Cultural-Historical Activity Theory [CHAT] and Health in Faith Communities

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This chapter applied Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to understand how religious cultures influence the health of followers, through social norms associated with religious practices. Specifically, the chapter utilizes the CHAT, a structural analysis to examine how knowledge of institutional religious processes acts to guide followers in their health beliefs and practices. Followers may hold religious knowledge to be self-evident truths for their identities and behaviors. In their diversities, religious institutions may be different in the extent to which they oblige followers or allow them discretion in their health practices. From a structural analysis view, religious followers who perceive a confluence between religion and secular health norms would likely adhere to public health guidelines than those who perceived significant discordance between religion and public health guidelines. Religious followers who perceive their faith teaching to contradict public health guidelines may seek to resolve the discordances through interpretive religion and/or personal/private actions. This chapter proposes three CHAT hypotheses for study to further understand how religious followers may seek the health outcomes they aspire to as people of faith.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHandbook of Social Sciences and Global Public Health
PublisherSpringer International Publishing
Pages481-502
Number of pages22
ISBN (Electronic)9783031251108
ISBN (Print)9783031251092
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2023

Keywords

  • Health norms
  • Knowledge environment
  • Moral communities
  • Religious culture
  • Structural theory

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine
  • General Social Sciences

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