The Price of Love: The selected works of Colin Murray Parkes (World Library of Mental Health)

New
Hardcover
2014
$146.48

In the course of a long career Colin Murray Parkes, one of the most important and influential psychiatrists working in the field of bereavement and loss, has produced a body of work which can be considered truly ground-breaking. His early studies involved working alongside John Bowlby in the development of attachment theory and led to his pioneering work on the Harvard Bereavement Project in the USA and at the new St Christopher's Hospice in Britain. Parkes focussed on two psychological processes, grief, which is the painful search for a lost person or object of attachment, and transition, which is the process of changing the assumptive world in ways that ensure that nothing worthwhile need be completely lost. Out of the struggle to resolve the conflict between holding on and letting go of the old assumptions there gradually emerges a new and more mature model of the world.

These ideas throw light on a wide range of life change events and have proved useful to people faced with bereavement, physical disabilities, dying, disasters and even terrorist attacks. In recent years he has supported humanitarian efforts in countries including Rwanda, India and Japan. Parkes' career has spanned several decades and touched countless lives. In The Price of Love, Parkes presents papers which span the full extent of his career, covering and linking together our understanding of the five major areas of his work:

- Love and grief;

- Crisis, trauma and transition;

- Death and dying;

- Disasters;

- War and terrorism: breaking the cycle.

The papers included here have been carefully selected and annotated to show how Parkes' thinking has developed during a career as researcher, practitioner and educator. In each section of the book psychological and social causes are paired with consequences and interventions (both preventive and therapeutic) and explored from Western and cross-cultural perspectives, all with Parkes' customary clarity and compassion.

This unique collection of papers will prove invaluable to psychologists, psychiatrists, palliative care staff, counsellors and students, as well as those studying international conflict and working with the bereaved.

Synopsis

In the course of a long career Colin Murray Parkes, one of the most important and influential psychiatrists working in the field of bereavement and loss, has produced a body of work which can be considered truly ground-breaking. His early studies involved working alongside John Bowlby in the development of attachment theory and led to his pioneering work on the Harvard Bereavement Project in the USA and at the new St Christopher's Hospice in Britain. Parkes focussed on two psychological processes, grief, which is the painful search for a lost person or object of attachment, and transition, which is the process of changing the assumptive world in ways that ensure that nothing worthwhile need be completely lost. Out of the struggle to resolve the conflict between holding on and letting go of the old assumptions there gradually emerges a new and more mature model of the world.

These ideas throw light on a wide range of life change events and have proved useful to people faced with bereavement, physical disabilities, dying, disasters and even terrorist attacks. In recent years he has supported humanitarian efforts in countries including Rwanda, India and Japan. Parkes' career has spanned several decades and touched countless lives. In The Price of Love, Parkes presents papers which span the full extent of his career, covering and linking together our understanding of the five major areas of his work:

- Love and grief;

- Crisis, trauma and transition;

- Death and dying;

- Disasters;

- War and terrorism: breaking the cycle.

The papers included here have been carefully selected and annotated to show how Parkes' thinking has developed during a career as researcher, practitioner and educator. In each section of the book psychological and social causes are paired with consequences and interventions (both preventive and therapeutic) and explored from Western and cross-cultural perspectives, all with Parkes' customary clarity and compassion.

This unique collection of papers will prove invaluable to psychologists, psychiatrists, palliative care staff, counsellors and students, as well as those studying international conflict and working with the bereaved.

$146.48

Quantity

5 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 252
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 24 Jul 2014
ISBN 10: 0415662710
ISBN 13: 9780415662710

Media Reviews

`This is not just a book for easy academic reference to an author's diverse contributions; it is one that draws us into the journey of an exceptional lifetime. On a personal note: as a bereavement researcher, I have followed Colin Murray Parkes's career closely and read most of his work over the years. And yet, put together for the World Library of Mental Health series, this selection took me by total surprise and moved me to the core. His lifetime's contribution unfolds; his added reflections speak deeply to one from these pages.' - Margaret Stroebe, in The Positive Aging Newsletter, July/August 2014, Issue 87

`This is a fascinating selection of Colin Murray Parkes' favourite and most influential articles and chapters. The volume provides unique historical insights into the evolution of what was in the seventies a newly emerging field of study and clinical engagement and underlines Colin Murray Parkes' pre-eminent role within it.' - Professor Dame Barbara Monroe, from the foreword

`Colin Murray Parkes is the undisputed father-figure in the field of bereavement. His contributions to research and care are simply magnificent. This selection of his papers gives a sense of the breadth of his contribution to both the scientific knowledge base and clinical practice across many decades. It makes his work more easily accessible, ensuring that future generations also appreciate his remarkable career and the far-reaching scope of his work.' - Margaret Stroebe, Professor of Bereavement and Loss at Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Author Bio

Colin Murray Parkes, OBE, MD, FRCPsych, DL, is a psychiatrist, researcher and clinician who has pioneered development of psychological support for families facing the death of a family member. His recent work has focussed on traumatic bereavements with special reference to violent deaths, armed conflict and the cycle of violence. He is the author and editor of six previous books, including most recently Responses to Terrorism (Routledge, 2014).