Overview

New Directions in the Study of Late Life Religiousness and Spirituality explores new ways of thinking about a topic that was once taboo but that has now attracted considerable attention from the gerontological community. It examines various approaches to methodology and definition that are used in the study of religion, spirituality, and aging. In addition, it explores the ways that gerontological research can highlight the role of religion and spirituality in the lives of older adults. The title addresses several approaches to issues of definition, exploring important questions that call for critical reflection such as the study of religion, spirituality, and aging beyond a focus on health and mortality to examine well-being more broadly in the context of the life experiences of older adults. The title examines older women's responses to the experience of widowhood and to the question of whether their religious beliefs were affected by the experience; how social context influences our decisions and our interpretations of people's religious beliefs; the ways that people caring for a spouse with dementia rely on religious coping; and a study that asks whether these types of coping produce different outcomes for caregivers and how people adjust to bereavement as a function of their beliefs about an afterlife.

Full Product Details

Author:   Susan H. Mcfadden ,  Mark Brennan ,  Julie Hicks Patrick
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Inc
Imprint:   Routledge
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.20cm , Length: 21.60cm
Weight:   0.544kg
ISBN:  

9780789020383

ISBN 10:   0789020386
Pages:   258
Publication Date:   29 September 2003
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Charting a Course for the 21st Century Studies of Late Life Religiousness and Spirituality Part I. Epistemological Stirrings in the Study of Religiousness and Spirituality Examining Spirituality Over Time: Latent Growth Curve and Individual Growth Curve Analyses Uncovering Spirituality Resiliency Through Feminist Qualitative Methods Spiritual Issues in Health and Social Care: Practice into Policy? A Mighty Fortress Is Our Atheism: Defining the Nature of Religiousness in the Elderly Part II. Approaches to the Definitional Dilemma Practical Philosophies: Interpretations of Religion and Spirituality by African American and European American Elders Dwelling and Seeking in Late Adulthood: The Psychosocial Implications of Two Types of Religious Orientation Widows’ Spiritual Journeys: Do They Quest? The Role of Social Context in Religion Part III. The Fruits of the Religious Life Why Believe? The Effects of Religious Beliefs on Emotional Well Being Coping with the Uncontrollable: The Use of General and Religious Coping by Caregivers to Spouses with Dementia Effects of Religiosity and Spirituality on Depressed Affect and Prosocial Behaviors Religiosity, Afterlife Beliefs, and Bereavement Adjustment in Adulthood Afterword: A Conversation About Theories, Definitions, and Applications Index Reference Notes Included

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Susan H. Mcfadden, Mark Brennan

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