Psychobiography in psychology: Past, present, and future

Abstract

The present article reviews the history and emerging trends in the field of psychobiography. Five historical periods are highlighted: hagiography and pre-19th century study of lives; Freud and applied psychoanalysis; psychodynamic extensions and personology; modern multi-theoretical models; and psychobiography as interdisciplinary science. The author advocates for a science of psychobiography manifested in expanded and empirically validated theoretical models anchoring research. Further, attention is drawn to the need for more rigorous historiographic research methods weighting first-person sources and incorporating mixed methods designs. Increased attention to ethical and legal issues in the conduct and reporting of psychobiographical studies is also highlighted. Finally, emerging trends in psychobiography related to research production, academic training, and organisational initiatives are presented.

Keywords:

• Psychobiography
• history of psychology
• historiographic research
• mixed methods
• ethical and legal issues
• psychoanalysis

Notes

1 The historical subjects of psychobiographies have been primarily men. Fouché and van Niekerk (2010) in their survey of psychobiographical research conducted in South Africa from 1995 through 2004, found the overwhelming majority to focus on men (no specific percentage was specified). More recently, Ponterotto et al. (2015) reviewed 65 psychobiography dissertations completed in North America and found 32% focusing on female historic subjects.

2 Though Murray's (1943) profile of Hitler was deemed at the time to be a very insightful work, subsequent researchers armed with more extensive archival data on Hitler after the fall of the Third Reich have identified numerous errors of fact and interpretation of Murray's (1943) work. Historian Rudolph Binion (2005) is particularly critical of Murray's historiographic and interpretive methods.

3 It is interesting to note that Murray spent a lifetime studying the psychology of Herman Melville and never quite completed his work (see Elms, 1994; Robinson, 1992), similar to Dilthey's lifelong devotion and unfinished biography of the great German philosopher, Schleiermacker (see Rickman, 1976, 1988). It appears that some psychobiographers, like biographers, can devote part of their entire careers in search of deep psychological understanding of a single historic figure. Other examples include Lawson's (2010) study of chess prodigy Paul Morphy, and Elms's (1994; Elms & Heller, 2005) interest in Elvis Presley.