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This text presents an analysis of modernity's impact on the psyche. Modernization has brought many material benefits, yet we are constantly told how unhappy we are: crime, divorce, suicide, depression and anxiety are rampant. How can this contradiction be reconciled? Tod Sloan develops an integrated theory of the self in society by combining perspectives on personality development and sociohistorical processes to explore our complex response to modernization. He discusses the implications of postmodern theory for psychology and proposes concrete responses to address the issue of mass emotional suffering. His book is aimed at those working within psychology and related disciplines such as sociology and social policy, as well as anyone seeking enlightenment about the predicament of the self in contemporary society.