Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-104).

Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-104).

Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-104).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (Feb. 27, 2007). Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Loved or despised, black ministers Malcolm X and Martin Luther King made their ways from birth in Baptist parsonages separated by half a continent to significant positions in mid-twentieth century America. Both men were painfully dramatizing black problems and poignantly articulating black-white tensions when their careers were violently concluded in their thirty-ninth years by assassins' bullets-This dissertation is a study of the goals and strategies of these two ministers who became martyrs in the cause of freedom. The writings and speeches of each man served the author as the basic source from which the concepts which guided Malcolm and King were gleaned.Chapter I presents brief, integrated biographies of Malcolm and King as well as their reactions to the ideas of one another. Chapters II and III deal with Malcolm and King, respectively; the format is the same for both chapters. Following a short introduction, goals are reviewed. Then, attention is turned to the strategies by which each leader sought to secure his goals. At the end of each chapter a number of summary ideas which represent the author's personal reaction to the life of the man under review are presented. Chapter IV concludes the dissertation with an essay in which the styles and ideas of the two men are compared andcontrasted.Opinions about Malcolm and King and their roles in American society are as diverse as the number of people who have heeded them. -4To some, these two represent American determination for freedom at its most noble level; others cast them in the role of despicable demogogues. Some were able to accept King's leadership while rejecting Malcolm's. Some, who at first repudiated King, began to accept him when Malcolm's impassioned voice stirred new visions of racial revolution. Others felt that Malcolm was possessed with an urgency that was lacking in the approach of King.The operational principles of King's life were well defined when he became pastor of a Southern church in 1954. Early in his life King had synthesized the Christian message of love and the Ganahh en teaching, of nonviolence; this synthesis was to provide the springboard for his future ideology and program. It should not be assumed, however, that King did not develop new visions nor sense new relationships as he traveled the tortuous road from Montgomery to Memphis. Rather, it was his basic, undergirding position which was unchanged as he moved along that route.On the other hand, any attempt to force Malcolm's strategy into such a unitary mold will result in an inaccurate evaluation of the man. During the last fifty weeks of his life, Malcolm was undergoing significant philosophical changes. Even though he had earnestly preached orthodox Black Muslim doctrine for a dozen years, the split with Elijah Muhammad in early 1964 and especially the transforming Mecca pilgrimage caused his thinking to move in radically new directions. Many of his positions were not yet fully defined nor articulated at the time of his death.Malcolm and King presented American blacks with alternative means to secure the same goals. Both dramatically expressed feelings that were shared, some perhaps unconsciously, by most blacks. Their fearless articulation of the black plight attests to their personal integrity and their unflinching determination to build a more just world. By defining problems in a simple, naked manner a nation was briefly aroused from its apathy to deal creatively with its racial crisis. Perhaps, even now, the message Malcolm and King espoused has been too quickly forgotten.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Duke University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Harding Graduate School of Religion, 1984. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 198-202).

Martin Luther King Junior was an advocate of non-violent social change strategies; he was a pastor, an author, the first president of the southern Christian leadership conference, a speaker, a Nobel Prize winner, and a leader. Martin Luther King junior was transformed by his deep family roots in the African American Baptist church. His formative experiences in his hometown of Atlanta were his theological studies, his varied models of religious and political leadership and his extensive network of contacts in the peace and social justice movements of his time. Although only 39 at the time of his death, Martin Luther King juniors’ life was remarkable for the ways it reflected and inspired so many of the twentieth century’s major intellectual, cultural and political developments. The primary aim of this study was to explore and describe the psychological development across the lifespan of Martin Luther King junior, by applying Alfred Adler’s theory of individual psychology. Martin Luther King junior’s life was explored in this study through systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of the historic data on his life, which highlighted seven significant historical periods: (a) Childhood and adolescence (1929 – 1944), (b)The inevitable (1944 – 1948), (c) The Purpose in his Destiny (1948 – 1951), (d) Family and mission (1952 – 1959), (e) Movement against segregation (1960 – 1963), (f) History is made (1963 – 1967), and (g) Unfinished business (1968). Adler’s framework was used to recognize, convert and reconstruct his life into a coherent narrative of his psychological development throughout his life. Alexander’s guidelines for extracting salient data was utilised to ensure accurate description of Martin Luther King junior’s life. A conceptual framework that is the Adlerian Matrix was included in the study as guide in presenting the research discussion and findings in an illuminating and integrative manner. The research discussion and findings suggested that Adler’s theoretical framework considers the biopsychosocial, cultural and historic influences in Martin Luther King junior’s personality development. In taking the context into consideration, Adler’s individual psychology identified King junior with a social useful lifestyle because of his high social interest which influenced his striving for superiority. This lifestyle guided his fictional goal which was selfless and aimed at contributing to the wellbeing of others. The private logic about himself, others and the world, which is developed in early childhood, was a positive navigator for the development of his personality and lifestyle. Thus according to the Adlerian theory, King junior could positively balance the resolution of the life tasks of occupation, social and love & marriage. The study of King junior’s personality development has provided an affirmative demonstration of the value of Adler’s psychological theory to understand the process of personality development in an individual life. It has highlighted the value of studying an individual life taking his context, including early experiences, family environment and every action, into consideration to understand the uniqueness of responding to life tasks and his perceptions. Recommendations were made for future research undertakings using psychobiographical research design and methodology to reveal, illuminate and reconstruct the lives of historic personalities

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Duke University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 430-461).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2003. / Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 185-194).