Psychobiography is most useful for

Joseph G. Ponterotto was born in in the Bronx, New York, the fifth of six children in an immigrant Italian-American family.

His childhood was marked by large family gatherings and frequent trips to Italy. The international travel and the cross-cultural interactions led to his interest in multicultural counseling.

Psychobiography in literature

His forays into psychobiography were sparked by an interest in his childhood hero, Bobby Fischer, the chess genius, and the 35th US President, John F. Kennedy. As colleagues, we have collaborated on projects and panels related to qualitative research, which he believes can benefit from the inclusion of psychobiography and psychohistory in undergraduate and graduate training, including doctoral dissertation research.

Here, he answers a few questions about his latest book, The Psychobiographer's Handbook, published by the American Psychological Association ().

Dinesh Sharma: Why did you write a handbo