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About this book
As a researcher whose work focuses largely on the causes and conse quences of unwanted pregnancy, I may appear to be an unlikely candidate to write a foreword to a book on infertility. Yet, many of the themes that emerge in the study of unwanted pregnancy are also apparent in the study of infertility. Moreover, this volume is an important contribution to the literature on fertility, women's health issues, and health psychology in general, all topics with which I have been closely involved over the past two decades. Neither pregnancy nor its absence is inherently desirable: The occurrence of a pregnancy can be met with joy or despair, and its absence can be a cause of relief or anguish. Whether or not these states are wanted, the conscious and unconscious meanings attached to pregnancy and in fertility, the responses of others, the perceived implications of these states, and one's expectations for the future all are critical factors in determining an individual's response. In addition, both unwanted pregnancy and failure to conceive can be socially stigmatized, evoking both overt and subtle social disapproval. Fur ther, they involve not only the woman, but her partner, and potentially the extended family. Finally, both of these reproductive issues have been poorly researched. Because both are emotionally charged and socially stigmatized events, they are difficult to study. Much of the early literature relied on anecdotal or case reports.
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Table of contents (10 chapters)
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Front Matter
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An Introduction to the Infertility Process
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Front Matter
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Application of Conceptual Models and Constructs in Psychology to the Study of the Infertility Process
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Front Matter
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Current Status and Future Directions
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Editors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Infertility
Book Subtitle: Perspectives from Stress and Coping Research
Editors: Annette L. Stanton, Christine Dunkel-Schetter
Series Title: Springer Series on Stress and Coping
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0753-0
Publisher: Springer New York, NY
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eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive
Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media New York 1991
Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-306-43844-8Published: 31 May 1991
Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4899-0755-4Published: 05 June 2013
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4899-0753-0Published: 29 June 2013
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XX, 240
Topics: Personality and Social Psychology, Sexual Behavior, Psychotherapy and Counseling