The aim of this study is to create a psychobiography of Vincent Van Gogh who was born in 1853 and died 1890. To Van Gogh art was not merely a means for an income, he converted all his aspirations and anguish into his art works. In doing so his art became the first example of a truly personal art, to him art was a deeply lived means of spiritual salvation, which he used as a means to transform himself. It was well known that Van Gogh was unstable and felt misunderstood in life, often asking “What is the use?” . He had a method of fusing what he saw in the world, and what he personally felt, into works of art that were revelations of himself. Van Gogh lived a lonely life, although for the last seventeen years of his life he wrote to his brother, Theo, almost daily. These letters give much insight to the thoughts and inner world of a much misunderstood individual. Most of these letters have been preserved and much else has been written about Van Gogh’s life and art. In our modern day he is deemed one of the most famous artists, yet in his lifetime he only sold one painting. This psychobiography employs a qualitative psychobiographical research method, which aims to describe Van Gogh’s psychological development in terms of Erik Erikson’s psychosocial developmental stages. Van Gogh was chosen as the research subject because of personal interest, his value as a famous artist, and because of the unique way in which he saw and related to the world.

Psychobiographies typically explore and describe historically significant, extraordinary and enigmatic individuals' psychological development through the lens of psychological theory. The primary aim of this psychobiographical study was to explore and describe the developmental life stages of Margaret Hilda Thatcher (1925 - 2013) through the application of Erik Erikson's theory of Psychosocial Development. Erikson's theory takes a holistic, biopsychosocial approach to the lifelong development of the individual, emphasising ego development. A secondary objective was to clarify the propositions of Erikson's theory by applying it to Thatcher's life. Margaret Thatcher was the leader of the Conservative Party in Great Britain and was the first ever female British Prime Minister. As a political leader, she was driven by conviction and regarded as controversial in that she divided the opinion of the British people. She served as Prime Minister for three consecutive terms and was eventually ousted by her peers. After leaving office, she received the title of Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven and later became a member of the highest order of knighthood in England: The Order of the Garter. Psychobiographical research is qualitative and follows a single, case study approach. Through using a purposive sampling strategy, Thatcher was selected as a research subject on the basis of interest value and uniqueness. Data were selected from primary and secondary sources, enhancing the validity of the study, and were analysed according to Alexander's nine identifiers of salience within the conceptual framework derived from Erikson's theory. When considering the findings of the research, it became evident that Margaret Thatcher's development coincides with those constructs proposed in Erikson's theory, and thus emphasised its value in understanding human development. The findings from this psychobiographical study contributed to the understanding of Thatcher's life and are likely to stimulate further research in psychology.

In my search for work of and about autoethnography and teacher self-study, I realised the / Thesis (PhD.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

This study explores the memories of adolescent sexual experiences of female Basotho science teachers in order to understand the influence of such experiences on their approach and handling of sexuality, HIV and AIDS education. My argument is that Basotho teachers arc facing a challenge of integrating sexuality, HIV and AIDS education into their teaching largely because of their lived sexuality experiences, which have been shaped institutionally and through societal expectations. An eclectic theoretical approach, with emphasis on feminism and involving Dewey's philosophies of experience informed the study. A qualitative research design was used. Data was produced through one-on-one semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and memory work with three participants. I was a participant-researcher and hence contributed my experiences to the study. Field notes and journal entries were used to supplement the data. The storied lives of the women teachers have been shared in their own words including the researcher's autobiography. The findings show that the adolescent sexual experiences of the women teachers have shaped their teacher selves within sexuality, HIV and AIDS classrooms. Some of their experiences have been educative while others have been mis -educative, and thus have led to some of the teachers not being able to handle sexuality education at all, while others only handle it partially. Several stumbling blocks have been identified that impede the effective facilitation of sexuality education in Lesotho classrooms. These include religion, traditional practices, lack of training and societal constructions of what is and is not permissible in schools. Challenging and disturbing these stumbling blocks and breaking the silence around sexuality issues among Basotho societies could be helpful in ensuring that 8asotho teachers gain the skill s necessary for them to facilitate the teaching of sexuality, HIV and AIDS education. Thus, Basotho children would be given the knowledge necessary for them to make informed decisions regarding their sexual behaviour. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

The objective of psychobiography is a better understanding of individuals, and psychobiographical case studies add meaning and value to research (Runyan, 1988a). Melanie Klein was chosen for this study through a purposive sampling method due to her contributions to the discipline of psychology, which placed her in a distinguished position regarding twentieth century psychoanalysis. Furthermore, no other psychobiography has been written on Klein. The primary aim of this study was to present the reader with a basic description of her life, and a secondary aim was to accomplish an in-depth description of Klein within her social and historical context. Due to these aims and the nature of psychobiography, it may be said that this is a qualitative study based on a single case method, described as explorative and descriptive. Data was analysed according to Huberman and Miles’ (1994) approach which consists of data reduction, display and verification. This study was guided by Levinson’s (1996) theory of Adult Development in Women. The theory allowed for an in-depth description of Klein’s experiences and social and historical contexts by merely illuminating her life. Finally, it may be said that this study contributed to the limited amount of psychobiographical research in South Africa.

Psychobiography is a qualitative approach to exploring and understanding the life story of an individual through the lens of psychological theory. The application of theory is typically conducted on the finished lives of well-known or enigmatic people. This study explores and describes the psychological development across the lifespan of Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, by applying the Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler. Winston Churchill voted the greatest Briton of the twentieth century, was an author, painter, adventure, soldier, politician and Prime Minister that led the United Kingdom during World War Two. Extensive data has been examined in this work to ensure an accurate description of Winston Churchill‘s life. Alexander‘s model of identifying salient themes was used to analyse the data within a conceptual framework derived from the theory. Churchill‘s difficult childhood motivated him to succeed, his passion for the nation of Britain and his dislike of the Nazi regime meant that Churchill was always abreast with current affairs, anticipating every possible scenario of attack. When the time came to fight the Nazi‘s Churchill was ready to die for his country. The research findings highlight Churchill‘s ability to rise above his childhood stigmas and surpass all expectations and so cementing his name into the history of a country he loved and a democratic world he hoped for. Alfred Adler‘s Individual Psychology proposes that an individual‘s potential weaknesses can be used as a means to strive and achieve greatness within their sphere of influence.

Psychobiography is a qualitative approach to exploring and understanding the life story of an individual through the lens of psychological theory. The application of theory is typically done on the finished lives of well-known or enigmatic people. This study explores and describes the psychological development across the lifespan of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, by applying the Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler. Che Guevara was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, and major figure of the Cuban Revolution. Since his death, his image has become a symbol for revolution within popular culture. Extensive data has been examined in this work to ensure an accurate description of Guevara’s life. Alexander’s model of identifying salient themes was used to analyze the data within a conceptual framework derived from the theory. Guevara was fiercely loyal to his cause, at the expense of the lives of many Cuban citizens as well as his own family, whom he spent little time with. He justified this with his firmly held belief that the end justified the means and that he was always fighting for the greater good. He quite literally dedicated his life to his cause, which is the reason that he has become a modern day symbol for revolution. It is however unfortunate that this came at such a great personal expense.

The purpose of this research project was to explore a model of transformative learning for the promotion of successful aging in group counselling and psychotherapy. This project explored how a model of life review, including guided autobiography (Birren & Deutchman, 1991) and enactment(s) in group psychodrama (Westwood, 1997) contributes to transformative learning (Mezirow, 1991, 1998). Successful aging emphasizes the potential for psychological growth rather than decline across the life span. In a field study, I used an ethnographic approach with an emphasis on reflexivity (Atkinson & Hammersley, 1994; Fisher, 1995). For this model, seven co-researchers, graduate students and professionals in practise, engaged in life review enactments in the context of group psychodrama. Evidence for communicative and emancipatory action two major domains of transformative learning (Mezirow, 1991), emerged from the data analysis. Six major themes, including four process themes and two content themes emerged: 1) the reflexive reconstruction of the self; 2) co-construction of the meaning of experience; 3) moral betrayal and social injustice; 4) leadership and creating a democratic public space; 5) action planning: individual and social action; and, 6) dreams as a template for actions. These central themes are described. Case examples from the stories of the co-researchers are offered as clarification. Suggestions and implications for future research and practise are discussed.

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Psychobiography can be viewed as the re-writing of an individual‟s life story previously undetected. In general, it consists of a combination of two central elements: biography and psychological theory, which aim to explain the particular individual‟s psychological development. This particular study serves to explore the extraordinary life of renowned singer and songwriter, Ian Kevin Curtis (1956-1980), who died by suicide at the early age of 23. The basis for this investigation will take the form of notable biographical accounts of the subject‟s life, together with the application of Thomas Joiner‟s (2005) interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide which identifies factors that lead to suicidal ideation - in an attempt to understand the psychological circumstances that contributed to Curtis‟s suicide. In doing so, Adler‟s (1929) theory of Individual Psychology was applied to the life of Curtis in an attempt to build on Joiner‟s theory. This led to the concept of control being introduced and contributed to the development of an intake form to identify those at risk for suicide. It is hoped that exploring the psychological circumstances that contributed to Curtis‟s suicide and their interpretation by the subject will bring about an understanding of the risk factors that may induce suicide and, by extension, will highlight the relevance of this psychobiographical study as a tool for investigating and promoting preventative measures concerning suicide. The psychobiographical data collection and analysis for this research thesis will be guided by Yin‟s (2003) theory of „analytic generalisation‟ which uses a theoretical framework in selecting relevant data which develops a matrix as a descriptive framework for organising and integrating that data, and Alexander‟s (1988) analytical model which focuses on lifting out themes through principal identifiers of salience.