Helps readers to reflect on the role of gratitude in their lives and to cultivate this virtue for their own benefit. The first author to offer a critique of gratitude through an explanation of various types of gratitude, Charles Shelton uses his skills as a clinical psychologist to present insights into the human experience of gratitude based on his own research. The exercises, strategies, and reflection questions threaded throughout the book give it a practical dimension that facilitates the reader's growth. Shelton's highly original reflection on Jesus as a grateful person lends a spiritual dimension to his work. This book will benefit individual readers as well as serve as a resource for spiritual direction workshops, spiritual formation courses, or ministry formation programs.--From publisher description.

In The Art of Gratitude, Jeremy David Engels sketches a genealogy of gratitude from the ancient Greeks to the contemporary self-help movement. One of the most striking things about gratitude, Engels finds, is how consistently it is described using the language of indebtedness. A chief purpose of this, he contends, is to make us more comfortable living lives in debt, with the nefarious effect of pacifying the citizenry so we are less likely to speak out about social and economic injustice. To counteract this, he proposes an alternative art of gratitude-as-thanksgiving that is inspired by Indian philosophy, particularly the yoga philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali's Yoga-Sutras. He argues that this art of gratitude can challenge neoliberalism by reorienting our politics away from resentment, anger, and guilt and toward a democratic ethic of thanksgiving and the common good.

Gratitude, like other positive emotions, has inspired many theological and philosophical writings, but it has inspired very little vigorous, empirical research. In an effort to remedy this oversight, this volume brings together prominent scientists from various disciplines to examine what has become known as the most-neglected emotion. The volume begins with the historical, philosophical, and theoretical foundations of gratitude, then presents the current research perspectives from social, personality, and developmental psychology, as well as from primatology, anthropology, and biology. The volume also includes a comprehensive, annotated bibliography of research on gratitude. This work contributes a great deal to the growing positive psychology initiative and to the scientific investigation of positive human emotions. It will be an invaluable resource for researchers and students in social, personality, and developmental, clinical, and health psychology, as well as to sociologists and cultural anthropologists.

This work explores the influential Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola, the sixteenth-century Spanish soldier, saint, mystic, and founder of the Jesuit Order. The Ignatian Exercises, including the Examen, are brought into dialogue with the psychologies of C.G. Jung and Viktor Frankl, the philosophies of Eric Voegelin and Bernard Lonergan, as well as the thought of Teilhard de Chardin, von Balthasar, and Eastern philosophy. Their enduring relevance and implications for the Recovery and wellness movement are also articulated. Drawing on key themes such as gratitude, forgiveness and consciousness as a springboard for reflection and interpretation, the mystical dimension of Ignatian spirituality is emphasised throughout. This book will benefit the beginner, serious scholar, spiritual seeker and anyone intent on gaining an understanding of this unique 'way of proceeding'.

When the Gears Just Keep Winding Tighter and Tighter...Do you want your children or grandchildren to think it is acceptable to feel pent up, frazzled or otherwise stressed out most of the time? This interactive workbook is YOUR chance to learn living skills that can better manage stress. Let your own lifestyle demonstrate healthier and happier ways to approach life!

A purposeful guide for cultivating gratitude as a way of life Recent dramatic advances in our understanding of gratitude have changed the question from "does gratitude work?" to "how do we get more of it?" This book explores evidence-based practices in a compelling and accessible way and provides a step-by-step guide to cultivating gratitude in their lives. Gratitude Works! also shows how religious, philosophical, and spiritual traditions validate the greatest insights of science about gratitude. New book from Robert Emmons the bestselling author of Thanks Filled with practical tips for fostering gratitude as a way of life Includes scientific research as well as religious and philosophical insights to show how gratitude can work in our lives From Robert Emmons, the bestselling author of Thanks, comes a resource for cultivating a life of gratitude practices.

A seminal exploration of the psychological and spiritual power of our positive emotions. This new companion volume to the Whitehead's influential book on our negative emotions completes a work of scholarship that will nourish individuals and inform those who counsel them.

An unprecedented and important reference work, this research companion covers a range of aspects of happiness, an aim everyone aspires to achieve, yet can be easily overlooked in today’s demanding and multi-challenged world, or confused with a plethora of quantifiable or career goals. This book helps readers to internalize happiness, form a healthy opinion about this emotion, and detach it from external factors that can only cause temporary discomfort or delight. A group of expert authors considers happiness within three critical realms: internally, interactively, and work-related. Their thoughtful contributions approach happiness from a multiplicity of angles, and present a full spectrum of backgrounds and perspectives to consider, based on a wide range of circumstances, personal and professional. This companion will be valuable for researchers, students, and coaches, whether they seek input for future theory development, or motivation for performance in personal and professional life.