A Case for Case Studies: An Immigrant's Journal

By Paul R. Abramson

The issue of whether the case study (or psychobiographical) method can be a relevant research tool in the social sciences has been the source of debate for years. A Case for Case Studies explores the effectiveness of this research method in hypothesis formation and theory building via a demonstration, the journal entries of a Russian Jewish immigrant. By analyzing each journal entry through the use of a variety of theoretical formats, Abramson shows how to do case study research and use the results to enhance our understanding of human behavior. "A fine and welcome addition to the scientific study of lives. Paul Abramson writes both from the standpoint of a personal quest and from the psychosocial assessment of case studies. The result is an honest and clearly written human account." --Gilbert Herdt, University of Chicago "What better task for a psychologist than unraveling the myths and legends of family history? Professor Abramson interprets the Yiddish diaries of his grandfather, a Russian Jewish immigrant to the U.S., and follows him through painful struggles to make a living, to delight in a granddaughter, to the birth of his grandson (the author) shortly before his death. This absorbing quest for familial truth is supplemented by two arguments for the place of such case studies in the scientific enterprise." --William McKinley Runyan, University of California at Berkeley "This book is at once an engaging personal quest to understand another generation and a thoughtful reflection on the use of single case studies in psychological science." --Ruthellen Josselson, Towson State University

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803936966
• ISBN13: 9780803936966
• Release Date: December 1991
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.0" x 8.0"