Robert C. Atchley is a distinguished professor of gerontology emeritus at Miami University, Ohio, where he also served as the director of the Scripps Gerontology Center. Professor Atchley was previously a professor and chair of the Department of Gerontology at the Naropa Institute, in Boulder, Colorado, and is the author of Social Forces and Aging and of Continuity and Adaptation in Aging: Creating Positive Experiences, also published by Johns Hopkins.

Considers fundamental questions about the meaning of being and how it is shaped by the experience of aging. Atchley's major goal is to provide a conceptual and theoretical picture of spirituality as a subject in its own right, separate from, though sometimes overlapping with religion. He acknowledges that many find that their religious beliefs provide an important and maybe even exclusive context for spirituality, but discovered that as age increases so does the proportion of people who see spirituality in a broader context than formal or organised religion. He sets out to use language that will enable conversation around spiritual experiences we can share rather than religious concepts that separate us. Counselling Today [New Zealand] 2009 This innovative essay will stimulate theory development and research. -- David O. Moberg Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 2009 Indeed, because of Atchley's extensive knowledge and experiences in spirituality and aging, this volume should serve as an excellent supplement for anyone interested in research, practice, or teaching of spirituality and aging. -- Holly Nelson-Becker Canadian Journal on Aging 2009 Atchley is... to be greatly commended for opening our eyes to a fuller and richer view of the place of spirituality in the ageing process. That he is able to explore all of these themes with such insight and depth in this slim and accessible monograph is to his credit. Spirituality and Aging is a seminal work for the religious gerontology field and should be added to the must-read list for anyone seeking to be an informed scholar or practitioner in this field. -- Jeff Levin Journal of Ageing and Society 2010

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Setting the StagePart I: Basic Frames of Reference1. The Nature of Spiritual Experience2. Spiritual Development3. Spirituality, Spiritual Self, and Spiritual IdentityPart II: Spirtual Journeying4. Becoming a Sage and a Spiritual Elder: Transpersonal Psychology5. Transpersonal Sociology and Serving from SpiritPart III: Examples Using an Expanded View6. Continuity, Spiritual Growth, and Coping in Later Adulthood7. Spiritual Beliefs and Practices and the Experience of Time and Aging8. Spirituality and the Experience of Dying and DeathConclusion: Summary, Reflections, and ImplicationsAppendix A: Spirituality InventoryAppendix B: Questions for Reflection and Spiritual Self-AssessmentNotesReferencesIndex

Robert C. Atchley is a distinguished professor of gerontology emeritus at Miami University, Ohio, where he also served as the director of the Scripps Gerontology Center. Professor Atchley was previously a professor and chair of the Department of Gerontology at the Naropa Institute, in Boulder, Colorado, and is the author of Social Forces and Aging and of Continuity and Adaptation in Aging: Creating Positive Experiences, also published by Johns Hopkins.

Considers fundamental questions about the meaning of being and how it is shaped by the experience of aging. Atchley's major goal is to provide a conceptual and theoretical picture of spirituality as a subject in its own right, separate from, though sometimes overlapping with religion. He acknowledges that many find that their religious beliefs provide an important and maybe even exclusive context for spirituality, but discovered that as age increases so does the proportion of people who see spirituality in a broader context than formal or organised religion. He sets out to use language that will enable conversation around spiritual experiences we can share rather than religious concepts that separate us. Counselling Today [New Zealand] 2009 This innovative essay will stimulate theory development and research. -- David O. Moberg Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 2009 Indeed, because of Atchley's extensive knowledge and experiences in spirituality and aging, this volume should serve as an excellent supplement for anyone interested in research, practice, or teaching of spirituality and aging. -- Holly Nelson-Becker Canadian Journal on Aging 2009 Atchley is... to be greatly commended for opening our eyes to a fuller and richer view of the place of spirituality in the ageing process. That he is able to explore all of these themes with such insight and depth in this slim and accessible monograph is to his credit. Spirituality and Aging is a seminal work for the religious gerontology field and should be added to the must-read list for anyone seeking to be an informed scholar or practitioner in this field. -- Jeff Levin Journal of Ageing and Society 2010

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Setting the StagePart I: Basic Frames of Reference1. The Nature of Spiritual Experience2. Spiritual Development3. Spirituality, Spiritual Self, and Spiritual IdentityPart II: Spirtual Journeying4. Becoming a Sage and a Spiritual Elder: Transpersonal Psychology5. Transpersonal Sociology and Serving from SpiritPart III: Examples Using an Expanded View6. Continuity, Spiritual Growth, and Coping in Later Adulthood7. Spiritual Beliefs and Practices and the Experience of Time and Aging8. Spirituality and the Experience of Dying and DeathConclusion: Summary, Reflections, and ImplicationsAppendix A: Spirituality InventoryAppendix B: Questions for Reflection and Spiritual Self-AssessmentNotesReferencesIndex