RELIGIOUS INVOLVEMENT AND SELF-PERCEPTION AMONG BLACK-AMERICANS

This study focuses on the relationships between the religious involvem ent of black Americans and two important dimensions of self-perception : self-esteem, or one's sense of personal worth, and personal mastery, or feelings of control over one's affairs. This article argues that p articipation in church communities may foster positive self-perception through the interpersonal supportiveness and positive reflected appra isals of coreligionists. Private devotional activities may also be lin ked with positive self-regard via processes of religious role taking. Analyses of data from the 1979-80 National Survey of Black Americans s upport these arguments with regard to self-esteem, but not personal ma stery. In addition, the findings suggest that public religious partici pation buffers the negative influence of physical unattractiveness on self-esteem, while private religious devotion buffers the negative imp act of chronic illness on self-esteem. The results shed new light on t he contemporary psychosocial role of religious life among black Americ ans.