An Inquiry into the Perceived Spiritual Identity among Muslim Iranian University students

The purpose of the present study is to describe the perceived spiritual identity among Muslim Iranian university students. To this end, by theoretical sampling method, 20 students (between 18 to 29 years old) were chosen from University of Tehran and were interviewed individually. The data were analyzed based on grounded theory design. The findings show that spiritual identity, at the early adulthood, could be classified on five components: cognitive cores of spirituality (belief on transcendent power, life purposefulness, compensation, essence, religion), transcendent relational with the elements (relationship with God, the infallibles, others, self and nature) and valued-moral behavior, stewardship and mission, and religious traditions. Based on the findings, we can define spiritual identity as a conscious and unconscious relation with the world based on cognitive cores of spirituality that creates a dynamic selection of moral –valued behavior, purposeful life and commitment to religious traditions.