| Summary: | This paper is an investigation of the efficacy of hymns and their impact on
personality. The investigation was aimed at addressing ‘the problem of the
relationship of hymnody and discipline, self-regulation which results in guarded
behaviour reflecting in speech, personal appearance, and conduct within the
Ghanaian society.’ The investigation was against the backdrop of the perception
that hymnody influences devoted singers with the power to shape personality and
bring about character transformation. The objective of the investigation was to
spike the hymnody effect within society. The theory of personal transformation
combined the qualitative design. The study consisted of a single question to
determine the most predominant view about hymnody in hymn-singing churches
in Accra and Kumasi. Findings indicated that 41% of 300 informants confirmed
hymnody as powerful and transformative, but elitist and excluded the non-literate.
Eurocentric and Afrocentric perspectives attended the analysis of Hymnody.
The study concluded that hymnody is beneficial to mood and character change
to stimulate the transformation of soul and mind, leading to the growth of the
inner man as a function of discipline. Thus, a reference to the notions of pedagogy
and discipline are underscored as transforming outcomes of devoted hymnody
participation. The paper’s contribution to knowledge lies in its focus on the role of
hymnody, a religious ritual, as catalyzing the development of the discipline ethic to
engage the attention of the academy for further research.
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