Publication date:
16 September 2007Length of book:
160 pagesPublisher
Jason Aronson, Inc.ISBN-13: 9780765704627
A new form of anxiety has emerged, stemming in part from our post-9/11 reality, but even more stemming from the influence of supermodernity. Whereas postmodernism theorizes an anxiety that results from the collapse or loss of meaning, through the lens of supermodernity it appears that the new anxiety is evoked more by an excess of meaning generated by the rapid acceleration of human life and the media's daily bombardment with serious global, national, and local concerns. This book explores the nature of the anxiety our supermodern condition provokes, and proposes that with the void left by the diminishment of religious involvement and practice the therapy session becomes the definitive place for meaning-making. Building on a cognitive therapy approach that emphasizes the client's belief system, Bingaman demonstrates that to treat this new anxiety most effectively, practitioners must help clients identify and explore their core theological beliefs and spiritual values.
In the tradition of Erich Fromm and Rollo May, Kirk Bingaman addresses the psychological and social implications of anxiety. But Bingaman adds a new twist, namely the relevance of theology to address the "new anxiety" of our post-9/11 era. This important book demonstrates that a formative and fruitful integration is possible between theology and therapy, and underscores the necessity, in a "supermodern," post-9/11 world, for such an integration in treating anxiety.