228 Personality and Social Psychology Review 18(3) The third m chanism relates to the fact that shared socia identity is a basis for social influence(Tumer,1991).This oth nembers of a given group,there is ack of hape their the importance of this process is perhaps most obvious in the otCci02o&y0 sion-something that is apparent when one considers the 3 nt tha depression,and in these (argu bly rare)groups we do not nece ssarily expect to see social with rec hat suppo regulation theory (Lakey&Orhek,2011). ological resource that prote A final feature of social identity that contributes to its sta tus as a psy ource is the s lack of these crucial resources meaning ence.and belonging. support,influ about one's up membership(s)has the capacity to rein that one has a social place inthe world(i.etha The first feature of social identity that speaks to its status eary. 1995 Hawkley as a psychological resource e is that Is a for sha th pr al ar tive of phys ense of pe on" with a sense of meaning.purpose,and direction,and make es silience in stress social identities essential for effective (hedonic)social their im 10g tten,Postme &Wills is that social identities for trust ( 985. Hanna,1996;S.Reicher Haslam,2006)that allows Putting these various points together,we contend that,as 1 99.Sh precipitated by identity also underpins a sense of collective values and is a pereavement or divorce.However r,more generally,we would depre ion ca dersto social iden symptom of depression individuals'perception that they have The second resource-related titie gful ps with her hence of bene pe ty to ugh a s of s material (Haslam.Reicher Levine.2012).This means tha nnectedness.Indeed.our key analytic point is that socia the psychological and material benefits of social relation dentity transforms into so that whereas th ships are ea capitalize on ir s psych h ted h rch related to H5 a him or her,thep on who has those identifications is able to properly appreciate and realize his or her social potentia social capital (e.g.,Putnam,2001). And in so far as a capacity to live out our sociality is central228 Personality and Social Psychology Review 18(3) lack of these crucial resources—meaning, support, influ￾ence, and belonging. The first feature of social identity that speaks to its status as a psychological resource is that it is a basis for shared perceptions of ourselves, others, and the world at large. This sense of perceptual connectedness furnishes individuals with a sense of meaning, purpose, and direction, and makes social identities essential for effective (hedonic) social￾psychological functioning (e.g., Haslam, Jetten, Postmes, & Haslam, 2009; Jetten et al., 2012). Part of the reason for this is that social identities are a basis for trust (Kramer, Brewer, & Hanna, 1996; S. Reicher & Haslam, 2006) that allows individuals to coordinate their action and thereby achieve collective goals that would otherwise be unattainable and, often, unimaginable (Drury & Reicher, 1999). Shared social identity also underpins a sense of collective values and is a source of motivation and agency (Ellemers et al., 2004). When a person lacks these resources, he or she is thus more likely to feel that life is without meaning, purpose, and direction, and hence, to experience anhedonia—a core symptom of depression. The second resource-related feature of social identities derives from their capacity to facilitate receipt of beneficial forms of social support, whether emotional, intellectual, or material (Haslam, Reicher & Levine, 2012). This means that the psychological and material benefits of social relation￾ships are easier for individuals to access and capitalize on in the context of shared social identity. This mechanism is sup￾ported by research related to H5 above and is consistent with a large body of work that speaks to the curative properties of social capital (e.g., Putnam, 2001). The third mechanism relates to the fact that shared social identity is a basis for social influence (Turner, 1991). This means that when individuals perceive themselves to share identity with other members of a given group, there is a greater likelihood that members of that group will in turn be able to shape their thoughts, feelings, and behavior. The importance of this process is perhaps most obvious in the case of health behaviors such as eating, where individuals model their own eating closely on those of fellow in-group members (Cruwys et al., 2012; Tarrant & Butler, 2011). However, social influence also has a role to play in depres￾sion—something that is apparent when one considers the importance of particular cognitions (e.g., those that involve self-criticism) and behaviors (e.g., self-harm). Of course, as H3 suggests, not all groups have normative content that is likely to prevent or ameliorate depression, and in these (argu￾ably rare) groups we do not necessarily expect to see social identification associated with reduced depression. Indeed, this notion that depression (or lack thereof) might “run in groups” is consistent with evidence that supports relational regulation theory (Lakey & Orhek, 2011). A final feature of social identity that contributes to its sta￾tus as a psychological resource is the sense of belonging that it engenders. Indeed, evidence suggests that merely thinking about one’s group membership(s) has the capacity to rein￾force a sense that one has a social place in the world (i.e., that one “belongs”; Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2010;), and this is likely to be protective of physi￾cal and psychological well-being. As a result, even minimal reminders of social connectedness can increase a person’s resilience in stressful situations (Jones & Jetten, 2011) and enhance their immunological resistance to infection (Cohen, Doyle, Turner, Alper, & Skoner, 2003), along lines sug￾gested by the stress-buffering hypothesis (Cohen & Wills, 1985). Putting these various points together, we contend that, as noted above, at its core, depression is a response to loss. Typically, this is obviously and concretely related to a loss of social connectedness—for example, when precipitated by bereavement or divorce. However, more generally, we would suggest that the precipitant for depression can be understood to be loss (or lack) of social identity (e.g., related to loss of health or lack of achievement that can both be conceptual￾ized as social identity losses). More specifically, social iden￾tities are the bases for individuals’ perception that they have meaningful relationships with others and hence, social iden￾tity is the critical mechanism that underpins a person’s abil￾ity to achieve human sociality through a sense of social connectedness. Indeed, our key analytic point is that social identity transforms “others” into “self,” so that whereas the person without social identifications feels psychologically disconnected and dislocated from the social world around him or her, the person who has those identifications is able to properly appreciate and realize his or her social potential. And in so far as a capacity to live out our sociality is central LACK (or loss) OF SOCIAL IDENTITY Lack of Meaning, Purpose & Direction Lack of Belonging & Community Resistant to Positive Influence Lack of Support DEPRESSION Figure 1. Social identity is a psychological resource that protects against depression in at least four ways. 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