Psychobiography

James William Anderson is Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University. There he teaches courses on Personality Psychology and the Psychology of Film. He also serves on the faculty of the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute. He received degrees from Princeton University, Harvard University, and the University of Chicago. For several decades, as a licensed clinical psychologist, he has conducted psychotherapy. In his research, he focuses on psychobiography and has published pieces on William and Henry James, Abraham Lincoln, Edith Wharton, Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud, D. W. Winnicott, Woodrow Wilson, and Frank Lloyd Wright.

A terrific exposition of a complex field. I'm frankly stunned by the range of examples James Anderson uses-and the detail and richness of the various points made along the way. It's clear he's spent an intellectual lifetime mastering this domain. The prose is crisp and bright; the readings of people astute. Buy this book!

• Chapter 1 Introduction: In Search of the Inner LifeChapter 2 Research, the Foundation of PsychobiographyChapter 3 Research Materials of Special Value to the PsychobiographerChapter 4 The Relationship of Psychobiographers with Their SubjectsChapter 5 The Relevance of Culture to PsychobiographyChapter 6 Use Psychological Theory, Don't Let It Use YouChapter 7 Narrative Identity for Psychobiographers (written with Dan P. McAdams)Chapter 8 Analysis and Interpretation in PsychobiographyChapter 9 Psychobiography of Literary ArtistsChapter 10 Executing Psychobiography: The Case of William and Henry JamesChapter 11 Why Might a Psychobiography Go Wrong?ReferencesIndex