Biographic diagnosis--a critical review

Within the framework of clinical psychology and stress research biographic diagnosis is becoming more and more important. In addition to classical anamnesis, the virtues and limitations of so-called biographic questionnaires and life-event inventories, the chief methods of biographic diagnosis, have been discussed for several years. Following a brief evaluation of anamnesis and biographic questionnaires, the author derives conclusions, based on a method-critical analysis of life-event research, for the arrangement of such life-event inventories.