Psychobiography Group of the Psychohistory Forum

Methodology

Psychobiographers each have their own approach. These are some of the methodological approaches that have been invaluable in Paul Elovitz’ research, writing, and teaching:

  • Stress the importance of starting with primary sources
  • Focus on early childhood development and the family background (including transgenerational transmission of traumas as well as values) in the context of the whole lifespan
  • Pay close attention to coping mechanisms and the mechanisms of defense
  • Lead with empathy in your research and find a part of the subject’s life where you can empathize. [Paul Elovitz finds a part of a person’s life that I can empathize with, usually childhood.] To empathize is not to condone!
  • Encourage psychobiographers to examine their own motivations for choosing a particular subject, their countertransference, and projections
  • Examine identity issues in the life histories of our subject
  • Probe the difference between conscious intention and unconscious motivation
  • Search for the unconscious in dreams, slips of the tongue, the subject’s life’s work, etc.
  • Investigate the role of trauma in the subject’s life and the ability to overcome it
  • Assess the interpersonal relations of the subject, avoiding making psychiatric diagnosis
  • Use transcultural psychological theories in psychobiography
  • Utilize interdisciplinary approaches in psychobiography
  • Advocate for creating psychobiographical theories that go beyond Western and psychoanalytic theories, taking indigenous and interdisciplinary theories into consideration as part of psychobiographical research
  • To establish a nurturing holding environment for all presenters doing psychobiography meetings to nurture their projects. Empathy for the presenter and insight is our ideal, rather than the academic one-upmanship of so many academic meetings

We hope you will join in this important endeavor of writing and publishing quality psychobiography.

PS. Note, we have scheduled a November 20th Psychohistory Forum Work-in-Progress seminar on the impact of child abuse on society. You should receive the presentation within a week.

Menu