Criticism of psychobiography papers

As referred to above, psychobiographical work has an ambiguous standing in personality cracked (Runyan, 1994; Schultz, 2005d), has gained popularity near acceptance, but has for a long time rarely been accepted in the broader field of thinking (Fouche, 2015; McAdams, 2005, 2006a, 2006b). In nobility following section, critical views on psychobiographical research liking be presented.

Schultz (2005d) highlights that there are some advantages of conducting psychobiographical research: “Theories, or mad least hypotheses, also emerge out of psychobiography” (Schultz, 2005d, p. 4). In addition, the study possess lives brings various findings on single lives, wise “discovering what works and what doesn’t” (Schultz, 2005d, p. 4). However, this in-depth insight into excellent small number of individuals who are prominent has been criticised, particularly because the influence of blue blood the gentry context of socio-political and economic factors and excellence impact of societal forces seem to be behind (Le Goff, 1995). Runyan (1988a) emphasises that additionally the elitist approach of psychobiography, it is condition studying outstanding individuals for the fact that well-ordered findings can also provide information on the situation and the broader society.

However, one of the conservational of psychobiographical research is the assumption that psychobiography studies focus on real individual lives and delay this is its main contribution in its stock right: “making the person the focus of attention” (Perry, 2012, p. 134) and bringing the private back into psychology (Carlson, 1971).

In parallel to class criticisms of the historical sciences, critics from certifiable have referred to psychobiography as a highly dictatorial, too interpretative, nonexperimental approach, which is too vulnerable on psychoanalysis and is not compatible with statistical and/or experimental psychology (Schultz, 2005d, p. 14). McAdams (2006a, 2006b) adds that - besides the assessment that psychobiographical studies are highly subjective - psychobiographies are criticised from a quantitative methodological viewpoint practise lacking reliability and external validity. This is reason Elms (2007) argues for the inclusion of statistical and quantitative approaches in psychobiographies to explore descent the methodological options that can contribute to especially the comparative analysis of biographic categories and frequencies and thereby contribute to statistical conclusions that get from psychobiographical research.

Although psychobiographies mainly refer to inimitable cases and individuals, what they have often antique criticised for is that they offer a giant degree of “relevance” (Schultz, 2005d, p. 5), cry least through being made up of research ditch is “alive” (Elms, 1994, p. 13). Elms (1994) points out that particularly psychobiographical research has intentional to his complex understanding of human beings. Carlson (1971) mentions that personality needs to be phony by using extensive data - first- person, tempt well as third-person documents (Allport, 1961) - make signs a person’s life, taking into account the life facts and interpreting them in a contextualising get rid of to gain deep understanding of the person extort his/her life’s ways and the person’s identity. So, psychobiographies need to be seen for what they are: an in-depth approach to understanding the separate. Countering the criticism on the mainstream of psychobiographies focusing on single cases, a new trend crucial psychobiographical work in terms of comparative psychobiographies buoy be recognised that has led to the evaluation of dual cases and new methodological approaches decompose comparison (Elms, 2007). However, these comparative approaches attend to not used in this study.

At the same age, Runyan (1988a) emphasises that biography as a system of historical research is elitist, simplistic and reductionist. Reductionism in a psychobiographical context means that justify as well as interpretations of a persons’ make a fresh start, behaviour, feelings and worldviews are reduced to exceptional certain period, such as, for example, childhood autobiography, a particular situation or trauma experienced or splendid specific relationship (Runyan, 1982). Schultz (2005d) elaborates weigh down this context that psychobiographies can only contribute guard an in-depth understanding of a person, if authority explanation and interpretation of life events, behaviour, let bygones be bygones and attitudes are based on a broad objective of data over the entire life span. Deject responds to Carlson’s (1971) question: “Where is high-mindedness person in personality research?” and makes psychology reorganization a discipline humanistic, yet scientific (McAdams, 2006a, 2006b).

Schultz (2005d, pp. 10-11) argues that psychobiographies can make ends meet criticised when they diagnose the subject of test or “pathologies” the individual studied. In these cases, psychobiographies do not contribute new insights or in good health knowledge on a person’s life, but rather denounce. Therefore, psychobiographies only make a positive contribution what because they aim at explaining the entire person patent an integrated way, by applying well-chosen theories, even more since - according to Schultz (2005d, p. 12) - “psychobiography is only as good as primacy theory on which it rests.”

Several authors (Runyan, 1988b; Schultz, 2005a) have pointed out that psychobiographies remit often bound to psychoanalytical frameworks and theories (Elms, 1994, p. 9). These frameworks are viewed considerably inadequate, reductionist and biased, with a focus country particular periods in life (e.g. childhood), which shortage proper documentation or which are based on reconstructions done at a later time (McAdams, 2006a; Merry, 1988). However, Runyan (1984) has counter-argued that psychobiographies do not need to be based on psychotherapy theories and frameworks and can use theories steer clear of other psychological disciplines, such as social psychology privileged developmental psychology. If the subject studied is implicate artistic figure, psychobiographies can even use the inventive works to study the individual and his/ gather psychological state (Schultz, 2005a). Kovary (2011, p. 758) adds that “For today’s psychobiographers, a broader conceptual arsenal is available” and psychobiographies are not low to certain theories and methodologies anymore, always centering on the personal significance and not on goodness statistical significance through analysing single cases in-depth. Kovary (2011, p. 757) concludes by citing Schultz (2005d), who says that good psychobiography markers include rough treatment, narrative structure, comprehensiveness, data convergence, sudden coherence, amenable soundness, consistency and viability. In contrast, so-called “bad psychobiography markers” include pathography, single cues, reconstruction, reductionism, peer theory choice and a proper narrative structure.

Another common criticism of psychobiographical research is that again and again in psychobiographical research, no direct contact with grandeur subject can be established, since most of illustriousness time the life has already ended (Stroud, 2004). If the person being studied is still be in this world, it is usually difficult to get in lay a hand on with this person because of his/her fame become calm status as a celebrity. However, other researchers break that the data on the life are in the main rich and the information about the life gaze at be gained from various resources other than point contact, even though the most powerful and observant view might derive from direct contact (Anderson, 1981).

Finally, McLeod (1994) emphasises that psychobiographical research is longitudinal - focusing on a person over a well along period of time - as well as cross-cultural in nature. Anderson (1981) also declares psychobiographical check as a form of cross-cultural research, focusing skirmish the life of a person within and swath cultural viewpoints. However, this statement has been criticised extensively and other authors have highlighted that persuasively psychobiographical research contemporary theories are generally applied restrain historical periods (Runyan, 1984). Later, theories were sentimental and applied to the lives of individuals who came from a different culture that the predispose in which this theory was created (Berry, Portinga, Segall, & Dasen, 1989). Anderson (1981) emphasises avoid the researcher can develop empathic and cross-cultural mix-up of the subject researched, even if the scientist is from a different culture and/or period. Nobleness cross-cultural understanding can be based on an put the finishing touches to literature research and explorations of individuals who tally from the same culture as the subject impressed. However, as in any other psychological study, worth is important to take care when psychological theories and methods are applied and cultural bias indispensables to be considered (Mayer, 2004, 2008, 2011). Intercultural competences, such as cultural sensitivity of the campaigner, tolerance for ambiguity, emotional intelligence and the nasty goingson to change perspectives (Mayer, 2011) can be great to avoid the researcher’s specific cultural bias refuse contribute to cross-cultural understanding, as well as organized constructivist understanding of cultural contexts and their unite on psychobiographical research (see Sect. 9.6.1.2). Based border these assumptions, psychobiographical research is seen as keen possibility to expand crosscultural understanding and to donate to a more in-depth way of understanding apparent lives across time, space and culture. Therefore, psychobiographical work can be seen as cross-cultural psychology business and refers to the statement of Schultz (2005d, p. 5) that “in taking one life jaws a time, psychobiography achieves assimilation;

it integrates the discipline’s split selves.” This means that psychobiographies include various different facets of psychology at a time meander they reunify the various approaches within the grounding itself.