughout this transformative journey.

This paper presents preliminary findings from three in-depth interviews conducted in 2025. Implementing narrative analysis, we examine how individuals construct meaning and identity through their life stories, extracting emerging patterns while revealing individual differences in post-religious identity construction.

Preliminary Findings

Analysis reveals insights that challenge existing theoretical frameworks. Contrary to established transition theories, disaffiliation was not precipitated by singular events but involved extended, continuous processes characterized by gradual awakening, personal agency, and inspiration from role models.

Significantly, participants did not engage in deliberate information-seeking before exiting their communities. Rather than pursuing specific secular knowledge, they encountered diverse worldviews through organic exposure to heterogeneous environments, primarily higher education or workplace interactions. These informal encounters proved more influential than formal information seeking.

Findings further reveal that the decision to disengage from ultra-Orthodox communities does not guarantee successful completion of the broader transformation from religious to secular identity.

Conclusion

This study contributes to the understanding of life transitions in three ways. First, it challenges traditional transition models by revealing religious disaffiliation as a complex, continuous process. Second, by focusing on women’s narrative experiences, it shows how identity transformation unfolds gradually through exposure to diverse worldviews rather than through deliberate information seeking. Finally, it highlights the unique role of information and information practices both within tightly bounded religious communities and in the lives of those who leave them.