Hope in the Age of Anxiety [Hardcover]

Anthony Scioli (Author), Henry Biller (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195380355 | ISBN-13: 978-0195380354 | Publication Date: September 3, 2009 | Edition: 1st

Economic collapse, poverty, disease, natural disasters, the constant threat of community unrest and international terrorism--a quick look at any newspaper is enough to cause almost anyone to feel trapped and desperate. Yet the recent election also revealed a growing search for hope spreading through society. In the timely Hope in the Age of Anxiety, Anthony Scioli and Henry Biller illuminate the nature of hope and offer a multitude of techniques designed to improve the lives of individuals, and bring more light into the world.
In this fascinating and humane book, Scioli and Biller reveal the ways in which human beings acquire and make use of hope. Hope in the Age of Anxiety is meant to be a definitive guide. The evolutionary, biological, and cultural roots of hope are covered along with the seven kinds of hope found in the world's religions. Just as vital, the book provides many personal tools for addressing the major challenges of the human condition: fear, loss, illness, and death. Some of the key areas illuminated in Hope in the Age of Anxiety:

How do you build and sustain hope in trying times?

How can hope help you to achieve your life goals?

How can hope improve your relationships with others?

How can hope aid your recovery from trauma or illness?

How does hope relate to spirituality?

Hope in the Age of Anxiety identifies the skills needed to cultivate hope, and offers suggestions for using these capacities to realize your life goals, support health and healing, strengthen relationships, enhance spirituality, and inoculate yourself against the despair that engulfs many individuals.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"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

About the Author

Anthony Scioli is Professor of Clinical Psychology at Keene State College. Dr. Scioli completed Harvard fellowships in human motivation and behavioral medicine. He co-authored the chapter on emotion for the Encyclopedia of Mental Health and currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Positive Psychology and the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.

Henry Biller is Professor of Clinical Psychology at The University of Rhode Island. A fellow of the American Psychological Association, he has served on the advisory board of the Men's Health Network and the editorial board of the Archives of Sexual Behavior. He has authored nine books, including The Father Factor: What You Need to Know to Make a Difference.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 440 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1st edition (September 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195380355
• ISBN-13: 978-0195380354
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #174,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anthony Scioli is a leading authority on the topic of hope. He is professor of Clinical Psychology at Keene State College (University System of New Hampshire) and a member of the graduate faculty at the University of Rhode Island. He was a Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, and received his Ph. D. from the University of Rhode Island in 1990. Dr. Scioli completed Harvard fellowships in human motivation and behavioral medicine, and is listed in Who's Who in America.

Dr. Scioli co-authored the chapter on emotion for the Encyclopedia of Mental Health and currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Positive Psychology and the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. He is licensed to practice in the state of Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars full of surprises, September 12, 2009

By 

Dale Floody "Balanced Positive Psychology" (wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hope in the Age of Anxiety (Hardcover)

To be honest, I thought this book started out a little slow, but I was soon pleased by a series of nice surprises. Focusing on hope and its correlates (including faith, spirituality, and values), the authors tap a very wide variety of resources (including literature, films, philosophy, music, anthropology, psychology, sociology, and religion). Fundamentals of a variety of belief systems are artfully woven throughout the book, including but not limited to Christianity, Buddhism, African, Australian aboriginal tribes, Aztec, and Native American beliefs. Their definition of hope includes a four-channel emotional network of mastery, attachment, survival, and spiritual subsystems. Fairly heavy reading at times, this book is not a simplistic self-help book, although self-help recommendations are among the pleasant surprises that keep appearing. There is a prolonged and interesting discussion of the development of a sense of hope, faith and spirituality, as well as a chapter dealing with promoting hope in children. The authors discuss "eight centers of value" (Higher Power, nature, social customs, economics, diversity and equality, science, the self, and others). There is also a discussion of "spiritual types" (follower, collaborator, independent, mystic, reformer, and sufferer), and there is a brief assessment (18 items) of the types. This is one of few books I've encountered that speaks directly to the importance of "time mastery" (optimal use of the time available to me). The book concludes with two chapters related to the links between hope and medicine/health. As I noted above, fairly heavy reading at times, but well worth it for a balanced and positive multivariate perspective concerning hope.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Library Journal, February 3, 2010

By 

Hope Writer - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Hope in the Age of Anxiety (Hardcover)

From Library Journal - (Listed among Best Consumer Health Books of 2009)

Clinical psychologists Scioli and Biller take an interdisciplinary approach to hope, addressing its cultural, spiritual, social, and psychological components. Also presented are meditation exercises and self-assessment tools that allow readers to take control of their spiritual well-being. Much more than a self-help book.

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, Univ. of Pittsburgh Johnstown, Johnstown, PA

Choice Review, Editor's Pick for January 2010

The 2008 US presidential race focused on the issue of hope in a way not seen before. Given the dangers and threats in the news, one should not be surprised that an interest in finding, developing, and sustaining hope might arise. Hope implies a belief in things unseen, and although unseen things by definition remain unseen, belief in such things can be studied. Scioli (Keene State College) and Biller (Univ. of Rhode Island) have blended scientific discoveries with insights from art, literature, and classic wisdom to provide a book about understanding and using hope. Early chapters explore 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. Explorations of the evolution of religious understandings of hope and the life-span development of spiritual understanding and faith illustrate the multidimensional nature 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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope Springs Eternal, January 25, 2010

By 

Witchwriter (Amherst, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hope in the Age of Anxiety (Hardcover)

It perhaps is an understatement to say that our lives are suffused with hope. We hope our next interview will land us a job; we hope our children will do well in school; we hope the lump we discover isn't what we fear it may be. It's hard to go through a single day in which we don't hope for one thing or another.

But what is hope? Is it merely a convenient way of describing an optimistic outlook on life or perhaps a spiritual inclination shared by the world's religions? Is it just a word publishers use to promote self-help books? Perhaps hope is nothing more than a poetic metaphor or, in the words of Emily Dickinson, "the thing with feathers....that perches in the soul."

Scioli and Biller set out to explore the deeper meaning of hope by delving into its philosophic, spiritual and developmental roots. It is an ambitious undertaking but they are up to the task and have produced a masterful work that illuminates the various ways hope operates in our day-to-day lives. 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.