The Social Cure: Identity, Health and Well-Being

There is a growing body of research showing that social networks and identities have a profound impact on mental and physical health. With such mounting evidence of the importance of social relationships in protecting health, the challenge we face is explaining why this should be the case. What is it that social groups offer that appears to be just as beneficial as a daily dose of vitamin C or regular exercise?This edited book brings together the latest research on how group memberships, and the social identities associated with them, determine people's health and well-being. The volume provides a variety of perspectives and insights from clinical, social, organisational and applied fields that offer theoretical and empirical insights into these processes and their consequences. The contributions provide a novel and intellectually promising perspective on core theoretical issues relating to the role of social identity in well-being. Each explores how social identities, and factors associated with them such as social support and a sense of community, can bolster individuals' sense of self and contribute to physical and mental health. Social identities thereby constitute a 'social cure', capable of promoting adjustment, coping and well-being for individuals dealing with a range of illnesses, injuries, trauma and stressors. In addition, the theorizing can be used to develop practical strategies for maintaining and enhancing well-being - particularly among vulnerable populations.The contributors to the book are at the forefront of these developments and the book's strength derives from its analysis of these issues in a broad range of groups and application within diverse fields of psychology, from health and clinical to social and organizational.

Jolanda Jetten is Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Queensland, Australia. Catherine Haslam is an Associate Professor at the University of Exeter, UK. S. Alexander Haslam is Professot of Social and Organisational Psychology at the University of Exeter, UK.