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Religious Dissociation and Economic Appraisal in Brazil

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Abstract

Research on the association between religion and health often neglects to provide an explicit theoretical mechanism of influence between faith and well-being. This research posits that dissociative behaviors, such as glossolalia, may provide a biological pathway that influences both physiological and psychological health. This paper argues that religious dissociation acts as a moderator between economic stressors and psychobiological appraisal. Brazil, with its economic inequality and preponderance of religious dissociative rituals, provides an ideal context to examine religious dissociation as a moderator of stress. Utilizing data from a cross section of Brazilian faiths, this paper examines: (1) Whether individuals with low socioeconomic status preferentially participate and experience religious dissociative states and (2) whether dissociative states are correlated with greater psychological appraisal of status.

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  1. Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322-0730, USA

    H. J. François Dengah II

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Correspondence to H. J. François Dengah II.

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François Dengah, H.J. Religious Dissociation and Economic Appraisal in Brazil. J Relig Health 55, 522–534 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-015-0015-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-015-0015-8

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