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This chapter aims to explore Muslims’ religion/spirituality and discuss the factors that are important to consider in scientific research and clinical practice at the intersections of positive psychology, religion, and spirituality. The discussion is based on the theological teachings of the Islamic religion, theoretical speculations regarding the links between Islam and positive psychology, and the relevant findings of empirical studies conducted with Muslim samples. The chapter is composed of five sections. The first is an overview of the geographic distribution, demographic composition, and intrafaith diversity of Muslims around the world. The second section reviews key Muslim religious/spiritual beliefs, teachings, practices, and texts. The third section discusses common Muslim understandings of virtues, health, and well-being. The fourth section reviews potential implications for science and practice at the intersections of positive psychology, religion, and spirituality. The final section offers recommendations for guiding research and practice when working with Muslims at these intersections.

The present study explored the structure and correlates of meaning in life (MIL) among an Israeli sample. The sample consisted of 559 adults. The average age of participants was 48.24 and 61.3% of them were females. Participants provided demographic information and completed measures of MIL, satisfaction with life, and depressive symptoms. The MIL Questionnaire showed a very good fit for the proposed 2-factor model (i.e. presence of meaning, search for meaning) to the data collected from the current sample. Presence of meaning correlated positively with both search for meaning and satisfaction with life, and negatively with depressive symptoms. Search for meaning was positively and weakly tied to satisfaction with life, but was unrelated to depressive symptoms. Religiousness appeared as a significant moderator between the two meaning factors, and between them and life satisfaction. Specifically, as religiousness became stronger: (a) the link between presence of meaning and search for meaning became weaker; (b) the link between presence of meaning and life satisfaction became stronger and (c) the link between search for meaning and life satisfaction became weaker. The findings suggest that there are differential implications of presence search for meaning on the health and well-being, and the important role religiousness plays in this regard.

This cross-sectional study used data from 486 Israeli Jews and Muslims to examine the phenomenon of religious coping among an Israeli sample. Participants were recruited in the context of two resea...

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has confronted humanity with an ongoing biopsychosocial stressor, imposing multifaceted challenges to individuals and societies. Particularly, the pandemic reflects an ongoing, potentially life-threatening danger to self and others, which may instigate acute stress symptoms (ASS). This study utilized a network framework to assess cross-national ASS a short time following the initial COVID-19 outbreak. Three samples of adult participants from China, Israel, and Switzerland completed a self-report assessment of acute stress symptoms. Network analyses were utilized to uncover the phenotype and dynamics of different ASS in these three countries. The ASS network analyses revealed extensive connections in all networks and reflected the structure of ASS. The centrality indexes in all networks were from the hyperarousal cluster. “Feeling jumpy” was the node with the highest strength centrality in the Israeli sample and “physiological reactivity” was the item with the highest centrality in the Swiss sample. In the Chinese sample, the item with the highest centrality was “feeling alert to danger." The findings reveal that despite some variations, the overall clinical picture of ASS in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is universal. These findings highlight the centrality of hyperarousal symptoms, presumably reflecting its significance for clinical interventions.

This study examined the relationships between religious coping and indices of subjective well-being among 132 Israeli-Muslims who lost a beloved person through death. Participants provided demographic and death-related information, and completed measures of religious coping, satisfaction with life, positive/negative affect. Positive correlations were observed between positive religious coping and both satisfaction with life and positive affect, and between negative religious coping and negative affect. Further, the type of death (expected vs. sudden) was found to be a significant moderator between religious coping and subjective well-being. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic exposes individuals not only to health-related risks, but also to psychosocial fear and acute stress. Previous studies reveal that individuals who experienced child abuse (CA), especially those who suffer from complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), are at a higher risk of reacting with fear and stress when faced with stressful life-events. Objective To test whether exposure to CA is implicated in a higher risk of COVID-19-related fear and acute stress, and whether CPTSD intervenes in such processes. Participants and settings A convenience sample of 837 adults participated in the study during the first peak of COVID-19 in Israel. Methods Participants completed self-report questionnaires, assessing child physical, sexual and emotional abuse, CPTSD (ITQ), COVID-19-related acute stress disorder (COVID-19 ASD; ASDS) and fear of COVID-19. Results Bivariate analyses showed that participants who experienced CA were higher than participants who did not experience CA in COVID-19 ASD (p = .032), but not in fear of COVID-19 (p = .65). Mediation analyses demonstrated two significant paths: in the first, CA was associated with elevated fear of COVID-19 (effect = .061, .059; p

This investigation compared the efficacy and durability of two prejudice reduction approaches: social-emotional skills training and intergroup contact. 148 5th grade Palestinian-Israeli students in the ethnically-mixed city of Jaffa were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. Members of the skills-based classes engaged in activities that aimed to cultivate perspective-taking, empathy, and compassion; members of the contact classes met with Jewish-Israeli peers; and members of the control group engaged in a general social studies program. Outcomes were measured a week before, immediately after, and 6 months following completion of the program. Results showed that the effects of both interventions were significantly larger than of those of the control group; both interventions increased readiness for contact with, and decreased emotional prejudice, expectations about negative outgroup behaviors, and stereotyping of Jewish-Israeli peers.

Tekke, Mustafa/0000-0003-0412-4353; TEKKE, MUSTAFA/0000-0003-0412-4353 WOS: 000456690100007 PubMed: 30085296 This investigation applied a cross-sectional comparative methodology to examine the levels, predictors, and consequences of religious struggles among a multinational sample of 706 Muslims recruited in three universities in Israel/Palestine, Turkey, and Malaysia. Participants were asked to provide demographics and complete measures of religious struggles, satisfaction with life, and generalized anxiety. Three main findings emerged from the study: (1) In general, participants reported low levels of religious struggles; (2) Turks scored significantly higher than both Palestinians and Malaysians on religious struggles; (3) higher levels of generalized anxiety were predicted by higher levels of religious struggles among Malaysians only, and lower levels of satisfaction with life were predicted by higher levels of religious struggles among Palestinians and Turks only. These findings suggest that the links between religious struggles and health and well-being among Muslims are complex, and call for a nuanced detailed analysis of the religious struggles phenomenon among this population.

This study is one of the first studies to examine the relationships between religious coping and indices of mental and physical health among female survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). This investigation utilized a cross-sectional design and a sample of 140 Israeli female survivors of IPV, from different religious backgrounds. Participants were asked to provide demographic information and complete measures of religious coping, depressive symptoms, generalized anxiety, loneliness, and perceived poor physical health. As expected, positive correlations were observed between negative religious coping and all outcome measures. Contrary to expectations, positive religious coping was related to none of the outcome measures. The findings suggest that overall religious ways of coping constitute more of a burden than a helpful resource in the coping process of female survivors of IPV. Yet additional studies that test the intricate relationships between religious coping and health and well-being among this population are needed to reach clear-cut conclusions in this regard. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) Language: en

Although recent research has demonstrated the benefits of multicultural experience for reducing personal levels of intergroup bias, the potential for an intergenerational effect has yet to be explo...

Operating from a perspective of an empirical psychologist of religion and spirituality, in this paper, I point to some areas of improvement in our field. Specifically, I (1) briefly target the lack...

The current investigation tested the efficacy of the Extended Class Exchange Program (ECEP) in reducing prejudicial attitudes. Three hundred and twenty-two 3rd and 4th grade students from both Israeli-Jewish and Israeli-Palestinian schools in the ethnically mixed city of Jaffa were randomly assigned to either intervention or control classes. Members of the intervention classes engaged in ECEP's activities, whereas members of the control classes engaged in a social-emotional learning program. The program's outcomes were measured a week before, immediately after, and 15months following termination. Results showed that the ECEP decreased stereotyping and discriminatory tendencies toward the other group and increased positive feelings and readiness for social contact with the other group upon program termination. Additionally, the effects of the ECEP were generalized to an ethnic group (i.e., Ethiopians) with whom the ECEP's participants did not have any contact. Finally, the ECEP retained its significant effect 15months after the program's termination, despite the serious clashes between Israel and the Palestinians that occurred during that time. This empirical support for the ECEP'S utility in reducing prejudice makes it potentially applicable to other areas in the world, especially those that are characterized by ethnic tension and violent conflicts.

Tekke, Mustafa/0000-0003-0412-4353 WOS: 000490897600014 PubMed: 30338852 This study tested the levels and consequences of positive religious coping among a multinational sample of Muslims. The sample consisted of 706 university students recruited in three Muslim countries: Israel/Palestine, Turkey and Malaysia. Participants' average age was 22.61, and 65% of them were females. This investigation applied a cross-sectional comparative methodology. Measures used: demographics, positive religious coping, satisfaction with life and depressive symptoms. The findings indicated that (a) participants reported high levels of positive religious coping usage, and Malaysians scored significantly higher in this regard than both Palestinians and Turks; (b) positive religious coping correlated positively with satisfaction with life but was not linked to depressive symptoms and (c) the magnitude of correlation between positive and satisfaction with life was significantly higher among Malaysians than among both Palestinians and Turks. The findings suggest that to understand the implications of positive religious coping for the health and well-being of Muslims, a detailed and nuanced analysis is needed.

The current investigation explored prevalence, predictors, and psychological implications of religious and spiritual (r/s) struggles among an Israeli-Palestinian, Muslim sample. R/s struggle was assessed by the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale (Exline et al. 2014), a newly developed scale that assesses a wide array of r/s struggles. Factor analysis of the scale in this study revealed five factors of struggle: Divine and Doubt, Punitive Entities, Interpersonal, Moral, and Ultimate Meaning. Of the 139 Muslim participants, between 1.4 percent and 40.2 percent experienced various r/s struggles. Positive God image and fundamentalism predicted lower levels of struggle, whereas negative God image and universality predicted higher levels of struggle. After controlling for religious variables, we found that both depressive symptoms and generalized anxiety were predicted by Punitive Entities and Ultimate Meaning struggles, while satisfaction with life was predicted by Interpersonal struggle. Possible explanations and implications of the findings are offered, and the limitations of the study are discussed.

This study evaluated the efficacy of a newly developed Arab-Jewish Class Exchange Program (CEP) in reducing stereotyping and prejudicial attitudes between Israeli-Jewish and Israeli-Palestinian children. The CEP builds on the core principles of contact theory and is designed to help participants cultivate empathy and tolerance toward the other. There were 262 4th grade students from both Israeli-Jewish and Israeli-Palestinian schools in the ethnically mixed city of Jaffa who were randomly assigned into either experimental or control classes. Members of the experimental classes engaged in CEPs activities, whereas members of the control classes engaged in general art activities without interacting with members from the other ethnic group. Stereotyping and prejudicial attitudes were assessed by 4 measures: readiness for contact with children from the other group, positive thoughts about the other, emotional prejudice, and discriminatory tendencies. Assessments were performed pre- and postintervention. Results showed that compared with students in the control classes, those in the experimental classes significantly increased their readiness for contact with students from the other ethnic group, expressed more positive thoughts about the other, and exhibited less emotional prejudice toward the other group. With regard to these 3 measures, the intervention was equally effective for both genders and ethnic groups. Should such evidence be replicated and maintained over time, CEP might prove to be a relevant intervention for reducing stereotypes, prejudices, and discriminatory tendencies among youth who live in areas affected by war, conflict, and ethnic tensions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

This article draws on the tenets of a Qura’nic theory of personality that has been recently developed (Abu-Raiya, 2012, 2014) to suggest a dynamic, conflict-based model of psychotherapy that can be utilized when working with religious Muslim clients. This model posits that the human psyche is composed of several structures that represent both satanic and divine sides of humans, and that the foundational conflict operating within the human psyche is between its satanic structures and their divine counterparts. Psychotherapy based on this model aims to uncover the nuances of the posited conflict, reduce anxiety associated with the conflict, and tame the satanic sides of the psyche by strengthening ego functioning and nurturing spiritual life. This type of psychotherapy should be applied by dynamically oriented, spirituality sensitive psychotherapists who are knowledgeable about the major Islamic tenets. It is appropriate for clients who are motivated, insight-oriented, and above all, accepting of the Qura’n as the main authority when it comes to significant psychological and human concerns. This model is brought to life in a case study. The article concludes by pointing to the prospects for the model and the challenges psychotherapists might face in applying it.

Espousing a positive psychology orientation, this study aimed to explore the links between religiousness and subjective well-being, and test whether social support and self-control mediate the expected associations between these two variables. Participants were 264 Israeli-Palestinian college students, who were asked to provide demographic information and complete measures of religiousness, social support, self-control, subjective happiness, positive emotions and negative emotions. We found that religiousness was positively correlated with both subjective happiness and positive emotions, but no significant correlation was found between religiousness and negative emotions. Both social support and self-control partially mediated the links between religiousness and both subjective happiness and positive emotions. The findings of the study, as well as its implications and limitations, are discussed.

In this article, we review and evaluate the steadily growing body of research on religious coping among diverse religious samples. Comparisons are made between findings generated from Christian samples and those generated from other religious groups. Several conclusions are drawn based on this revie

The current investigation examined the prevalence, predictors, and psychological implications of religious and spiritual (r/s) struggles among a sample of Israeli-Jewish university students. R/s struggle was assessed by the Religious and Spiritual Struggles (RSS) Scale. This is a newly constructed scale that assesses a wide array of r/s struggles. The RSS is composed of six factors of struggles: Divine, Doubt, Demonic, Interpersonal, Moral, and Ultimate Meaning. Confirmatory factor analysis of the RSS in this study confirmed this six-factor structure. Of the 164 Jewish participants, between 1.2% and 30.5% experienced various r/s struggles. Beliefs in a cruel God and distant God, religious participation, and fundamentalism predicted higher levels of different types of struggle. All six forms of struggle were correlated with greater psychological distress. In regression equations including r/s struggles and demographic and religious variables, Moral struggles predicted lower life satisfaction, Divine strugg...

This study is one of the first attempts to examine the relationships between religious and spiritual struggles (r/s struggles) measured comprehensively and indicators of psychological distress (i.e., depressive symptoms, generalized anxiety) and well-being (i.e., satisfaction with life, happiness) using a nationally representative sample of American adults (N = 2,208) dealing with a wide range of major life stressors. In addition, it examines the key question of whether these relationships persist after controlling for potentially confounding psychosocial/religious influences. Correlational analyses revealed that all 5 types of the r/s struggles assessed (i.e., divine, demonic, interpersonal, moral, ultimate-meaning) correlated significantly positively with both depressive symptoms and generalized anxiety, and significantly negatively with both satisfaction with life and happiness. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that even after controlling for the effects of demographics and other potentially confounding variables (i.e., neuroticism, social isolation, religious commitment) the r/s struggle subscales added unique variance to the prediction of all 4 criterion measures. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are offered, and the limitations of the study are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Research has provided robust evidence that religious/spiritual variables serve as protective factors against developing addictive behaviors, such as substance-related abuse. Few studies, however, have considered whether religious/spiritual variables may be risk factors in the development of addictive behaviors. One such variable, spiritual struggles, is receiving increased attention and has been empirically linked to various negative psychological and physical outcomes. The current longitudinal study examined spiritual struggles as a predictor in the development of addictive behaviors among a sample of 90 freshmen college students. Findings indicate that higher scores on spiritual struggles were tied to higher levels of 11 out of 14 domains of addiction, including caffeine, exercise, food starving, gambling, prescription drugs, recreational drugs, sex, shopping, tobacco, and work. This is the first study to demonstrate spiritual struggles as a possible risk factor in the development of a wide range of pot...

The current investigation evaluated the impact of a universal school-based resiliency intervention (ERASE-Stress) on educators who were working with elementary schoolchildren exposed to the Canterbury earthquake in New Zealand. In the context of major disasters, educators may suffer from "dual trauma"; they can experience symptoms of both primary trauma (as a result of the disaster itself) and secondary trauma (as a result of working with traumatized students). Sixty-three educators were randomly assigned to either the ERASE-Stress intervention or an alternative Managing Emergencies and Traumatic Incidents (METI) program which served as a control group. Efficacy of the program was evaluated at the end of the training as well as at 8 months follow-up. Compared with educators in the control group, those in the ERASE-Stress intervention significantly reduced their posttraumatic distress and secondary traumatization symptoms, improved their perceived level of professional self-efficacy as a helper of earthquake survivors, developed an optimistic outlook regarding their personal future and enhanced their sense of hope, and honed some of their positive coping strategies and reduced the utilization of some maladaptive coping methods. These beneficial consequences of the ERASE-Stress training make it a potentially useful tool for educators working with traumatized students in the context of major disasters. (PsycINFO Database Record

In this paper, comparisons are made between a newly developed Qura'nic theory of personality and the Freudian and Jungian theories of the mind. Notable similarities were found between the Freudian id, ego, superego and neurosis and the Qura'nic nafs ammarah besoa' (evil-commanding psyche), a'ql (intellect), al-nafs al-lawammah (the reproachful psyche) and al-nafs al-marid'a (the sick psyche), respectively. Noteworthy resemblances were detected also between the Jungian concepts collective unconscious, archetypes, Self and individuation and the Qura'nic constructs roh (spirit), al-asmaa' (the names), qalb (heart), and al-nafs al-mutmainnah (the serene psyche), respectively. These parallels, as well as the departure points, between the models are thoroughly discussed and analyzed. The comparisons performed in this paper open new avenues for dialogue between western models of the psyche and their Muslim counterparts, a dialogue that can enrich both perspectives and advance the field of psychology.

Based on hermeneutic interpretation of the Holy Qura’n and the theoretical suggestions of the eminent Muslim thinker Al-Ghazali, a Qura’nic theory of personality is articulated. Eight main interrelated concepts have been identified in the present analysis and serve as the building blocks of a Qura’nic theory of personality: nafs (psyche), nafs ammarah besoa’ (evil-commanding psyche), al-nafs al-lawammah (the reproachful psyche), roh (spirit), a’ql (intellect), qalb (heart), al-nafs al-mutmainnah (the serene psyche) and al-nafs al-marid’a (the sick psyche). The Qura’nic theory of personality is psychospiritual, structural, dynamic, topographic, holistic, and holds a largely negative view of human nature. The implications of this theory for research and practice are discussed.

This essay provides an empirically grounded and theoretically informed examination of Israeli elites’ discourse on Islam, in general, and its conceptualization of the relationship between Islamic sacred texts and the political conduct of Muslims, in particular. It argues that the Israeli elites’ discourse, for the most part, is not only unhistorical and lacking in a sociological basis, but, most importantly, emphasizes Islamic religious texts while reducing their Muslim readers into uniquely choiceless beings. This conceptualization, we contend, leads to unnecessary and unjustifiable theoretical inconsistencies concerning the broader topic of the relationship between human agency and religious texts. We conclude by suggesting that the above mentioned Israeli discourse teaches us less about what Islam and Muslims ‘really are’ than it does about the Israeli self-idealized image as members of a secular western society and the desires and anxieties this image expresses and represses.

With the introduction of a theory of spirituality, a new line of research has emerged that can facilitate a more in-depth understanding of religion and prejudice. Central to this line of research is the concept of desecration, or perceived violations of what the individual holds sacred. Empirical studies of desecration have consistently shown that appraisals of desecrations predict prejudice even after partialling out traditional religiously-based predictors of prejudice (e.g., fundamentalism, particularism). Studies have also indicated that the impact of desecration on prejudice may be affected by several spiritual coping factors that may mitigate (e.g., compassion, exposure to the core values and teachings of other groups) or exacerbate (e.g., demonizing others, believing others are being punished by God) these effects. Research and theory on spirituality, sanctification, desecration and spiritual coping more generally, can help researchers and society gain a deeper appreciation of how specific religious beliefs and behaviors significantly intensify or ameliorate prejudice towards social subgroups.

In this paper, we systematically review the growing empirically based psychology of Islam. We arrive at 10 conclusions: (l) Islam is a multidimensional religion; Islam might mean different things to different people, and some people might adhere to some of its elements but not to others; (2) Islam is similar to, but is different from, other religions; (3) Islam's role in the lives of Muslims seems mostly positive; (4) Some types of Islamic religiousness are negative; (5) The empirical findings have not been translated yet into clinical applications; (6) Most of studies conducted among Muslims provide only a birds-eye view of Islam; (7) Empirical studies of Muslims are scarce; (8) Empirical research on negative types of religiousness among Muslims is sparse; (9) The majority of research in this field has been restricted to convenient samples; (10) Several important topics with implications for Muslims deserve further consideration, and there is a need for more varied research methods in studies of Muslims....

In this paper, we attempt to translate empirical findings from a program of research that developed a Psychological Measure of Islamic Religiousness (PMIR) into practical clinical applications. The findings from this program of research are complemented and illuminated by findings from other empiric

This study examined the role of religious, benefit finding, and goal-oriented meaning making strategies used by 111 young adults in response to their experience of personal loss. Death of a loved one and relationship loss were the two types of loss most frequently reported by participants. In general, young adults reported being affected by their loss experience, loss impacted their personal strivings and goals, and both religious and benefit finding strategies were used to derive meaning from loss. Religious, benefit finding, and goal-oriented meaning making strategies were differentially related to young adults' reports of depressed mood and interpersonal loneliness.

This study examined links between the appraisal that Muslims desecrate Christian values and teachings, religious coping methods, and anti-Muslim attitudes. Of the 192 Christian undergraduate participants, between 13.7% and 28% perceived Muslims as a threat to Christian values and teachings. After controlling for demographic and personological variables (e.g., church attendance, pluralism, Christian orthodoxy, authoritarianism, fundamentalism, particularism), higher levels of viewing Muslims as desecrators of Christianity were linked to higher anti-Muslim attitudes. In contrast, positive religious coping methods that emphasized expressions of Christian love and learning from Muslim spiritual models were associated with lower anti-Muslim attitudes. However, negative religious coping methods that emphasized that Muslims were being punished by God and demonic were also tied to greater anti-Muslim attitudes. Further, religious coping methods partially mediated the associations between desecration and anti-Musl...

A 60-item Psychological Measure of Islamic Religiousness (PMIR) was developed in three stages: (a) Domains of Islam relevant to physical and mental health were identified via theory and semistructured interviews with 25 Muslims; (b) an initial version of PMIR was pilot tested with 64 Muslims from the United States and Israel; and (c) desirable psychometric qualities of the final measure were established based on an international, Internet-solicited sample of 340 Muslims, as follows. The PMIR yielded seven distinct, highly reliable factors: Islamic Beliefs; Islamic Ethical Principles & Universality; Islamic Religious Struggle; Islamic Religious Duty, Obligation & Exclusivism; Islamic Positive Religious Coping & Identification; Punishing Allah Reappraisal; and Islamic Religious Conversion. All scales demonstrated desirable variability and strong discriminant, convergent, predictive, and incremental validity using multiple mental and physical criterion variables. The findings indicate that Islam is central t...

Between 2004 and 2006, we conducted a three-stage program of research with the aim of developing and validating a measure of Islamic practices and beliefs that could be utilized in mental health research. The outcome of these efforts was a Psychological Measure of Islamic Religiousness (PMIR) that possesses desirable psychometric properties. In this article, we describe the rationale behind developing the measure, the assumptions that guided our investigation, the challenges we faced in developing the PMIR, and the lessons we learned through this process. We offer several concrete suggestions to deal with the challenges that arise in psychological investigations of Muslims and Islam.

Previous studies have established robust links between religious/spiritual struggles (r/s struggles) and poorer well-being and psychological distress. A critical issue involves identifying the religious factors that buffer this relationship. This is the first study to empirically address this question. Specifically, it examines four religious factors (i.e., religious commitment, life sanctification, religious support, religious hope) as potential buffers of the links between r/s struggle and one indicator of subjective well-being (i.e., happiness) and one indicator of psychological distress (i.e., depressive symptoms). We utilized a cross-sectional design and a nationally representative sample of American adults (N = 2140) dealing with a wide range of major life stressors. We found that the interactions between r/s struggle and all potential moderators were significant in predicting happiness and/or depression. The linkage between r/s struggle and lower levels of happiness was moderated by higher levels of each of the four proposed religious buffers. Religious commitment and life sanctification moderated the ties between r/s struggles and depressive symptoms. The findings underscore the multifaceted character of religion: Paradoxically, religion may be a source of solutions to problems that may be an inherent part of religious life.

Recently, the field of psychology has begun to display a growing interest in the influence of religion on people's psychological well-being. By and large, the empirical findings of this body of inquiry have revealed positive associations between religious beliefs and practices and different indices of health and well-being and demonstrated that religion serves as a valuable tool for individuals dealing with life stressors. Yet, there is ample data to suggest that religion can also have a negative influence on the psychological well-being of the individual. This duality of religion is the focus of this summary paper which consists of two main sections. The first considers the potential constructive and destructive sides of religion with regard to general health and well- being. The second section refers to religious variables that promote or mitigate prejudice and perceived conflict with others.

Recently, the field of psychology has begun to display a growing interest in religious coping methods and their implications for health and well-being. Empirical studies have yielded an interesting picture of the relationship between religious coping and physical and mental health. In this paper, we review some of the foundational assumptions on which the theory of religion and coping rests. Then, we summarize recent advances in research in the area of religion and coping. We conclude by highlighting some of the exciting new directions for research in the psychology of religion and coping.