Abstract
Psychobiography is a research endeavor, and as in all psychological research ethical considerations are a critical component of the research process. Traditionally, psychobiographers have devoted more attention to the psychological theories undergirding psychobiography and to the diverse methodologies employed in the research, than to ethical considerations and challenges inherent in the research process. This chapter argues that ethics should be central to the psychobiography research plan and execution. The authors introduce a best practice ethics model for psychobiographers that is infused throughout the research, writing, and publication process. Addressed are ethical considerations at each stage of the research process, including: selecting one’s psychobiographical research subject; navigating the initial proposal review and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process; considering informed consent procedures and options; having an ethical decision making model in place to address unanticipated ethical issues that emerge during the research; writing and publishing the psychobiography; and monitoring the impact of the psychobiography on those who may be impacted by the study. The authors consider ethics not as a distinct part of psychobiographical research, but as a living, evolving thread constantly intertwining in all facets of the study before, during, and after completion. The ethics guide presented will be valuable to psychobiographers at all levels of training, experience, and expertise.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
American Heritage Dictionary. (2009). Public figures, 4th ed. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin. Retrieved from http://www.thefree-dictionary.com/public+figure.
American Historical Association. (2011). Statement on standards of professional conduct. Author. Washington, DC. www.historians.org/pubs/Free/ProfessionalStandards.cfm.
American Psychiatric Association. (1973). The principles of medical ethics: With annotations especially applicable to psychiatry. Arlington, VA: Author.
American Psychiatric Association. (1976). The psychiatrist as psychohistorian. Task Force Report #11. Washington, DC: Author.
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Adopted 2002, with 2016 amendment, effective January 1, 2017. Washington, DC: Author.
Anderson, J. W. (1981a). Psychobiographcial methodology: The case of William James. Review of Personality and Social Psychology (vol. 2, pp. 245–271).
Anderson, J. W. (1981b). The methodology of psychological biography. Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 11, 455–475.
Anderson, J. W., & Dunlop, W. L. (2019). Executing psychobiography. In C.-H. Mayer & Z. Kovary (Eds.), New trends in psychobiography (pp. 11–33). Springer: Switzerland.
Berg, J. (2001). Grave secrets: Legal and ethical analysis of postmortem confidentiality. Connecticut Law Review, 81, 1–40.
Canadian Psychological Association. (2000). Canadian code of ethics for psychologists (3rd ed.). Retrieved December 10, 2012 from http://www.cpa.ca/ethics2000.html.
Chesen, E. (1973). President Nixon’s psychiatric profile. New York, NY: Peter H. Wyden.
Clinch, N. G. (1973). The Kennedy Neurosis. New York, NY: Grosset and Dunlap.
Department of Health and Human Services. (1981). Common Rule, 45 CFR 46. Retrieved June 1, 2018: https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/regulations/common-rule/index.html.
du Plessis, C. (2017). The method of psychobiography: Presenting a stepwise approach. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 14, 216–237.
Elms, A. C. (1994). Uncovering lives: The uneasy alliance of biography and psychology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Elms, A. C. (2007). Psychobiography and case study methods. In R. W. Robins, R. C. Fraley, & R. F. Krueger (Eds.), Handbook of research methods in personality psychology (pp. 97–113). New York, NY: Guilford.
Erikson, E. H. (1967). Book review: Thomas Woodrow Wilson by Sigmund Freud and William C. Bullitt. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 48, 462–468.
Erikson, E. E. (1968). On the nature of psychohistorical evidence: In search of Gandhi. Daedalus, 97, 695–730.
Fouché, P. J. P. (Guest Editor). (2015). Psychobiography [special issue]. Journal of Psychology in Africa.
Fouché, P. J. P., Naidoo, P. & Botha, T. (2019). A psychobiographical portrait of adam small’s eriksonian ego-strengths or virtues: Contextualized within South Africa’s apartheid-eras. In C.-H. Mayer & Z. Kovary (Eds.), New trends in psychobiography (pp. 423–442). Springer: Switzerland.
Freud, S. (1910/1957). Leonardo da Vinci and a memory of his childhood. In J. S. Strachey (Ed., & Trans.) The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud, vol. 11. Original work published in 1910.
Freud, S., & Bullitt, W. C. (1967). Thomas Woodrow Wilson: A psychological study. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
George, A. L., & George, J. L. (1973, June). Psycho-McCarthyism. Psychology Today, 94–98.
Guillemin, M., & Gillam, L. (2004). Ethics, reflexivity, and “ethically important moments” in research. Qualitative Inquiry, 10, 261–280.
Haverkamp, B. E. (2005). Ethical perspectives on qualitative research in applied psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 146–153.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. (HIPAA). Pub. I. No. 104–191.
Hoffman, L. E. (1984). Early psychobiography, 1900–1930: Some reconsiderations. Biography, 7(4), 341–351.
Hofling, C. K. (1976). Current problems in psychohistory. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 17, 227–239.
Kasser, T. (2017). Introduction to the special section: Integrating psychobiography into psychology’s mainstream. American Psychologist, 72, 430–433.
Kitchener, K. S. (2000). Foundations of ethical practice, research, and teaching in psychology. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Kőváry, Z. (2011). Psychobiography as a method. The revival of studying lives: New perspectives in personality and creativity research. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 7, 739–777.
Krueger, R. F. (Eds.), Handbook of research methods in personality psychology (pp. 97–113). New York, NY: Guilford.
Larson, A. (2003). Defamation, libel, and slander law. http://www.expertlaw.com/library/personal_injury/defamation.html#3.
Lesse, S. (1978). Editorial: Psychohistory—A word of caution. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 32, 1–3.
Lilienfeld, S. O., Miller, J. D., & Lynam, D. R. (2018a). Goldwater Rule: Recd line of guideline? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13, 33–35.
Lilienfeld, S. O., Miller, J. D., & Lynam, D. R. (2018b). The Goldwater Rule: Perspectives from, and implications for, psychological science. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13, 3–27.
Manis, J. G. (1994). What should biographers tell? The ethics of telling lives. Biography, 17(4), 386–395.
Mayer, J. D. (2010, June). The APA’s ethics code and personality analysis at a distance. Psychology Today, 1–4. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-personality-analyst/2.
Mayer, J. D., & Leichtman, M. D. (2012). Saddam Hussein is “dangerous to the extreme”: The ethics of professional commentary on public figures. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 1, 3–22.
Mazlish, B. (1972). In search of Nixon: A psychohistorical inquiry. Baltimore: Penguin Books.
McDaniel, S. H. (2016, March 14). Response to article on whether therapist should analyze presidential candidates [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/news/press/response/presidential-candidates.aspx.
Morrow, S. L. (2005). Quality and trustworthiness in qualitative research in counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 250–260.
Oral History Association (2009). Principles and best practices. Retrieved from: http://www.oralhstory.org.
Ponterotto, J. G. (2013a). Case study in psychobiographical ethics: Bobby Fischer, World Chess Champion. Journal of Empirical Research in Human Research Ethics, 8, 19–27.
Ponterotto, J. G. (2013b). History of ethics applied to psychobiography. Supplement to “Case study in psychobiographical ethics: Bobby Fischer, World Chess Champion”. Journal of Empirical Research in Human Research Ethics, 8, S1–S20.
Ponterotto, J. G. (2014). Best practices in psychobiographical research. Qualitative Psychology, 1, 77–90.
Ponterotto, J. G. (2015a). In pursuit of William James’s McLean hospital records: An inherent conflict between postmortem privacy rights and advancing psychological science. Review of General Psychology., 19, 96–105.
Ponterotto, J. G. (2015b). Psychobiography in psychology: Past, present, and future. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 25, 379–389.
Ponterotto, J. G. (2017a). A counsellor’s guide to conducting psychobiographical research. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 39, 249–263.
Ponterotto, J. G. (2017b). Integrating psychobiography into professional psychology training: Rationale, Benefits, and models. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 11, 290–296.
Ponterotto, J. G., & Reynolds, J. D. (Taewon Choi) (2017). Ethical and legal considerations in psychobiography. American Psychologist, 72¸446–458.
Ponterotto, J. G., Reynolds, J. D., & Morel, S., & Cheung, L. (2015). Psychobiography training in psychology: Mapping the field and charting a course. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 11, 459–474. http://dx.doi.org/10:5964/ejop.v11i3.938.
Runyan, W. M. (1981). Why did Van Gogh cut off his ear? The problem of alternative explanations in psychobiography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40, 1070–1077.
Runyan, W. M. (1982). Life histories and psychobiography: Explorations in theory and method. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Runyan, W. M. (2019). Adventures in psychobiography and the study of lives: A personal journey. In C.-H. Mayer & Z. Kovary (Eds.), New trends in psychobiography (pp. 35–53). Springer: Switzerland.
Schultz, W. T. (Ed.). (2005a). Handbook of psychobiography. New York: Oxford University Press.
Schultz, W. T. (2005b). Introducing psychobiography. In W. T. Schultz (Ed.), Handbook of psychobiography (pp. 3–18). New York: Oxford University Press.
Schultz, W. T., & Lawrence, S. (2017). Psychobiography: Theory and method. American Psychologist, 72, 434–445.
Society of Professional Journalists (1996). Code of ethics. http://www.spj.org/pdf/ethicscode/.
Weinberg, S. (1991). The Kitty Kelley syndrome: Why you can’t always trust what you read in books. Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), July/August, pp. 36–40.
Wikipedia. (2012). Public figure. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ponterotto, J.G., Reynolds (Taewon Choi), J.D. (2019). An Ethics Guide to Psychobiography: A Best Practice Model. In: Mayer, CH., Kovary, Z. (eds) New Trends in Psychobiography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16953-4_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16953-4_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-16952-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-16953-4
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)