LEADER 02441nam 2200421 a 450 001 9910455470103321 005 20210114072832.0 010 $a0-19-535433-8 010 $a1-60256-194-X 035 $a(CKB)111004366529064 035 $a(StDuBDS)AH24083760 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC4702150 035 $a(EXLCZ)99111004366529064 100 $a19970807d1997 |y | 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur||||||||||| 200 10$aUncovering lives$b[electronic resource] $ethe uneasy alliance of biography and psychology 210 $aNew York ;$aOxford $cOxford University Press$d1997 215 $a1 online resource (328p.) 300 $aOriginally published: 1994. 300 $aIncludes index. 311 $a0-585-33213-4 311 $a0-19-511379-9 320 $aBibliography. 330 $aThis work argues that psychobiography can rival traditional biography in the insights it offers. Elms makes a case for the value of psychobiography, arguing in part from his own case studies of over a dozen prominent figures. It also offers tips for anyone interested in writing in this genre. 330 $bPsychobiography is often attacked by critics who feel that it trivialises complex adult personalities, "explaining the large deeds of great individuals," as George Will wrote, "by some slight the individual suffered at a tender age, say seven, when his mother took away a lollipop." And yet, as Alan Elms argues in Uncovering Lives, in the hands of a skilled practitioner, psychobiography can rival the very best traditional biography in the insights it offers. Elms makes a strong case for the value of psychobiography, arguing in large part from his own fascinating case studies of over a dozen prominent figures, including George Bush, Saddam Hussein, and Sigmund Freud. Written with great clarity and wit, Uncovering Lives illuminates the contributions that psychology can make to biography. Elm's enthusiasm for his subject is contagious and will inspire would-be psychobiographers as well as win over the most hardened skeptics. 606 $aPsychology$xBiographical methods 608 $aElectronic books.$2lcsh 615 0$aPsychology$xBiographical methods. 676 $a920.0019 700 $aElms$b Alan C.$f1938-$0906646 801 0$bStDuBDS 801 2$bUkPrAHLS 801 2$bUkPrAHLS 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910455470103321 996 $aUncovering lives$92027789 997 $aUNINA