Social Identity and Discrimination in Religious/Spiritual Influences on Health

This chapter reviews theories and empirical evidence on relations between religion and spirituality (R/S), social identity, and discrimination by race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and religious tradition. We also examine health-supportive (salutogenic) processes arising from social identities linked to each characteristic. Religion and spirituality are conceived as evolving over time and residing at both collective and individual levels. Each type of discrimination has been linked to poorer health outcomes.