Awards

• Winner of Gerontologial Society of America Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Award 2009 (United States)
• Winner of Gerontologial Society of America Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Award 2009.

Overview

A spiritual life, one focused on personal growth and deep human experience, is a major focus and motivator for people over the age of forty. Yet there is a marked lack of rigorous academic study of spirituality's importance in the lives of aging people. Noted gerontologist Robert C. Atchley remedies this problem by developing complex concepts and language about spirituality. Spirituality and Aging incorporates material from two decades of interviews, observations, study, and reflection to illustrate ways of thinking about and discussing spirituality-what it is, why it is important, and how it influences the experience of aging. This book provides a nuanced view of spirituality and the richness it brings to the lives of older people. The book is divided into three sections, with the first providing basic frames of reference for examining spirituality and aging, such as the nature of spirituality, spiritual development, and the spiritual self. Atchley next focuses on two dimensions of spirituality that are likely to manifest later in life: becoming a sage (developing the capacity to bring spiritual light to everyday issues) and serving from spirit (creating opportunities for service that are rooted in spirituality). The last section illustrates how spirituality informs other aspects of late life, such as psychological coping and the experience of dying and death. Separating spirituality from religion-something few books on this topic do- Spirituality and Aging offers a plan for incorporating spirituality into gerontological scholarship, research, education, and practice.

Full Product Details

Author:   Robert C. Atchley
Publisher:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Imprint:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9780801891199

ISBN 10:   0801891191
Pages:   224
Publication Date:   26 April 2009
Recommended Age:   From 17
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
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Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Setting the Stage Part I: Basic Frames of Reference 1. The Nature of Spiritual Experience 2. Spiritual Development 3. Spirituality, Spiritual Self, and Spiritual Identity Part II: Spirtual Journeying 4. Becoming a Sage and a Spiritual Elder: Transpersonal Psychology 5. Transpersonal Sociology and Serving from Spirit Part III: Examples Using an Expanded View 6. Continuity, Spiritual Growth, and Coping in Later Adulthood 7. Spiritual Beliefs and Practices and the Experience of Time and Aging 8. Spirituality and the Experience of Dying and Death Conclusion: Summary, Reflections, and Implications Appendix A: Spirituality Inventory Appendix B: Questions for Reflection and Spiritual Self-Assessment Notes References Index

Reviews

Atchley's book is an enormous, and unprecedented, contribution to the field. The book will be very important, and he's absolutely the best person to write it. - Harry R. Moody, Director, Office of Academic Affairs, AARP This is a wise and important work that could make a difference in the way aging persons, and gerontologists, think about spirituality and aging. - Susan H. McFadden, The University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh

Author Information

Robert C. Atchley is a distinguished professor of gerontology emeritus at Miami University, Ohio, where he also served as the director of the Scripps Gerontology Center. Professor Atchley was previously a professor and chair of the Department of Gerontology at the Naropa Institute, in Boulder, Colorado, and is the author of Social Forces and Aging and of Continuity and Adaptation in Aging: Creating Positive Experiences, also published by Johns Hopkins.

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