This book is the product of a conference on psychohistory held at Stanford University in 1982. The papers explore the application of psychological theory to history, focusing primarily on psychoanalysis but including other psychological theories. As a whole, the book provides an overview of the current state of the field of psychohistory, including a clear view of controversies and critiques. The authors are largely from the disciplines of history or psychology. Although historical examples are at times used, the discussions are metahistorical in content. The editor, William McKinley Runyan, a psychologist, had added to the papers presented at the conference three lengthy, encyclopedic essays that frame the other papers and include a thorough survey of an enormous and growing body of literature.