ABSTRACT
Ahmed Kathrada (1929-2017), an anti-apartheid activist, political prisoner, and parliamentary politician had been at the centre of South Africa's liberation struggle for six decades and is remembered as a soft-spoken, strong-willed and incorruptible freedom fighter. This psychobiography uses the career development framework of Jeffrey Greenhaus and the ecological human development systems framework proposed by Urie Bronfenbrenner to investigate and illuminate Kathrada's life history. Kathrada was purposively selected as subject due to his extraordinary contributions to the liberation struggle. The study used primary and secondary documentary data. The findings indicate poor alignment between the age categories proposed by the Greenhaus framework and Kathrada's career development stages due to him joining the liberation movement at a very young age, his rapid career development during the early career stage and the impact of imprisonment on his career development. The findings relating to Bronfenbrenner's theoretical framework illustrate the interaction between individual and environmental factors that influenced Kathrada's life and career. Ultimately, employing two theoretical frameworks assisted in formulating a pragmatic, holistic and comprehensive psychobiography that illuminates Kathrada's life and career. The study contributes to the legacy of Kathrada and underscores the importance of longitudinal studies in the career development of extraordinary individuals.
Subject(s)
Political Activism , Humans , History, 20th CenturyABSTRACT
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, born in 1938, is Africa's first elected female head of state. She navigated stressful and traumatic events, including bullying, domestic abuse, persecution, a civil war, witnessing the effects of genocide and navigating a patriarchal system. Nonetheless, Johnson-Sirleaf's determination established her as a global icon who played a significant role in women's empowerment. Johnson-Sirleaf was purposively selected for this study as she is an extraordinary female political leader. Frankl's dimensional ontology is employed to describe and explore the life of Johnson-Sirleaf from a psychobiographical perspective using publicly available information. The study focused on the period between 1938 and 2005. The findings suggest that Johnson-Sirleaf transcended psychophysical and psychosocial limitations and crafted a meaningful life. It seems Johnson-Sirleaf was guided by a sense of purpose and used her will to meaning to overcome psychosocial injustices and psychophysical issues. This study illustrates the value of Frankl's existential theory in illuminating the life histories of extraordinary political leaders and its potential contribution to contemporary mental health challenges.
ABSTRACT
The dark sides of personalities have gained importance during the past two decades. Psychobiography deals with the life of extraordinary individuals throughout the life span by applying selected theories to analyse specific life aspects. This study uses Theodore Millon's (1990, 2011) personality theory to explore the life of Ferdinand Karl Piëch (1937-2019), an Austrian engineer and business executive who was the chairman of the executive board of the Volkswagen Group (1993-2002) and the chairman of the supervisory board from 2002 to 2015. Piëch was also known for having a complex and controversial personality. This study aims to explore the life and work of Ferdinand Karl Piëch through the lens of Millon's personality theory. This study has four specific aims. Firstly, to provide an accurate and objective description of Piëch's life history. Secondly, to formulate an accurate description of Piëch's personality on the basis of existing biographical data. Thirdly, to interpret Piëch's personality through the use of Millon's theoretical framework and identify the personality prototypes that correspond with his personality characteristics. Fourthly, to contribute to expanding the field of "dark personality aspects" from a psychobiographical perspective, especially the personalities of extraordinary individuals. The findings suggest that although Piëch demonstrated the characteristics of three personality prototypes, the assertive-sadistic prototype is the best fit for his personality characteristics. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations for theory and practice are given.
ABSTRACT
This article serves as the editorial to the Special Issue of Europe's Journal of Psychology that focusses on "Creating a meaningful life: Psychobiographical investigations." The introduction provides a brief overview of the articles that offer original and innovative approaches to the growing research area of psychobiography, meaning and identity from different theoretical, methodological, disciplinary and socio-cultural background.
ABSTRACT
This comparative psychobiographical study provides an in-depth exploration of meaning in the lives of two extraordinary individuals, Helen Suzman and Beyers Naudé. A comparison of the construction of meaning, as an important aspect of wellness within the holistic wellness model, is given for these South African anti-apartheid activists. Suzman (1917-2009) dedicated her career to opposing apartheid policy as a parliamentary politician. Naudé (1915-2004) was a renowned public figure dedicated to social justice in his role as a theologian. The holistic wellness model views the Neo-Adlerian life task of spirituality as crucial to ascribing meaning to life events, acknowledging multiple potential sources of meaning. The differences and similarities pertaining to the domains of meaning-making of these two subjects are explored. The subjects, who differed regarding biographical variables, were found to share a common sense of purpose within the same socio-political milieu. The study findings confirm that commitment to diverse sources of meaning and generativity are central to meaningfulness. This comparative psychobiographical study contributes to the eugraphic exploration of the meaning-making processes of these exemplary individuals.
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The study investigates Sol Plaatje's (1876-1932) spiritual wellness across his lifespan. He was purposively sampled due to his impact upon South African society. As an intellectual, novelist, journalist, and politician, Plaatje was also a founder member of the South African Native National Congress, which later became the African National Congress. His life history reflected a significant degree of spiritual wellness, which was uncovered through the systematic analysis of publicly available life-history materials, including primary and secondary sources. The Wheel of Wellness (WoW) model by Sweeney and Witmer was applied to interpret the biographical evidence of spirituality and meaning in his life. Spirituality, as the central life task of the WoW, and regarded as the most influential domain of a healthy individual, incorporates religious beliefs and other individualised aspects of meaning-making. Findings indicate that spirituality characterised Plaatje's childhood years and continued to play a role throughout his adult years. His sense of meaning and purpose was personified in the promotion and preservation of human rights and dignity, which embraced inter-racial respect, compassion, and service to others.
ABSTRACT
The existential psychiatrist Viktor Frankl (1905-1997) lived an extraordinary life. He witnessed and experienced acts of anti-Semitism, persecution, brutality, physical abuse, malnutrition, and emotional humiliation. Ironically, through these experiences, the loss of dignity and the loss of the lives of his wife, parents and brother, his philosophy of human nature, namely, that the search for meaning is the drive behind human behaviour, was moulded. Frankl formulated the basis of his existential approach to psychological practice before World War II (WWII). However, his experiences in the concentration camps confirmed his view that it is through a search for meaning and purpose in life that individuals can endure hardship and suffering. In a sense, Frank's theory was tested in a dramatic way by the tragedies of his life. Following WWII, Frankl shaped modern psychological thinking by lecturing at more than 200 universities, authoring 40 books published in 50 languages and receiving 29 honorary doctorates. His ideas and experiences related to the search for meaning influenced theorists, practitioners, researchers, and lay people around the world. This study focuses specifically on the period between 1942 and 1945. The aim is to explore Frankl's search for meaning within an unpredictable, life-threatening, and chaotic context through the lens of his concept of noö-dynamics.
ABSTRACT
Holistic wellness theories conceptualise wellness as a multidimensional and synergistic construct. The term wellness refers to a way of life oriented towards optimal health and wellbeing in which body, mind, and spirit are integrated by the individual to live life fully within the human and natural community. The proposed Wheel of Wellness Model incorporate five life tasks that are influenced by seven life forces that are, in turn, influenced by global events. In this study, the model is employed to explore the life of Angela Merkel from a psychobiographical and holistic wellness perspective. Merkel was purposively selected as an extraordinary leader who demonstrated exceptional coping abilities and wellness. Findings show that Merkel's wellness is particularly strong in terms of spirituality and self-direction. Suggestions are proposed how to expand the WoW in the context of latest positive psychology developments and with regard to socio-cultural changes within contemporary societies.
Subject(s)
Culture , Holistic Health , Leadership , Psychology, Positive , Social Change , Adaptation, Psychological , Female , Germany , History, 21st Century , Humans , Male , SpiritualityABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Globally the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has become more apparent. Prevalence on the African continent remains unknown. There is a call for further research into ASD in Africa as well as means to make early diagnosis and intervention possible. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to raise awareness about ASD in Africa and encourage dialogue on possible intervention strategies for ASD in low resource settings. METHODS: This was a qualitative mixed method case study. Literature regarding ASD in Africa was reviewed in order to provide context for the research and facilitate data reduction of the case study of Temple Grandin. The case study was conducted through a psychobiographical approach using Erikson's (1950/1973) theory of psychosocial development to interpret the life of Temple Grandin. The findings underwent further data reduction in order to focus on possible interventions for ASD. RESULTS: Four primary interventions were found to be useful in facilitating development in an individual with ASD. Namely; speech therapy, creative endeavours, animals (human-animal interaction), and being mentored. CONCLUSION: Undiagnosed and untreated cases of ASD place undue psychosocial and economic burden on families and communities. Government support, by including ASD in health policies, is essential. Through creative adaptation of knowledge, communities may provide a valuable resource to ASD intervention strategies.
