Uncovering Lives: The Uneasy Alliance of Biography and Psychology, (Paperback)

Methodology, writing skill, and subject all combine in this book in the most exciting tradition of creative scholarship." --Extrapolation"Professor Elms has gotten to the heart of the problem of biography: how to apply psychological understanding without bogging down in detail or drowning in theory. With quick wit and splendid erudition he dissects the lives of major figures in science, politics, literature, and the arts . . . . A landmark contribution to the integration of clinical and biographical studies of human development."--Peter Ostwald, M.D. , author of Schumann: The Inner Voicesof a Musical Genius and Vaslav Nijinsky: A Leap into Madness"For those interested in the field of psychobiography or in the psychological study of individual lives, this is a long-awaited book that richly fulfills its promise . . . . For those unfamiliar with the field, it prvides a nearly ideal introduction, containing a fascinating and, in some cases, unforgettable set of case studies, along with guidelines for research . . . A pleasure to read; it is thoughtful, seriously researched, and well written."--Contemporary Psychology"In this magnificent volume, Alan Elms effectively reintegrates psychology and biography, and brings psychology back home to its task of illuminating the lives of individual persons. He provides fascinating psychobiographical portraits of figures as diverse as Freud, Jung, B. F. Skinner, Vladimir Nabokov, and Isaac Asimov, as well as sound procedural guidelines, all with a genial touch of humor. This book may be as important in advancing psychological biographyas Freud's study of Leonarda da Vinci or Erikson's of Martin Luther King were in their time."--William McKinley Runyan, author of Life Histories and Psychobiography"In this remarkable combination of polemical argument and richly textured narrative, Alan C. Elms reconceives psychobiography as a scientific activity, then vigorously supports this bold contention with a series of acutely observed and fascinating case studies that range from Sigmund Freud to L. Frank Baum, from Vladimir Nabokov to Isaac Asimov, from B.F. Skinner to Saddam Hussein."--James E.B. Breslin, University of California, Berkeley"Alan Elms writes in first person in order to risk encounter with the deepest sources of creativity, and he 'comes home' beautifully from this Orpheus quest. Methodology, writing skill, and subject all combine in this book in the most exciting tradition of creative scholarship."--Donald M. Hassler, editor of Extrapolation"Professor Elms has gotten to the heart of the problem of biography: how to apply psychological understanding without bogging down in detail or drowning in theory. With quick wit and splendid erudition he dissects the lives of major figures in science, politics, literature, and the arts, bringing into focus what happened to their families and personalities before they became famous, and making the subsequent behavior of these people much more understandable.The book cuts across conflicting schools of thought--e.g. operant conditioning and psychoanalysis--to explain how prominent people may think, feel, act, and suffer. It's a landmark contribution to the integration of clinical and biographical studies of human development."--Peter Ostwald, M.D. , authorof Schumann: The Inner Voices of a Musical Genius and Vaslav Nijinsky: A Leap into Madness