This engaging and artfully written Handbook brings together for the very first time most of the leading figures in the growing field of psychobiography, the aim of which is to apply psychological theory and/or research to the lives of significant historical figures from various domains.

The book begins with a discussion of what psychobiography uniquely contributes to the discipline of psychology. Next, features of good and of bad psychobiography are outlined, as well as an optimal structure for the psychobiographical essay. Subsequent chapters home in on method: how to strike psychological paydirt in biographical data, how to make use of personality research when doing psychobiography, how to choose theory, how to evaluate competing psychobiographical explanations for the same event, and so on. Never before has method in psychobiography been so clearly and explicitly addressed. Those wondering how one actually goes about writing a psychobiography will find much of value in Section One. It provides a blueprint for success.

Sections Two through Four tell less and show more. They exemplify psychobiographical inquiry at its finest. The focus is on artists, psychologists, and political figures. Questions include these:

What accounts for photographer Diane Arbus's obsession with freaks and eccentrics?

What were the psychological origins of Elvis's difficulties in performing the song, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"

In what sense can Sylvia Plath's poetry and suicide be understood as an effort to kill "Daddy?"

How did early experiences in the life of J.M. Barrie lead to the invention of the character Peter Pan?

Why did Freud go so uncharacteristically and disastrously astray in his analysis of Leonardo Da Vinci?

How might one repetitive dynamic sequence in the life of trait theorist Gordon Allport account for some of the most distinctive aspects of his theorizing?

What role did the loss of the father play in Nietzsche's philosophizing?

Likewise, how did the search for father-surrogates cement Osama Bin Laden's radicalism?

How did George W. Bush wrest from early failure a viable and effective sense of self?

The Handbook is intended to serve as an essential text for undergraduate or graduate courses in psychobiography, personology, case study, and narrative-based research. It may also be used as a supplement in Personality courses that include sections on theory application. Its aims are to define the field and set a course for effective future developments.

With its combination of telling and showing how to do psychobiography intelligently and cogently, its inclusion of many of the field's most talented practitioners (Elms, Runyan, Schultz, Anderson, McAdams, Alexander, Ogilvie, Barenbaum, Atwood, and others), and its diversity of subjects, the Handbook of Psychobiography will articulate once and for all the field's importance, value, and promise.