Anxiety In A 'risk' Society

The book "Anxiety in a Risk Society" looks at the relationship between anxiety and risk in a contemporary society. It argues that there is a connection between the two, and that anxiety is becoming more common because of the increased focus on risk in society.

Few would dispute that as individuals we are living at a time of high anxiety and uncertainty in which many of us will experience a crisis of identity at some point of another. At the same time, the daily catalogue of disasters around the globe supplied by the media reminds us that we inhabit a world of crisis, insecurity and hazard. Anxiety in a Risk Society looks at the problem of contemporary anxiety from a sociological perspective and highlights its significance for the ways we make sense of risk and uncertainty. It argues that the relationship between anxiety and risk hinges on the nature of anxiety. The author belives that there is much for sociologists to learn from those who have made the condition of anxiety the focus of sociological inquiry a critical vantage point can be gained from which to attempt an answer to the question: Are we more anxious because we are more risk conscious ? This is an original and thought-provoking contribution to the understanding of late modernity as a risk society. Review: Anxiety in a Risk Society is an attempt to uncover the meaning behind the terms risk and anxiety by thoroughly reviewing the literature in these areas. Sociologists interested in the meaning of modern anxiety will find the book useful, as will those who are concerned that the risks of contemporary society are creating a highly charged environment leading to social unrest.. -Contemporary Sociology 31, 4