The Psychobiographer's Handbook A Practical

A comprehensive and practical guide on conducting rigorous, ethical, and impactful psychobiographical research.

Psychobiography is the intensive psychological study of an individual within their unique socio‑cultural‑historic context. This engaging and exciting approach challenges researchers to apply psychological theories and knowledge of history to understand the inner emotional life of a particular person, usually a prominent historical figure.

This handbook leads readers step-by-step through all aspects of planning and conducting a psychobiography. Readers will learn how to select an appropriate historical subject for research, anchor their study in established theories of psychology, collect and analyze data, monitor ethical considerations, and write the final report. Chapters are richly illustrated with examples from the author’s own work, as well as early psychobiographical landmarks, such as Freud's study of Leonardo da Vinci and Erikson’s study of Mahatma Gandhi.

With its personal tone and wisdom borne from experience, this book will be a trusty resource for all psychobiographers, from students writing a psychobiography for a course to seasoned researchers writing a book‑length psychobiography for publication.

Joseph G. Ponterotto, PhD, is a professor of counseling psychology in the graduate school of education at Fordham University’s New York City campus. He is a leading national scholar in psychobiography, multicultural psychology, and qualitative research methods. He has published 16 books, including two psychobiographies: A Psychobiography of Bobby Fischer (2012) and A Psychobiography of John F. Kennedy, Jr. (2019). His research on Bobby Fischer led to his role as historical consultant on the major motion picture, Pawn Sacrifice (2016), starring Tobey Maguire as Bobby Fischer and Liev Schreiber as Boris Spassky.

Part I. Definition, History, Status, and Theory in Psychobiography
Chapter 1. Defining the Field of Psychobiography
Chapter 2. Brief History and Emerging Trends in Psychobiography
Part II. Conducting Psychobiography: Nuts and Bolts
Chapter 3. Selecting One's Historical Subject and Preparing for the Journey
Chapter 4. Selecting Initial Anchoring Psychological Theories
Chapter 5. Planning the Research, Setting Initial Research Questions, and Navigating Institutional Review Board Review
Chapter 6. Engaging the Research: First-, Second-, and Third-Person Sources, and Data and Document Source Triangulation
Chapter 7. Integrating the Data, Qualitative and Mixed Methods Designs, Writing the Report, and Getting Published
Chapter 8. Assessing the Impact of One's Research
Part III. Ethical and Legal Considerations in Psychobiography
Chapter 9. Understanding Ethical Guidelines and Legal Issues as They Apply to Psychobiographies of Long-Deceased, Recently Deceased, and Still-Living Subjects
Chapter 10. Researcher Self-Care During and After Psychobiographical Research
Appendix A. Definitions of Psychobiography Over the Past Century
Appendix B. Sample Institutional Review Board (IRB) Psychobiography Study Proposal
Appendix C. Master List of Psychobiographical Subjects and Authors Since 1900
Appendix D. Supplemental Resources for Course and Workshop Instructors

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The Psychobiographer's Handbook A Practical Guide to Research and Ethics

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials