Psychobiography in sociocultural context: the application of culture-based theories of psychology on a culturally diverse historic subject pool.

In recent years the historical subject base in psychobiography has expanded from a traditional focus on White (Caucasian) subjects to a broader more culturally inclusive population of significant personalities throughout history. A critical component of strong multicultural psychobiography is the inclusion of anchoring theories of psychology that are rooted in socio-cultural-political context. To psychologically profile culturally diverse individuals with only traditional Western theories of psychology and psychiatry (e.g. medical models, psychodynamic, existential, cognitive-behavioral) limits the ability of the research to accurately capture the erlebnis (lived experience) of extraordinary individuals in proper cultural context. This article reviews specific psychological theories that have recently set a foundation for more nuanced and culturally contextualised psychological profiles of historic personalities who represent diverse racial/ethnic/cultural backgrounds. Among the theories covered are the Integrated African Psychology Perspective (IAPP), an Indigenous (Native American) model of psychobiography, as well as theories and models on Psychological Nigrescence (Black racial identity development), Intersectionality, Politicised Collective Identity (PCI), Queered Black Racial Identity Development (QBRID), and Adultification of Black Children, among others. Examples of applications of these culture-centered theories to psychobiography, drawn from the present authors recently completed psychobiographies, as well as from other researchers internationally, are presented.

Promoting psychobiography: models and perspectives from multiple countries.

This article promotes and advocates for the integration of psychobiography into academic training in psychology. While psychobiography has been foundational to the discipline of psychology since Freud's study of Leonardo da Vinci, its procedures and methods have been sorely neglected in academic psychology. Following a brief introduction to psychobiography, the authors provide a historical review of the specialty area, review the current scope of psychobiographical training in psychology, and summarize the benefits of psychobiography to both the training of students and the broader psychology field. Next, models and examples of psychobiography integration across three continents and five countries are provided. The article concludes with specific recommendations for advancing psychobiography in academic psychology.

Meaning-Making Narratives Within a Puzzle of Parts: A Psychobiographical Sketch of Sylvia Plath.

This study aimed to unveil Sylvia Plath's (1932-1963) meaning-making narratives, within her life's puzzle of parts, by utilising the Internal Family System (IFS) model of Schwartz. Plath was purposively selected as subject since she has been proclaimed as one of the most renowned and influential voices in 20th century Anglo-American culture and literature. Although she only published one collection of poems, "The Collosus", and one novel, "The Bell Jar", in her lifetime, the plethora of short stories, poems, journal entries and letters which were published after her suicide secured her status as a powerful and creative voice. Methodological strategies utilised to sort and integrate the wealth of publically-available socio-historical data on Plath included the analysis of psychobiographical indicators of salience according to the model of Irving Alexander and the data analysis matrix procedure of Robert Yin. Findings suggest that each stage of Plath's life was characterised by "parts-led" functioning as a result of transferred burdens, imperfect care-taking, existential anxiety and traumatic emotional experiences. This resulted in polarisation of her different parts, which blocked the healing energy of her Self and aggravated feelings of worthlessness, in spite of her creative meaning-making narratives. Since Sylvia used her creative genius to address socio-historical issues and injustices, her life lends itself to meaning-making narratives, especially those that empower and inspire future generations of previously disempowered groups.

Monetary Equivalent Value (MEV) of a Published Article in Psychology.

Publishing one's research in peer-reviewed journals is generally acknowledged to be a valuable enterprise. This is particularly the case for academic and research psychologists who rely on publications for career status, stability, and advancement. Psychological researchers can devote extensive amounts of time to planning, conducting, writing up, and getting their research published in respected psychology journals, yet their work efforts in this regard have heretofore never been quantified monetarily. This article introduces the concept of a monetary equivalent value (MEV) of a published article in psychology. An initial basic linear equation is introduced that sets the dollar (or Euro) value of an article based on the median number of hours involved in publishing an article, the mean hourly wage of psychologists, and the 5-year Impact Factor (IF) of the journal in which the article is published. MEVs were calculated for the full range of journals published by the American Psychological Association (APA) that have IF ratings. MEV values varied widely, from a low of $4,562 for an article published in the journal "Dreaming", to a high of $131,613 for an article appearing in "Psychological Bulletin". This article represents the first to explore the MEV as an additional metric to understand the impact of published articles, and as such this exploratory study has numerous limitations. Chief among these is the study's reliance on the controversial Journal Citation Reports (JCR) journal impact factor metric, as well as its extrapolation from a limited medical literature on the average number of hours involved in publishing a study.

Advancing psychobiography: Reply to Young and Collins (2018).

In this reply to Young and Collins (2018), the author responds to 3 primary concerns raised about integrating psychobiography into mainstream psychology: appropriate historical context and historiographic research methods, avoiding deterministic conclusions and the role of psychobiography in theory testing, and ethical concerns related to lack of informed consent of the identified subject. The author appreciates the thoughtful comments of Young and Collins and hopes that discussion and debate about psychobiography will continue in the literature. (PsycINFO Database Record

Ethical and legal considerations in psychobiography.

Despite psychobiography's long-standing history in the field of psychology, there has been relatively little discussion of ethical issues and guidelines in psychobiographical research. The Ethics Code of the American Psychological Association (APA) does not address psychobiography. The present article highlights the value of psychobiography to psychology, reviews the history and current status of psychobiography in the field, examines the relevance of existing APA General Principles and Ethical Standards to psychobiographical research, and introduces a best practice ethical decision-making model to assist psychologists working in psychobiography. Given the potential impact of psychologists' evaluative judgments on other professionals and the lay public, it is emphasized that psychologists and other mental health professionals have a high standard of ethical vigilance in conducting and reporting psychobiography. (PsycINFO Database Record

John F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Torn Self: A Psychological Portrait.

John F. Kennedy, Jr., (1960-1999) was one of the most recognizable figures of the 2nd half of the 20th century. He died tragically in an airplane he was piloting on route to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts to attend the wedding of his cousin, Rory Kennedy. Though much has been written about the life of J.F.K., Jr., this article represents the first psychobiographical portrait of the iconic personality. Employing a multi-theoretical approach to psychobiography, this profile integrates psychodynamic theory (James 1902/1982, Winnicott 1965), psychosocial development theory (Erikson 1950, 1980), and a modern theory of emerging adulthood (Arnett 2004) to develop a deep psychological portrait of the beloved son of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. J.F.K., Jr.'s life is traced along the four developmental periods of infancy and childhood, high school and college, emerging adulthood, and young adulthood. Psychobiography often focuses on unsolved mysteries in the lives of historic figures, and this profile of J.F.K., Jr., explores his search for his unique identity, whether he would have entered political life, and the likely future of his life with Carolyn Bessette Kennedy had they lived.

Psychobiography Training in Psychology in North America: Mapping the Field and Charting a Course.

Psychobiography holds an important position in the history of psychology, yet little is known about the status of psychobiographical training and dissertation research in psychology departments. This brief report identified psychobiography courses throughout North America and content analyzed a sample of 65 psychobiography dissertations to discern the theories and methods that have most commonly anchored this research. Results identified few psychology courses specifically in psychobiography, with a larger number of courses incorporating psychobiographical and/or narrative elements. With regard to psychobiography dissertations, the majority focused on artists, pioneering psychologists, and political leaders. Theories undergirding psychobiographical studies were most frequently psychoanalytic and psychodynamic. Methodologically, a majority of the dissertations were anchored in constructivist (discovery-oriented) qualitative procedures, with a minority incorporating mixed methods designs. The authors highlight the value of psychobiographical training to psychology students and present avenues and models for incorporating psychobiography into psychology curriculums.

Development and Initial Validation of the Multicultural Personality Inventory (MPI).

Two studies summarize the development and initial validation of the Multicultural Personality Inventory (MPI). In Study 1, the 115-item prototype MPI was administered to 415 university students where exploratory factor analysis resulted in a 70-item, 7-factor model. In Study 2, the 70-item MPI and theoretically related companion instruments were administered to a multisite sample of 576 university students. Confirmatory factory analysis found the 7-factor structure to be a relatively good fit to the data (Comparative Fit Index =.954; root mean square error of approximation =.057), and MPI factors predicted variance in criterion variables above and beyond the variance accounted for by broad personality traits (i.e., Big Five). Study limitations and directions for further validation research are specified.

Case study in psychobiographical ethics.

This article addresses ethical issues relative to the conduct and reporting of psychobiographical research. The author's recent psychobiographical study of World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer (1943-2008) is used to illustrate particular ethical challenges and responses in six areas: (1) institutional review board (IRB) evaluation and informed consent; (2) balancing objective research with respect for psychobiographical subject; (3) inviting subject or next-of-kin to read and comment on working drafts of psychobiography; (4) reporting never-before-revealed sensitive information on a subject; (5) role of interdisciplinary consultation in conducting psychobiography; and (6) the value and cautions of including psychological diagnoses as part of the psychological profile. A "bill of rights and responsibilities" for the psychobiographer is introduced as a stimulus for ongoing discussion and empirical research on ethical practice in psychobiography.

Multicultural personality questionnaire: development of a short form.

This study reports on the development of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire-Short Form among 511 participants. Using a split-sample scale validation design, Study 1 (N = 260) employed a principal component analysis and rigorous item selection criteria to extract a 40-item short form (MPQ-SF) from the original 91-item Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ; van der Zee & van Oudenhoven, 2000, 2001). In Study 2 (N = 251), the MPQ-SF was subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and resulted in a reasonably good fit to the data (comparative fit index = .94; root mean squared error of approximation = .066). Satisfactory coefficient alphas and high correlations with the original scales were found. Moreover, relationships with related scales were largely in the predicted direction. Specific directions for follow-up research are posited.

Legends of the field: influential scholars in multicultural counseling.

This study identified the most frequently cited scholars across 28 leading multicultural textbooks used in the training of counselors and counseling psychologists. Four spheres or clusters of multicultural scholars were identified and were characterized, respectively, as having either a profound, highly significant, significant, or important impact on the academic multicultural training of counseling graduate students. The top-cited scholars across the textbooks were also examined in relation to their scholarly productivity (number of publications) and their impact (number of citations) in peer-reviewed journals. Specifically, multicultural scholars were assessed on the delta-beta coefficient, Scopus and PsycINFO publications count, Scopus citations, and the increasingly popular h-index of scientific impact. Limitations of the study and implications of the findings for counseling training were highlighted.

Multicultural personality dispositions and trait emotional intelligence: an exploratory study.

This study examined the relationship between multicultural personality dispositions and trait emotional intelligence. The sample included 152 graduate education students enrolled at a university in a large northeastern city of the United States. The multicultural personality dispositions of Cultural Empathy and Social Initiative predicted variance in trait emotional intelligence above and beyond the variance accounted for by gender and potential socially desirable responding. Study limitations are highlighted, and suggestions for follow-up quantitative and qualitative research are presented.

Psychotherapists' spiritual, religious, atheist or agnostic identity and their practice of psychotherapy: a grounded theory study.

In this present grounded theory study, 16 experienced psychologists, who practiced from varied theoretical orientations and came from diverse religious/spiritual/nonreligious backgrounds, explored their personal religious/spiritual/nonreligious identity development journeys, their experiences with clients' religious/spiritual content in psychotherapy sessions, and how their identity may have influenced the way they interacted with religious/spiritual material during sessions. Results revealed that psychologists' spiritual/religious/nonreligious identity is conflicted and complex and that their academic and clinical training did not provide sufficient opportunity to examine how this may affect their therapeutic work. A tentative grounded theory emerged suggesting that psychologists both identified with and were activated by clients' spiritual/religious conflicts and their internal experiences about the spiritual/religious content, both of which presented significant challenges to therapeutic work.

Qualitative research in multicultural psychology: philosophical underpinnings, popular approaches, and ethical considerations.

This article reviews the current and emerging status of qualitative research in psychology. The particular value of diverse philosophical paradigms and varied inquiry approaches to the advancement of psychology generally, and multicultural psychology specifically, is emphasized. Three specific qualitative inquiry approaches anchored in diverse philosophical research paradigms are highlighted: consensual qualitative research, grounded theory, and participatory action research. The article concludes by highlighting important ethical considerations in multicultural qualitative research.

Problem-solving style and multicultural personality dispositions: a study of construct validity.

This exploratory study examined the relationship between problem-solving styles and multicultural personality dispositions among 91 graduate students enrolled in an urban university located in the northeast United States. Problem-solving style was assessed with the three dimensions of the VIEW: an Assessment of Problem Solving Style. Multicultural personality was assessed with the five-factor Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ); its factors of Cultural Empathy, Open-mindedness, Social Initiative, and Flexibility correlated significantly with Explorer and External problem-solving styles, as predicted. The Emotional Stability subscale also correlated significantly with scores on Explorer style, suggesting that individuals who prefer "thinking in new directions" in problem solving are more likely to report remaining calm under stressful situations. Collectively, study results provided additional evidence of construct validity for the VIEW.

Statistical extensions of Ponterotto and Ruckdeschel's (2007) reliability matrix for estimating the adequacy of internal consistency coefficients.

The present article extends work on Ponterotto and Ruckdeschel's Reliability Matrix for estimating the adequacy of internal consistency measures. Specifically, it uses statistical tests to determine whether a calculated coefficient alpha is equal to or greater than the hypothesized population coefficient alpha identified in the Reliability Matrix. The Feldt, Woodruff, and Salih (1987) confidence interval test and Bonett's (2002) approximate z-test and N formula are applied. Select guidelines on reliability assessment and conducting statistical tests to determine adequacy of coefficient alpha are presented.

Multicultural personality dispositions and psychological well-being.

The authors investigated the empirical relationship between K. I. van der Zee and J. P. van Oudenhoven's (2000, 2001) multicultural personality dispositions and C. D. Ryff's (1989b) dimensions of psychological well-being. The present sample included 270 students from one primarily graduate university and one primarily undergraduate university in the northeast region of the United States. Factor analysis indicated that a three-dimensional model of the multicultural personality was the best fit structure for the sample. Correlations between multicultural personality scores and psychological well-being scores were generally positive and in the predicted directions. However, the academic setting of the participants appeared to influence the pattern of relationships. The authors identified the multicultural personality as a promising construct for research across diverse psychology specialties.

An overview of coefficient alpha and a reliability matrix for estimating adequacy of internal consistency coefficients with psychological research measures.

The present article addresses issues in reliability assessment that are often neglected in psychological research such as acceptable levels of internal consistency for research purposes, factors affecting the magnitude of coefficient alpha (alpha), and considerations for interpreting alpha within the research context. A new reliability matrix anchored in classical test theory is introduced to help researchers judge adequacy of internal consistency coefficients with research measures. Guidelines and cautions in applying the matrix are provided.

A qualitative investigation of adolescents' experiences with parental HIV/AIDS.

The present qualitative study investigated the implications of parental HIV/AIDS for affected adolescents. The purpose of the study was (a) to understand adolescents' perceptions of and experiences with parental HIV/AIDS and (b) to explore how parental HIV/AIDS affects adolescents' psychosocial functioning, particularly in the home and school environments. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 9 adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17. Major themes included loss, transitions, disclosure, school implications, paradoxical situations, support networks, and coping. Findings validated and expanded on previous research and yielded hypotheses for future research.