Based on Eisenhandler's qualitative research study of men and women, sixty years and older, this volume provides a sociological narrative of religious belief that has been sustained and sometimes changed over the course of life. Through extensive interviews, Eisenhandler explores older adults' personal engagement with religion, the role of socialization in retaining faith in late life, and the extent to which older adults participate in religious behavior and find religious beliefs relevant to their present life. Questions at the core of Eisenhandler's research include: Do older adults today f.

"What makes the book's approach so captivating is that each...chapter is written by a different researcher in the study of religion and health. These researchers are responsible for significant portions of the existing literature and methodologies found in this field today....The versatility of the book warrants special mention. It is effective as a survey of work that has already been done on this topic. At the same time, it serves as a wellspring of ideas for new research....This work makes a valuable contribution to the present understanding of research on religion and health. It also serves as a road map to help chart directions for future endeavors in the field."--Sociology of Religion This volume focuses on the ways in which religious institutions, religious practices, and religious organizations impact the health and well-being of older persons. Topics examined include: the conceptualization and measurement of religion in late life the relationship between religious coping and possible stress reduction the role of forgiveness as an alternate mediator how social class, gender, and race can influence the specific effect of religion and religious institutions in a diverse aging society Contributors include L. Chatters, K. Ferraro, L. K. George, E. Idler, S. McFadden, and K. Meador.

This book presents a kaleidoscopic view of the positive layers of ageing as well as key interventions that can help generate and maintain positivity and well-being among the elderly. It explores the connections of ageing with spirituality, nature and existentialism, and leisure to encourage creativity, individuation, happiness, and emotional detachment. It further examines various interventions such as end-of-life care, mindfulness and yoga, retrospection, life review, and so on, which may improve the overall quality of life by promoting the health of the elderly individual. The book focuses on authentic ageing, transpersonal gerontology, the concept of the elder child, geriatric interventions, and caregiving, and suggests practical improvements in health and facilities for the elderly. It also covers aspects of the inner life of the prolonged ailing or dying person from a mental health perspective and emphasizes the value of positive ageing. A guide to applied geriatrics and geriatric psychology, with its simple style and clear methods in end-to-end praxis, the book shows how mental well-being can be fostered in the elderly to help them find meaning and purpose in old age. This book will interest students, teachers, and researchers of psychology, positive psychology, geropsychology and gerontological studies, sociology and social work, public health, medical education, and geriatric nursing. It will also be useful to practitioners including psychologists, counsellors, gerontologists, mental health professionals and NGOs working with the elderly, and the interested reader.

Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, Eighth Edition, presents the extraordinary growth of research on aging individuals, populations, and the dynamic culmination of the life course, providing a comprehensive synthesis and review of the latest research findings in the social sciences of aging. As the complexities of population dynamics, cohort succession, and policy changes modify the world and its inhabitants in ways that must be vigilantly monitored so that aging research remains relevant and accurate, this completely revised edition not only includes the foundational, classic themes of aging research, but also a rich array of emerging topics and perspectives that advance the field in exciting ways. New topics include families, immigration, social factors, and cognition, caregiving, neighborhoods, and built environments, natural disasters, religion and health, and sexual behavior, amongst others. - Covers the key areas in sociological gerontology research in one volume, with an 80% update of the material - Headed up by returning editor Linda K. George, and new editor Kenneth Ferraro, highly respected voices and researchers within the sociology of aging discipline - Assists basic researchers in keeping abreast of research and clinical findings - Includes theory and methods, aging and social structure, social factors and social institutions, and aging and society - Serves as a useful resource—an inspiration to those searching for ways to contribute to the aging enterprise, and a tribute to the rich bodies of scholarship that comprise aging research in the social sciences

One of the most controversial of all works to survive from ancient Rome, the Augustan History is our main source of information about the Roman emperors from 117 to 284 AD. Written in the late fourth century by an anonymous author, it is an enigmatic combination of truth, invention and humour. This volume contains the first half of the History, and includes biographies of every emperor from Hadrian to Heliogabalus - among them the godlike Marcus Antonius and his grotesquely corrupt son Commodus. The History contains many fictitious (but highly entertaining) anecdotes about the depravity of the emperors, as the author blends historical fact and faked documents to present our most complete - albeit unreliable - account of the later Roman Caesars.

Recounts the author's spiritual journey from the abbey of Gethsemane to the San Francisco Zen Center, during which he explored world religions and considered his role as a faithful skeptic.

As the population ages, this book reveals how divides that are apparent through childhood and working life change and are added to in later life. Two internationally renowned experts in ageing look beyond longstanding factors like class, gender and ethnicity to explore new social divisions, including contrasting states of physical fitness and mental health. They show how differences in health and frailty are creating fresh inequalities in later life, with significant implications for the future of our ageing societies. This accessible overview of social divisions is essential reading for those interested in the sociology of ageing and its differences, diversities and inequalities.

Examines the importance of beliefs in understanding psychologically relevant issues from self-identity to recovery from grief.

If this life is all there is, what should we do with it? Join Swedish philosopher Martin Hägglund on an original inquiry into the deepest questions of existence, beginning with a radical declaration: 'What I do and what I love can matter to me only because I understand myself as mortal.' Through revelatory engagements with some of history's greatest philosophers, including Aristotle, St Augustine, Nietzsche, Hegel and Marx, Hägglund attacks our two great deceivers, religion and capitalism. Only by stripping away their subtle illusions can we discover the true value of our earthly freedom. Existence is revealed as a collective project: everything is at stake in what we do together, and no victory can survive us. 'The light of bliss - even when it floods your life - is always attended by the shadow of loss.' By illuminating this truth, This Life forges an existential philosophy fit for a darkening century.

As we confront our own mortality, we might ask, "What has my long life meant and how have the years shaped me?" or "How long must I suffer?" Such questions reflect time-consciousness, the focus of this classic volume. The authors, from diverse disciplines in gerontology, act as guides in the exploration of the realms of time in later life and their meanings. As they examine how the study of time can give new meanings to aging, they also consider the religious and spiritual questions raised when human beings consider the temporal boundaries of life. This volume honors Melvin Kimble's contributions to gerontology and represents a new direction in the study of religion, spirituality, and aging.