1991/01/01 by Alonzo L. Hamby · 2 citations
Social Sciences · Psychology · Arts and Humanities · #Race, History, and American Society #Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology #American Political and Social Dynamics
paper · doi:10.2307/2152173
openalex publication_date 1991/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Biographers must not simply recount what their subjects did but must also explain character and motivation. Inevitably, their analyses must be more speculative than empirical, more intuitive than definitive; but the goal of understanding a personality whose decisions affected millions of lives can be rejected only at the cost of ignoring a crucial aspect of the historical process. No approach to human personality can be dismissed entirely, but it appears fair to conclude that the most successful interpretations have been eclectic rather than rigidly Freudian. I One may draw on a few widely understood propositions. Most scholars would agree that numerous childhood experiences -especially those involving relationships with parents, peers, and the opposite gender -play crucial roles in personality formation. Personality development, however, does not stop after the onset of puberty. Surely an adult subject's mesh with the dominant culture has a powerful impact, as do rhythms of success and failure. Attitudes and behavioral patterns