While much research has focused on the pervasive role of racism in perpetuating health disparities, sociologists have also enhanced our understanding of the complex ways communities respond to discrimination. Some research has explored the harmful health effects of internalized racism—in which minority groups accept the dominant society's ideology of their inferiority as accurate (Williams and Mohammed 2009). Other research has identified cultural and psychosocial resources that foster resilience. For example, sociological research has found that religious involvement can enhance health in the face of racial discrimination and also buffer the negative effects of interpersonal discrimination on health (Bierman 2006; Ellison, Musick, and Henderson 2008). Other research indicates that ethnic identity can serve as a resource in the face of discrimination (Mossakowski 2003). Having a sense of ethnic pride and engaging in ethnic practices can enhance mental health directly and the strength of ethnic identification can reduce the stress of discrimination on mental health.
