Something must have changed in society. We weren?t always this worried. Not always caught up in disastrous scenarios in our minds. What is this nagging voice in our head? Why won?t it stop, and why are we so fixated on it?

In Why We Worry, Roland Paulsen paints a broad picture of the cultural variations and historical evolution of anxiety. Through this lens, he invites readers to explore the paradox of how material wealth has enriched our lives in every aspect except one: our mental well-being.

This book offers empirically grounded insights into the sociological underpinnings of issues relating to worry. As such, it is suitable for undergraduate students in psychology, sociology, and medicine ? and anyone who has ever been trapped in rumination.

The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

?Paulsen?s book is a fascinating and penetrating analysis of our late-modern anxieties when we are confronted with the basic uncontrollability of the world ? and a passionate plea for regaining a robust trust in life that does not depend on control and domination.?

Hartmut Rosa, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany

Table of Contents:

1. A Window onto Our Thoughts

PART 1. WORRY IN OUR TIME

2. How We Feel

3. The Nature of Worry

4. In Thought?s Clutches

PART 2. TRICKLES OF HISTORY

5. Time Horizons

6. Disenchantments

7. An Appendage of the Machine

8. The World as Risk

9. The Self as Risk

10. Self-Suspicions

PART 3. ACTION IN OUR TIME

11. Quieting Worry

12. Living with Worry

13. Beyond Treatment

Sociology in general, methodology, handbooks

Social issues, social work

Psychotherapy, clinical psychology

Self-help

Further readings in medicine

Psychology theory

Applied psychology

Sociology in general, methodology, handbooks (charity campaign)

Social issues, social work (charity campaign)

Psychotherapy, clinical psychology (charity campaign)

Self-help (charity campaign)

Further readings in medicine (charity campaign)

Psychology theory (charity campaign)

Applied psychology (charity campaign)

Why We Worry

In Why We Worry, Roland Paulsen paints a broad picture of the cultural variations and historical evolution of anxiety. Through this lens, he invites readers to explore the paradox of how material wealth has enriched our lives in every aspect except one: our mental well-being.