This book may be viewed as an antiguide to decisionmaking. It rejects mechanical formulas and urges self-reflection and a critique of ideology. Through close readings of fifteen life history interviews, Tod Sloan creates a framework for the interpretation of dilemmas and decisions. Ultimately, we see that a life choice or turning point comprises three phasesdilemma, deliberation, and decision. As each individual recounts a specific instance when a life choice was necessary, the supporting analysis reveals the framework that triggered the sense that a turning point had been reached.Sloan's...

What are the psychological problems caused by modernization? How can we minimize its negative effects?

Modernization has brought many material benefits to us, yet we are constantly told how unhappy we are: crime, divorce, suicide, depression and anxiety are rampant. How can this contradiction be reconciled?

Damaged Life, originally published in 1996, presents a powerful and progressive analysis of modernity's impact on the psyche. Tod Sloan develops an integrated theory of the self in society by combining perspectives on personality development and socio-historical...