psychobiography
Psychological life analysis
Psychobiography is a biographical approach that uses psychological theories to interpret a subject's life and motivations.
It applies frameworks from psychoanalysis or developmental psychology to explain why historical or public figures acted as they did: Her psychobiography of Lincoln traced his melancholy to childhood losses.
The method is sometimes criticized for armchair diagnosis.
Written personal recollection
- life storyAccount of someone's existence
- chronicleOrdered historical record
- accountRecord of dealings
- portraitArtistic depiction of someone
profile · narrative · retrospective · monograph · study · life history · case history · personal history
Not awake or aware
- FreudianOf unconscious-mind theory
- JungianOf analytical psychology
- psychodynamicsScience of mental forces
- defense mechanismsUnconscious strategies avoiding distress
repression · projection · transference · ego · id · superego · attachment · trauma
Researched particular instance
- psychoanalysisTreatment via unconscious exploration
- analysisMethodical study of parts
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
psychohistory · methodology · investigation · examination · inquiry · reconstruction · assessment · evaluation
Characteristic mental patterns
- characterNature, symbol, or role
- traitsDistinguishing personal features
- temperamentInborn behavioral nature
- dispositionInherent character or arrangement
motivation · psyche · identity · individuality · selfhood · inner life · complexity · development
Life's earliest phase
- upbringingChildhood care and training
- formative yearsChildhood and adolescence
- maturationProcess of becoming complete
- originsPoints where things start
adolescence · family dynamics · parental influence · life stages · turning points · crisis · identity formation · trajectory
Founder of psychoanalysis
- GandhiIndian independence leader
- LutherProtestant Reformation initiator
- da VinciItalian locative surname element
- Nixon37th U.S. president
Woodrow Wilson · historical figures · artists · leaders · presidents · composers · scientists · revolutionaries
memoir
Written personal recollection
- life storyAccount of someone's existence
- chronicleOrdered historical record
- accountRecord of dealings
portrait · profile · narrative · retrospective · monograph · study · life history · case history · personal history
unconscious
Not awake or aware
- FreudianOf unconscious-mind theory
- JungianOf analytical psychology
- psychodynamicsScience of mental forces
defense mechanisms · repression · projection · transference · ego · id · superego · attachment · trauma · fixation
case study
Researched particular instance
- psychoanalysisTreatment via unconscious exploration
- analysisMethodical study of parts
- interpretationAssigned meaning
research · psychohistory · methodology · investigation · examination · inquiry · reconstruction · assessment · evaluation · synthesis
personality
Characteristic mental patterns
- characterNature, symbol, or role
- traitsDistinguishing personal features
- temperamentInborn behavioral nature
disposition · motivation · psyche · identity · individuality · selfhood · inner life · complexity · development · creativity
childhood
Life's earliest phase
- upbringingChildhood care and training
- formative yearsChildhood and adolescence
- maturationProcess of becoming complete
origins · adolescence · family dynamics · parental influence · life stages · turning points · crisis · identity formation · trajectory
Freud
Founder of psychoanalysis
- GandhiIndian independence leader
- LutherProtestant Reformation initiator
- da VinciItalian locative surname element
Nixon · Woodrow Wilson · historical figures · artists · leaders · presidents · composers · scientists · revolutionaries
- psychoanalysisFreud, id, ego, unconscious, Sigmund Freud
- life writingmemoir, autobiography, memoirs, memoir writing, life history
- life researchlife history, life story, autobiography, personal narrative, lived experience
- biographiesbiographies, autobiography, autobiographies, memoir, memoirs
- memoirsmemoir, memoirs, autobiography, autobiographies, life story
- illness storiessurvivor story, healing journey, survivor account, mental health story, brain injury
psychobiographychronicle
Ordered historical record
curriculum vitae · timeline · encyclopedia entry · hagiography · biographical sketch
biography, psychology, psychological, psychosis, psychosomatic, biographical, neuropsychology, psychopathology, psychometrics