None of us could survive in the workplace, community, or even in our homes, if we allowed everyone to see how truly vulnerable we are. Yet, social support is a necessity if we are to achieve whatever it is we set out to achieve in this life. "No human being is an island unto himself." "Social Support: A Reflection of Humanity" is a "how to" book. In this work, the authors examine the nature of social support, how it can be offered, and how social support differs from other forms of therapy.

The make-up of the contemporary nation-state is increasingly multiethnic and statistics show that in many cases no one group is numerically the largest. Interethnic relations are given global visibility by the media while much that happens among different groups depends on context. Editors John D. Morgan (King's College, London) and Pittu Laungani (South Bank and Manchester Universities, England) have gathered leading international authorities to produce Death and Bereavement Around the World the first of a five-volume presentation and analysis of the ways different peoples experience dying and grief. Effective bereavement care requires a knowledge of an individual's physical, social, educational, and spiritual existence since the expressions of grief and the needs that emerge vary widely from one to another and are subject to past experiences, cultural expectations, personal beliefs, and relationships. An individual's identity comes from a sense of personal uniqueness; solidarity with group ideals; continuity with the past, present and future; and from the culture by which an individual is raised or adopted. This first volume discusses the major religious traditions of the world and how they help followers deal with the fundamentals of life.