Thesis (MEcon)--Stellenboschniversity, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The application of discipline is crucial for the South African Police Service. The new political dispensation in South Africa resulted in the amalgamation of different police departments and the use of the Discipline Regulations of 1995 as the new standard of discipline. The magnitude of the police service makes the application of discipline difficult and results in lengthy disciplinary procedures that cause high levels of frustration and stress amongst police officials. The high suicide rate amongst police officials raises questions regarding the factors that cause undue pressure. This led to the interest for this study and the following research questions: Firstly, how do police officials perceive the fairness of the disciplinary procedures of the SAPS. Secondly, what guidelines can be developed to enhance the police official's perception regarding the fairness of the disciplinary procedure. The theoretical perspective focused on discipline in organisations and procedural justice to describe fairness perceptions. The present study was divided into two phases. Firstly, to identify and describe the police official's experience of the disciplinary procedures of the SAPS and secondly, to develop guidelines that would enhance the fairness experience of the disciplinary procedures by police officials. The study was qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual in design, The data was obtained by means of phenomenological interviews with respondents of two different populations, namely police officials that were exposed to a departmental tribunal, and experts of the disciplinary procedures of the SAPS. Once saturation level of the data was obtained, interviews were transcribed verbatim. Data was analyzed by utilizing the steps described by Tesch (Cresswell, 1994). The services of an independent decoder were also called in during the data analysis. Various themes were identified, as having an influence on the police official's experience of the disciplinary procedures of the SAPS. These are as follows: Police officials experience discrimination amongst members; that the process is emotionally exhausting; that the process becomes needlessly complex due to many petty or unnecessary charges; that there is a lack of consistent actions between the different role players in the process. The expert respondent group identified the following themes: There is a lack of consistent actions in the application of the process; cases are unique in nature and are assessed on merit; cases are often delayed; police officials experience the process as traumatic; station commissioners do not investigate cases properly; there is either a lack of emotional support or it is been wrongly applied. Throughout the process, steps were maintained to ensure trustworthiness. A literature control was also conducted to verify themes. Themes of the expert group were also used to verify themes of the police officials' group. Guidelines intended for use by supervisors and commanders were drawn up. These were based on the data obtained. The guidelines are supported by the existing Discipline Regulations (RSA, 1996), as well as the Discipline Guidelines (SAPS, 1996). It should therefore be of great value and use to supervisors and commanders. Recommendations for the application of the results in discipline practices, discipline education and further research concerning the discipline paradigm are discussed. In conclusion, findings indicated that police officials experience the disciplinary procedures of the SAPS as stressful and frustrating, and often as traumatic and emotionally exhausting. Supervisors and commanders should therefore endeavor towards the effective application of discipline in order to allow for a more fair perception of the process by their subordinates. It could also be advantageous towards the change of undesirable behaviour and to enhance moral and organisational climate at the station or unit. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die toepassing van dissipline is onontbeerlik vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens. Die nuwe politieke bestel in Suid-Afrika het die amalgamering van onderskeie polisiedepartemente tot gevolg gehad, en Dissipline-Regulasies wat gedurende 1995 uitgevaardig is dien nou as maatstaf vir dissipline-toepassing. Die omvang van die polisiediens maak die toepassing van dissipline moeilik en veroorsaak dat die dissiplinêre prosedure dikwels uitgerek word en dat dit baie spanning en frustrasie onder polisielede veroorsaak. Die hoë selfmoordsyfer onder polisiebeamptes veroorsaak baie vrae ten opsigte van die faktore wat onnodige druk op hulle mag plaas. Dit het aanleiding gegee tot hierdie studie en die stel van die volgende navorsingsvrae: Eerstens, hoe billik polisiebeamptes die SAPD se dissiplinêre prosedure beleef. Tweedens, watter riglyne ontwikkel kan word sodat werknemers die SAPD se dissiplinêre prosedure as meer regverdig en billik beleef. Vanuit 'n teoretiese perspektief is gekonsentreer op die toepassing van dissipline in organisasies, asook prosessuele geregtigheid wat poog om die billikheidservaring van werknemers te beskryf Die studie was in twee fases ingedeeL Eerstens, om die polisiebeampte se belewenis van die SAPD se dissiplinêre prosedure te identifiseer en te beskryf en tweedens, om riglyne op te stel sodat die toepassing van dissipline as meer billik en regverdig beleef kan word. Die studie was kwalitatief, verkennend, beskrywend en kontekstueel van aard. Die data was ingesamel deur fenomenologiese onderhoudvoering met deelnemers van twee populasies, naamlik polisiebeamptes wat self 'n departementele tribunaal beleef het, asook kenners van die SAPD se dissiplinêre prosedure. Nadat alle data versadig was, is die onderhoude verbatim getranskribeer. Data-analise wat gebaseer is op die stappe soos beskryf deur Tesch (Cresswell, 1994), het hierna gevolg. Tydens die proses van data-analise is daar vir kontroledoeleindes, ook gebruik gemaak van die dienste van 'n onafhanklike kodeerder. Op hierdie wyse is verskillende temas, kategorieë en sub-kategorieë geïdentifiseer ten opsigte van die polisiebeampte se belewenis van die SAPD se dissiplinêre prosedure. Dit kan soos volg beskryf word: Polisielede is van mening dat daar tussen polisiebeamptes gediskrimineer word; dat die proses emosioneel uitputtend is; dat die proses onnodig ingewikkeld gemaak word met baie geringe of onnodige aanklagte; en dat daar nie konsekwente optrede tussen die verskillende rolspelers in die proses bestaan nie. Die temas, kategorieë en sub-kategorieë van die kennergroep kan soos volg vermeld word: Daar bestaan 'n gebrek aan konsekwentheid in die toepassing van die proses; sake bly uniek en word op eie meriete beoordeel; sake sloer dikwels te lank; polisiebeamptes ervaar die proses as traumaties; stasiekommissarisse ondersoek nie altyd sake behoorlik nie; en dat emosionele ondersteuning dikwels ontbreek ofverkeerd toegepas word. Daar is deurgaans aandag geskenk aan aspekte om geloofwaardigheid te verseker. 'n Literatuurkontrole is uitgevoer om die temas te bevestig. Die kennergroep se temas is ook gebruik om die polisiebeamptegroep se temas te verifieër. Riglyne vir dissiplinetoepassing, is vir bevelvoerders en toesighouers opgestel. Die riglyne is gebaseer op die data wat verkry is. Die riglyne word ondersteun deur die bestaande Dissipline- Regulasies (RSA, 1996), sowel as die Dissipline-Riglyne (SAPS, 1996) en behoort daarom met groot vrug gebruik te kan word. Aanbevelings vir die toepassing van die resultate in dissiplinepraktyke en dissipline-opleiding, asook die bevordering van navorsing gemoeid met die dissiplineparadigma is ook bespreek. Dit gevolgtrekking is gemaak dat polisiebeamptes baie spanning en frustrasie met die toepassing van die SAPD se dissiplinêre prosedure beleef, en dat dit meestalook as traumaties en emosioneel uitputtend ervaar word. Toesighouers en bevelvoerders behoort daarop ingestel te wees om dissipline meer effektief toe te pas, sodat hul werknemers die proses as meer billik en regverdig ervaar. Verder mag dit moontlik die voordeel inhou dat groter suksesse behaal word in die verandering van ongewensde gedrag en kan dit ook die moraal en organisasieklimaat van die stasie of eenheid verbeter.

In this quantitative study, undertaken in a South African information and communications technology (ICT) company, dimensions of organisational culture (measured by the South African Culture Instrument) were correlated with the dimensions of work engagement (measured by the Utrecht Work Engagement Survey), to determine whether employees’ perceptions of organisational culture are related to their levels of work engagement. Structural equation modelling confirmed the factorial model of both measuring instruments, with most fit indices indicating the data to be a good or acceptable fit to the hypothesised model. Correlational analyses revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between each of the dimensions of organisational culture and work engagement respectively. Regression analyses showed that leadership, management processes, and goals and objectives make the strongest statistically unique contribution in predicting the dimensions of work engagement. Since work engagement has been shown to relate to several positive work outcomes, it makes sense for organisations to increase levels of work engagement by improving their organisational culture. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / MCom (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Psigonefrologie behels die studie von psigologiese faktore wat 'n rot speel by eindstadiumnierversaking. Nierversaking word beskou as 'n lewensbedreigende siekte, wat die lewensverwogting von die pasient verkort indien hy nie behandeling ontvang nie. Nierversaking kan ingedeet word in drie stadiums: Die pre-dialise, diatise, en oorplantingstadiums. Die onderskeibaorheid von hierdie stadiums is die gevotg von verski lie in mediese behandelingsmetodes. Nie een hiervon bring genesing nie, maar vertig simptome van die uremiese sindroom, verleng die tewensverwagting von die pasient, en is veronderstel om sy lewenskwaliteit te verbeter. DepresS,ie en angs, is algemene simptome wat by nierpasiente voorkom. Die redes hiervoor, is die pasient se psigologiese reaksie teenoor nierversaking, dialise, en/of 'n oorplanting. Verder moet hy ook die newe-effekte van die mediese behandeling trotseer. Aanpassings moet ook gemaak word in terme von beroep~ en sosiate funksionering. Nie net het eindstodiumnierversaking 'n psigososiate impok op die nierposient nie, maar word die gesonde moat ook daardeur be"invtoed. Daarom ervoar meeste egpore gesamentlik die impok von nierversaking op hulle huwelik- en gesinslewe. Vir optimale oanpassing by nierversaking moet egpore sekere oanpassingstoke bemeester, soos om nierversoking as 'n gedeetde probteem te hanteer, oan te pas by die rot von pasient en versorger. die verskillende behoeftes oan nobyheid en afstand tussen pasient en versorger, en die verwisseting in beroepsrolle hanteer, asook effektiewe kommunikasie met mekoar en die mediese span doarstel, en mekaor deurlopend instrumenteel en emosioneel ondersteun ten einde die huweliksverbintenis in stand te hou. Die resultate von hierdie ondersoek dui doarop dat huweliksverondertikes, soos 'n afnome in ontsponningsaktiwiteite en seksuatiteit, en gelykmakende rolle 'n belangrike rot speel om oanpassing by nierversaking te vergemaklik. Daarmee soam is gevind dat godsdiens 'n belangrike oanpossende funksie vir egpore het. Deurgoans speel'n ondersteuningsisteem, wat uit famitie en vriende, onder nierpasiente, die mediese span en 'n sielkundige bestoan 'n vernome rol om die egpoar met oanpassing te help. Uiteindelik blyk dit moonttik te wees vir egpare om hulle huwetiksverhouding in stand te hou, of setfs konstruktief te herstruktureer, asook groter huwelikstevredenheid te ervoar, ondanks die bedreiging von eindstadiumnierversaking. Meeste egpore ervoar die moeilike tydperk dan ook met 'n verdieping in hulle huwelik- en geloofslewe. / Psychonephrology is the study of psychological factors which are evident in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). ESRD is regarded as a life-threatening disease, which shortens the life-expectancy of a patient if he does not receive treatment. ESRD can be divided into three stages: the pre-dialysis, dialysis and transplant stages. These stages are signified by differences in medical treatment methods. None of these leads to a cure but all alle.viate symptoms of the uremic syndrome, increase the life-expectancy of the patient and are supposed to improve his quality of life. Depression and anxiety are general symptoms found in end-stage renal patients. The reasons for this are the patient's psychological reaction to renal disease, dialysis and/or transplant. Patients must also endure the side effects of medical treatment. Adjustment in vocational and social functioning is also evident. ESRD not only has a psycho social impact on the patient but also affects the healthy spouse. This is why most married couples together experience the impact of ESRD in their marital and family life. For optimal adjustment to ESRD couples need to master certain adaptational tasks, such as treating ESRD as a shared problem, adopt the roles of patient and caregiver, manage the various needs of closeness and distance between patient and caregiver and change of career roles, as well as effectively communicating with each other and the medical team, and instrumentally and emotionally support eac~ other in order to maintain the marital bonds. The results of this investigation show that marital variables, such as a decrease in recreation and sexuality and role equality, are important to ease the adjustment to ESRD. It was also found that religion has an important adaptational function for the married couples. A support system of family, friends, other renal patients, the medical team and a psychologist are also important to aid the couples' adjustment. Lastly it should be possible for renal couples to maintain, or even to positively reconstruct their marital relationship, and to experience marital satisfaction in the face of the threat of ESRD. Apparently most couples experience this ordeal as a time of intensification of their married and spiritual life. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Despite the increased focus on men in reproductive research, little is known about male involvement in the initial decision/s regarding parenthood (i.e., to become a parent or not) and the subsequent decision-making that may ensue (e.g., choices about timing or spacing of births). In particular, the parenthood decision-making of “White”, heterosexual men from the middle class has been understudied, as indicated in the existing literature. In South Africa, this oversight has been exacerbated by the tendency for researchers to concentrate on “problematic” men, to the exclusion of the “boring, normal case”. I argue that this silence in the literature is a result of the taken for granted nature of parenthood in the “normal” heterosexual life course. In this study, I have turned the spotlight onto the norm of “Whiteness” and heterosexuality by studying those who have previously been overlooked by researchers. I focus on “White” Afrikaans men’s involvement in parenthood decision-making. My aim was to explore how constructions of gender inform male involvement in decision-making, especially within the South African context where social transformation has challenged traditional conceptions of male selfhood giving rise to new and contested masculine identities and new discourses of manhood and fatherhood. In an effort to ensure that women’s voices are not marginalised in the research, as is often the case in studies of men and masculinity, I conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews about male involvement in decision-making with both “White” Afrikaans women and men. There were 23 participants in total, who all identified as heterosexual and middle-class. The participants were divided into two age cohorts (21 – 30 years and >40 years), which were then differentiated according to gender, reproductive status, and relationship status. Treating the interviews as jointly produced narratives, I analysed them by means of a performativity/performance lens. This dual analytic lens focuses on how particular narrative performances are simultaneously shaped by the interview setting and the broader discursive context. The lens was fashioned by synthesising Butler’s theory of performativity with Taylor’s narrative-discursive method. This synthesis (1) allows for Butler’s notion of “performativity” to be supplemented with that of “performance”; (2) provides a concrete analytical strategy in the form of positioning analysis; and (3) draws attention to both the micro politics of the interview conversation and the operation of power on the macro level, including the possibility of making “gender trouble”. The findings of the study suggest that the participants experienced difficulty narrating about male involvement in parenthood decision-making, owing to the taken for granted nature of parenthood for heterosexual adults. This was evident in participants’ sidelining of issues of “deciding” and “planning” and their alternate construal of childbearing as a non-choice, which, significantly served to bolster hetero-patriarchal norms. A central rhetorical tool for accomplishing these purposes was found in the construction of the “sacralised” child. In discursively manoeuvring around the central problematic, the participants ultimately produced a “silence” in the data that repeats the one in the research literature.

Thesis (MTech (Human Resources Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2006 / Many people work shifts because of socio-economic considerations and for them stopping shift work is not a realistic option. Shift work can have a negative impact on the health and well being of workers. The reason for this is that in every individual's body there are many rhythms/cycles, which are designed for daytime work. When these rhythms are disrupted as in nightime work, they need time to adjust so that they may all function as one. These rhythms do not adjust instantaneously; therefore the impact on the body is negative. This in turn, leads to a reduction in performance attentiveness, as well as an increase in the risk of accidents and injuries. Most shift workers do not know how to adjust their lifestyle to minimise the negative effects of working around the clock as companies do not provide the required programmes for their well being, thus increasing the chance of suffering from stress. If this is so, then, not only will the well being of the individual or employee be disrupted, but so too will productivity, as well as the profits of the business. This therefore means that shift work could in the end diminish the economic gain it was designed to create. "A tailor-made shift system should be a compromise between the employer's goals, the wishes of employees, and ergonomic recommendations for the design of shift systems" (Knauth, 1997:21). According to Ahasan (2002:09): "Currently there is little information available in the literature that supports the effective design of shift schedules, which offer effective productivity levels, while maintaining the health and safety of shift workers", It therefore has to be realised that there is no ideal shift system, which is going to fully meet an organisations needs, as well as the well being, social and family needs of each and every single employee within the organisation. Employers and employees can work together in order to learn how to identify and control shift work hazards. Also, employees need to learn how to cope better with the demands of their work schedule. Due to the many disruptions encountered in their personal life, social life and physical well being, the existence of stressrelated illnesses is increased in shift workers. Employers may pick up signs of stress when the following factors are monitored on a regular basis, as well as investigated if and when variances occur:

D.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / As a family constitutes the primary educational relationship of a child, and a child's development depends almost entirely on these relationships, it stands to reason that one would expect children with well-balanced personalities to be found in families characterized by a reasonable degree of sound family relationships that ensure concern, care, love and guidance. This is because men and women are not only themselves; they are also the region in which they were born, the city apartment or farm where they learned to walk, the games they played as children, the old wives' tales they overheard, the food they ate, the schools they attended, the sports they participated in, the poems they read and the God they believe in. Man is thus not only himself, but also what his environment makes of him (Purkey, 1970:34; Loubser, 1993: 13). It can,therefore, be concluded that children who grow up in an unhealthy family will probably grow up unhealthy as a result...

D.Litt. et Phil. / Endometriosis is among the most common gynaecological maladies affecting women's reproductive health and is also known to be associated with infertility. The pathogenesis of endometriosis is however not well understood. Altered immunity has been indicated in the pathophysiology of this puzzling disease. Over the last decade or more the research evidence suggesting that stress might play a role in the pathogenesis of various illnesses has grown significantly. According to certain tenets of psychoneuroimmunology, behaviour and cognitive therapy, by changing an individual's reaction to stress and increasing the ability to cope with stress, thereby altering immune function, may have an effect on the proliferation of a specific illness, in the case of this study, endometriosis. Various behaviour patterns used by individuals to deal with personal and environmental stressors, have been identified. The incessant struggle to overcome real and imagined obstacles imposed by events, time and the actions of other people typifies the Type A behaviour pattern. The aims of this study were to detemine, whether there were, in a randomly chosen group of patients with endometriosis, persons with high indices of Type A behaviour; to determine whether the modification of Type A behaviour in these patients had a positive effect on their biopsychosocial functioning and finally, whether the modification of Type A behaviour had a positive effect on these patients' endometriosis-related infertility. Endometriosis patients being treated at an infertility clinic were invited to participate in the study. Forty-two subjects were recruited. A psychometric test battery was administered to all the participants. Based on the results of the Videotaped Structured Interview, the subjects were equally divided into three groups: a low index Type A group, a high index Type A group and a middle group. Experimental groups 1 and 2 received counseling aimed at reducing Type A behaviour, using the revised version of the SARCPP, which was originally used with coronary heart disease patients. The test battery was again administered after the intervention. It was found that a subset of endometriosis patients did show higher indices of Type A behaviour. Furthermore an intervention that was found to be successful in reducing the Type A behaviour intensity and frequency in subjects with coronary heart disease was also found to be similarly successful in a subset of women with endometriosis. The most significant finding was the increase in pregnancies among the group of subjects who had been exposed to the treatment. Type A behaviour modification was indeed found to be effective in the treatment of infertility in couples where the female experienced endometriosis-related infertility.

M.Sc. / The present study explores the personal narratives of three battered women who have been involved in the killing of their batterers, with regards to the processes of the perpetuation of abuse and victimising patterns in contexts of the battering - relationships, the criminal justice system and the prison system, which contribute to the co-creation of the women's sense of self and identity. The narratives unfold from a prison setting, where these three women are serving long-term sentences. The narratives are described within a social constructionist perspective. Two-tape recorded conversations of an hour and a half were held with each of the participants in this study. The conversations included a written dialogue from the women. In-depth interviews were used to guide the emerging narratives. The reflections of the researcher are linked to the analysis of the co-created narratives. The narratives suggest that the recognition of these women as victims of violence is clouded by the need for larger systems, namely, the criminal justice system and the prison system to identify the women as perpetrators of violence. The prison system parallels the battering relationship in positioning the women as victims. Suggestions around the treatment of- battered women who kill in prison, include communally validating the experiences and feelings of these women through the processes of group therapy. Re-categorising the women in prison, as battered women who kill, rather than murderers so as to recognise the context of the battered women is suggested. Community service is considered as an alternative to long term imprisonment. Community outreach programs from prison to share knowledge of battered women who kill is also suggested. Government policies, where possible, should be made accessible and government sponsored shelters should be established so as to recognise battered women who kill as victims of violence. Children of battered women who kill should be given assistance and provided with necessary treatment. Empirical research is needed in order to determine the prevalence of battered women who kill. Comparative studies are needed to determine whether these findings can be generalised to the general population of battered women who kill.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / The main aim of this research was to do an exploratory study of the value-orientations and perceptions of the Zulu pupi Is in Sebokeng in order to enable teachers to understand the Zulu pupils better and thus be in a posi tion to teach them more effectively. The phenomenological strategy served as a basis from where the research was undertaken. This strategy made provision for the employment of various methods such as action research, literature study, word- and concept analysis. A questionnaire was used to determine the value-orientations and perceptions of the standard eight and ten Zulu pupils. For the purpose of empirical investigation a total of 224 standard eight and ten Zulu pupils was drawn from Botebo-Tsebo and Moghaka secondary school s • This was the total number of all standard eight and ten Zulu pupils in the two fore-mentioned schools during the academic year 1991. The most important findings of the research are as follows: * The typical value code of the Zulu child is not compatible with the values promoted in the school. * The beliefs of the Zulu pupils range from tradi tional belief in ancestors to those of modern times. A large percentage of the pupils are Christians. However, they still support the traditional religion. * The present Zulu pupil is inclined towards individuality rather than group consciousness that characterized traditional culture. * When comparing the valueing of school related matters, it was found that the standard ten pup! Is were relatively more positive to schooling than their standard eight counterparts. * Another important finding is that Zulu pupils prefer nonintegrated schools. They give preference to schools for their own people.

Serial crime is an element of society that continues to disturb and fascinate scholars. There is thus a need to understand the uniqueness of serial murderers and their psychological development. The field of psychobiography is a qualitative approach to uncover the story of an individual life through greater understanding of psychological concepts. Psychobiographical research is invaluable in the application of theory to the finished lives of exemplary or enigmatic individuals to develop and test theories of human development. Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (1960 – 1994), a cannibalistic serial killer who killed 17 young men, served as the single psychobiographical subject in this study. Dahmer was selected based on interest value, his uniqueness and the lack of a specifically academic and psychologically focused case study on his life. A qualitative psychobiographical research method was utilized in this study. The primary aim of the research was to explore and describe Jeffrey Dahmer’s personality development across his lifespan. This was achieved by applying Erikson’s (1950) psychosocial theory of staged developmental crises to the lifespan developmental process and Adler’s (1929) dynamic individual psychology to provide a more comprehensive idiographic interpretation of Dahmer as an individual. Jeffrey Dahmer’s life history was uncovered in this psychobiographical case study research through the systematic and consistent collection, analysis and interpretation of life history materials, which highlighted five significant historical periods: (a) Childhood of Fantasy, (b) The Quiet Loner, (c) Hiatus – or Build-up, (d) Seeking a Compliant Partner and (e) Arrest, Trial and Death. The two theoretical frameworks were used to discern, transform and reconstruct his life into a coherent and illuminating narrative of his psychological movement through life. Alexander’s (1988) model of identifying salient themes was used to analyze data for analytical generalization (Yin, 1994). A conceptual framework derived from the two theoretical perspectives was constructed to organize and integrate data and to guide the presentation and discussion of the findings of the study in an integrative and comprehensive manner. The findings suggested that both theoretical perspectives considered the biopsychosocial as well as cultural and historical influences of situations and experiences in Dahmer’s personality development throughout the lifespan. Adlerian theory indicated that Dahmer held a socially useless lifestyle whose movement was guided purposively towards a fictional goal xxii of godlikeness through creative, concrete expressions of personal superiority. Eriksonian theory held that Dahmer remained in role confusion, which was viewed as a functional, fragmented identity to survive in society and achieve a fantasy. Thus, both theories indicated, despite their different conceptualizations, that Dahmer’s personality development was ultimately not socially beneficial. The study of Dahmer’s personality development has provided a positive demonstration of the value of both Erikson (1950) and Adler’s (1929) theories to understand the processes of personality development in an individual life. It has further highlighted the uniqueness of individual responses to life tasks and consequently unlocked the possibility of perceiving people and their actions differently. Recommendations were made for future research undertakings that utilize a psychobiographical research design and methodology to uncover, illuminate and reconstruct the lives of enigmatic personalities.