The Discovery of International Digital Collaborative Autoethnographical Psychobiography

Autoethnography and psychobiography, while distinct in focus and application, share key similarities that make them compatible for combined use in research. Despite these commonalities, combining autoethnography and psychobiography remains surprisingly rare. This text introduces a groundbreaking approach to collaborative qualitative research, merging personal narrative with psychological life-study methods.

Patrick Hopkinson and Mats Niklasson provide an in-depth exploration of Digital Collaborative Autoethnographical Psychobiography (DCAP), a research method that enables diverse teams to study complex life experiences and mental health issues with depth and nuance. Through the combination of personal storytelling, cultural reflection, and psychological analysis, the authors explore how DCAP opens doors to studying topics and individuals, often overlooked in traditional research. With chapters on the foundations of autoethnography and psychobiography, the methodology behind DCAP, and real-world studies, DCAP offers a rich, inclusive framework for researchers to gain insights that resonate on both personal and societal levels. The exploration culminates with discussions on national and international applications of DCAP, making it an invaluable resource for those seeking reflective approaches to understanding human experiences.

Offering innovative qualitative methods for exploring complex human experiences, this resource is ideal for researchers and scholars focused on mental health, creativity, culture and diversifying research methods.

Patrick Hopkinson is the founder and Managing Director of Apollo Eagle Consulting Limited, UK, which supports public services to improve and develop community safety and adult safeguarding practice, strategy and coordination. He is the published author of Safeguarding Adult Reviews and Domestic Homicide Reviews and of peer-reviewed and professional journal articles and book chapters.

Mats Niklasson (PhD) is Senior Advisor at the Vestibularis Clinic, Center for Sensorimotor Research in Kalmar, Sweden, and affiliated to the School of Psychology, University of Greater Manchester, Bolton, UK. Together with Irene Niklasson and the late Professor em Matti Bergström he has developed a method for sensorimotor therapy (SMT).