The Psychobiographer’s Authority

Questions of Interpretive Scope and Logic

Dados Bibliográficos

ID9232172
AutoresGeorge C Rosenwald (University of Michigan, autor correspondente)
Ano2012
Volume81
Fascículo2
Páginas357-400
Data de publicação2012-04-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoThe Psychoanalytic Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0033-2828 • E-ISSN: 2167-4086
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/j.2167-4086.2012.tb00497.x
PMID22768484
OpenAlexW2083598222
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas2
Referências citadas20

Two charges are often raised against psychobiographers' authority (as well as popularized analytic case formulations): reductionism and causal overreach. The first pertains to interpretations that rely exclusively on analytic concepts but ignore the essential contributions made by neighboring disciplines, such as history, to the elucidation of lives lived elsewhere or in the past. The second charge is sometimes stimulated by exaggerated interpretive claims, but often reflects the critic's misunderstanding of the logical structure of genetic explanations. Three case studies illustrate reductionism as well as safeguards against it. They also support a critical discussion of the alleged logical defect

Epistemology · Interpretation (philosophy) · Reductionism · Scope (computer science) · Computer Science · Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics · Identity, Memory, and Therapy · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Representations and Identity