Reflecting on the Inevitable
Mortality at the Crossroads of Psychology, Philosophy, and Health
Published on 5. June 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
264 pages
978-0-19-094500-8 (ISBN)
Description
Death studies have, over the last twenty years, witnessed a flourishing of research and scholarship particularly in areas such as dying and bereavement, cultural practices and fear of dying. But, despite its importance, a specific focus on the nature of personal mortality has attracted surprisingly little attention. Reflecting on the Inevitable combines evidence from several disciplinary fields to explore the varying ways each of us engages with the prospect of personal mortality. Chapters are organized around the question of how an ongoing relationship might be possible when the threat of consciousness coming to an end points to an unspeakable nothingness. The book then argues that, despite this threat, an ongoing relationship with one's own death is still possible by means of conceptual devices, or 'enabling frames', that help shape personal mortality into a relatable object.
In each chapter the subtleties and applicability of key ideas are enhanced through a series of illustrative narratives built up around the lives of four people at different ages living in two adjacent houses. Reflecting on the Inevitable is relevant not only to academics of death studies, but also those training and practicing in people-helping professions, as well as anyone experiencing or attempting to make sense of major life events.
In each chapter the subtleties and applicability of key ideas are enhanced through a series of illustrative narratives built up around the lives of four people at different ages living in two adjacent houses. Reflecting on the Inevitable is relevant not only to academics of death studies, but also those training and practicing in people-helping professions, as well as anyone experiencing or attempting to make sense of major life events.
Reviews / Votes
[I]f you have an interest in death studies or your clinical or teaching duties include these fields, you should consider this book. * Roger Woodruff, IAHPC * Is it possible to comprehend ones own death? Might the attempt to do so be critical for the engagement with ones own life? Reflectigs on the Inevitable takes the reader on a journey into the midst of the questions that emerge here, drawing together a range of philosophical and psychological considerations within an intriguing and accessible narrative that will be of value, not only to students and researchers in many different fields, but also to anyone who has begun to reflect on the fact of their own inevitable demise. * Jeff Malpas, PhD, FAHA, Emeritus Distinguished Professor, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia * This is a rich and fascinating study of the prospect of personal death. The book is unusual in that it combines insights from various different disciplines and schools of thought. Adams discussions are thought-provoking and more entertaining than the subject matter might suggest. * Jens Johansson, PhD, Professor of Philosophy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden * Reflecting on the Inevitable provides an accessible and interdisciplinary guide to the philosophy and psychology of death. Adams focus on personal mortality makes this book an especially welcome contribution to the literature. It will be of interest to anyone with a serious interest in the personal dimension of mortality as well as the general issue of how we may think our way through this extremely elusive realm of human experience. * Paul Fairfield, PhD, Professor of Philosophy, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada * Adams' highly original, sensitive, attention to the struggle we each have with our own death resulted in a finely-tuned, delicately-argued book. It uses the literary aid of four fictional characters, whose presence in the book makes its ideas both accessible and engaging. * Havi Carel, Phd, Professor of Philosophy, University of Bristol, Bristol, England, United Kingdom *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
406 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-094500-8 (9780190945008)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Peter J. Adams
Reflecting on the Inevitable
Mortality at the Crossroads of Psychology, Philosophy, and Health
E-Book
03/2020
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€40.49
Available for download
Peter J. Adams
Reflecting on the Inevitable
Mortality at the Crossroads of Psychology, Philosophy, and Health
E-Book
03/2020
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€40.49
Available for download
Person
Peter J. Adams, PhD, has a background in philosophy, social sciences and health sciences. He was trained and practiced for many years as a clinical psychologist, working mostly with adults facing mental health, addictions, violence and life-change issues. His research publications have focused mainly on addictions, public health, unhealthy commodity industries and existential concerns and he has published five previous sole-authored books. He is currently a professor of population health at the University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand.
Content
Chapter 1: Other People Die
Chapter 2: My-Death
Chapter 3: Limits of Intelligibility
Chapter 4: Aversion and Evasion
Chapter 5: A Constant Companion
Chapter 6: Essential Structures
Chapter 7: Passionate Suffusion
Chapter 8: Point-of-Transition
Chapter 9: Self-Generative Process
Chapter 10: Dialogue
Chapter 11: What's to Gain?
Chapter 12: Applications
Conclusion
Chapter 2: My-Death
Chapter 3: Limits of Intelligibility
Chapter 4: Aversion and Evasion
Chapter 5: A Constant Companion
Chapter 6: Essential Structures
Chapter 7: Passionate Suffusion
Chapter 8: Point-of-Transition
Chapter 9: Self-Generative Process
Chapter 10: Dialogue
Chapter 11: What's to Gain?
Chapter 12: Applications
Conclusion