How Discrimination Shapes Social Identification Processes and Well-Being Among Arab Americans

The increasingly xenophobic U.S. climate warrants a close investigation of Arab American responses to discrimination. We conducted secondary analyses of two large data sets to examine social identity processes and their relationship to well-being. In a representative sample of Muslim Arab Americans...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social psychological & personality science 2018-04, Vol.9 (3), p.328-337
Main Authors: Hakim, Nader H., Molina, Ludwin E., Branscombe, Nyla R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arab Americans
Discrimination
Ethnic groups
Identification
Justice
Middle Eastern cultural groups
Minority groups
National identity
Religious identity
Social cohesion
Social identification
Social identity
Well being
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Summary:The increasingly xenophobic U.S. climate warrants a close investigation of Arab American responses to discrimination. We conducted secondary analyses of two large data sets to examine social identity processes and their relationship to well-being. In a representative sample of Muslim Arab Americans (Study 1, n = 228), discrimination was related to decreased American identification, which in turn predicted lower well-being. Another large sample of Arab Americans (Study 2, n = 1,001) revealed how social identity processes differ by religious group. For Christian Arab Americans, discrimination predicted an indirect negative effect on well-being through decreased American identification. Muslim Arab Americans showed the same pattern, but also stronger religious and ethnic identification the more they experienced discrimination, which partially buffered the harmful effects on well-being. These data present a social cohesion challenge where the maintenance of national identity necessitates less discrimination and injustice against minorities.
ISSN:1948-5506
1948-5514
DOI:10.1177/1948550617742192