In the Course of a Lifetime

"Dillon and Wink bring their combination of sociological and psychological perspectives to this landmark study, making possible a fascinating series of individual portraits--and a fresh new window on how life and faith have changed over the last century."--Nancy T. Ammerman, author of Pillars of Faith: American Congregations and their Partners, Building Traditions, Building Communities

"The rich findings in this landmark volume challenge many assumptions about religion and the life course while documenting the multiple ways, both direct and subtle, that faith relates to personality, social attitudes, community involvement, psychological well-being, and health. This is social science at its best - empirically rigorous and theoretically sophisticated for sure, but also deeply humane in its ability to convey so clearly the individual voices of the research participants, as they struggle to make sense of their lives in a rapidly changing world."--Dan P. McAdams, author of The Redemptive Self: Stories Americans Live By

Michele Dillon, Professor of Sociology at the University of New Hampshire, is author of Catholic Identity: Balancing Reason, Faith and Power and Debating Divorce: Moral Conflict in Ireland. She edited Handbook of the Sociology of Religion. Paul Wink, Professor of Psychology at Wellesley College, has written extensively on adult development and is coeditor, with J. James, of The Crown of Life: Dynamics of the Early Post-Retirement Period.