20th Century American History - Social Aspects - Post World War II, Religion - Reference, Religion - United States

Sharing the Journey: Support Groups and the Quest for a New Community

Name: Sharing the Journey: Support Groups and the Quest for a New Community
Author: Robert Wuthnow
ISBN: 9780684826233

by Robert Wuthnow

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Overview

Millions of Americans, an estimated 40 percent of our population, are flocking to support groups of all kinds-from AA to abuse prevention to pray fellowships. Why, and with what consequences? In a landmark study of one thousand small groups around the country, Robert Wuthnow of Princeton University, a leading interpreter of American religion and culture, examines the growth of the support group movement and its meaning in our national life. Wuthnow shows that this movement is effecting a quiet revolution-one that is dramatically changing our relationship to the self, to the community, and to the sacred.

Synopsis

A look at how support groups have affected American society argues that, although support groups provide a warmth and security that holds society together, they can lead to an unhealthy self-absorption and a trivialized sense of what is sacred.