Hope in the Age of Anxiety

Chosen as one of the best Consumer Health books of 2009 by Library Journal! "This book is a must read for any individual who is dealing with adversity. When we understand the role that hope plays in our lives, our physiology and our ability to survive, we will all be better able to cope with life's difficulties and to help those we love. This is also a book that every healthcare professional should read. Hope is a vital force and not about statistics. True hope is never false. We need to care for people by understanding the role that hope plays and not only treat their diagnosis."--Bernie Siegel, MD author of Love, Medicine & Miracles and Help Me To Heal "Hope in the Age of Anxiety is a book in the grand style, one that goes well beyond typical 'formula- driven' self-help books. The authors have culled "the best of hope" from psychology, philosophy, and theology as well as the struggles and achievements of both ordinary and extraordinary individuals and groups. This is a book that captures the full depth and breadth of hope as a force for positively transforming the reader's life. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down."--James Prochaska, Professor of Clinical and Health Psychology, Director of the Cancer Prevention Research Center, University of Rhode Island, and author of Changing for Good "At last, a book on hope rooted in modern science that takes seriously its underpinnings in the world's great religious traditions. Scioli and Biller offer us all 'hope' that our best solution for rising to life's challenges lies in the blending of a scientific and humanitarian perspective."--Robert A. Emmons, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Positive Psychology and author of Thanks!: How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier "Hope in the Age of Anxiety, by Anthony Scioli and Henry Biller, is a captivating and comprehensive work written with great care and delivered with exceptional devotion. Indeed, it is a book in the grand tradition-original, scholarly, thought-provoking, uplifting, and meticulously well referenced. As the title suggests, the work is sweeping in scope and relevant to everyday life, especially during times of challenge, crisis, and illness. By its nature, hope is universal and transcendent, yet curiously familiar. The book will hold wide appeal for readers faced with any manner of adversity, patients and their families, clinicians, and those intrigued by the topic." --JAMA "...fairly heavy reading at times, but well worth it for a balanced and positive multivariate perspective concerning hope." -- Dale Floody, "Balanced Positive Psychology" "This book is saved from being another one-dimensional self-help book by its multidisciplinary approach and basis in scientific research. Neither overly scientific nor overly general, this is an excellent choice for readers looking to take control of their spiritual well-being...this book will inspire, educate, and encourage those suffering from chronic illness, a troubled past, or general anxiety and hopelessness." -- Melissa Mallon, University of Pittsburgh Johnstown, PA "Early chapters explor the biological, psychological, philosophical, medical, and cultural perspectives of how one experiences hope and how motives for mastery, attachment, and survival can be combined in different ways to create various conceptualizations of hope... In the second part of the book, the authors look at practical benefits of adopting a hope-centered way of life. They examine the skills necessary to cultivate a hope-centered life in order to show how the individual can become, and can assist others in becoming, more empowered, connected, and secure. Summing up: Highly recommended for all readers." -- R.B. Stewart Jr., Oakland University "As a child psychologist I was particularly drawn to the concept of childhood "hope providers" and the role parents play in providing children with a life stratagem in which hope plays a prominent role. The chapters on Help and Healing and Hope and Wellness are in themselves worth the price of the book and more insightful than any stack of self-help tracts one comes across in book stores. If you wish (hope?) to discover the part that hope plays in your life, I can think of no better guide to point the way than Scioli and Biller's book." -- Sheldon Cashdan, Ph.D. (Witchwriter) "Hope in an Age of Anxiety is a major scholarly achievement... Scioli and Biller have carefully examined an immense range of literature on the nature of hope and hoping, from traditional philosophical theories and studies, and have pulled it all together into a powerful, comprehensive approach... But it was well worth the effort, and I would highly recommend it to anyone with a serious interest in this important topic. Hope in an Age of Anxiety should shape thinking about hope, one way or another, for many years. It deserves a wide and careful reading." -- Rodney Hunter, Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Theology, Emory University "Encyclopedic in scope... may well be the definitive guide to its subject... incorporates advances of modern science as well as ancient wisdom to place hope in its rightful place as the essence of the human life force. In moving vignettes in which hope sustains people through loss, difficulties, and unimaginable horrors, the authors show that survivors are those who, rather than denying reality, confront and embrace it, with hope empowering them to surmount the odds they face... provides tools that address in depth the major challenges faced by humans: fear, loss, illness, and death, in a manner that is at once accessible, incisive, and compassionate; an important contribution to the literature... necessary reading for those seeking wisdom on the topic." -- Forward Magazine "This is not a 'self-help book' but a serious synthesis that empowers its reader. Gracefully written and well-researched, the volume represents the rare species of genuine interdisciplinary love of wisdom and understanding. Combining insights and results from psychology, philosophy, anthropology, the study of religion and a host of related fields, the volume is a comprehensive treatment of the subject of hope. A rich source of inspiration for years to come." -- Esa Saarienen, Professor of Philosophy, Aalto University, Finland "In Hope in the Age of Anxiety, Anthony Scioli and Henry Biller, vividly dissect and capture one of the most salient and universal truths of human existence...not a self -help book in the traditional self...they infuse their work with interesting and illustrative examples that serve to bring their primary points to life in a powerful and poignant manner...Scioli and Biller meticulously explain how hope is conceptualized and valued in different cultures...they also investigate the religious origins of hope across different cultures. .. Scioli and Biller are very much at ease with the subject matters that have selected for this volume. Both demonstrate an extensive understanding of, and appreciation for religion and philosophy as well as psychology." -- Aaron Hughey, Professor of Counseling Psychology, Western Kentucky University