Olive Schreiner (1855-1920) was a famous South African novelist and humanitarian. A remarkable and enigmatic woman, her life and work have inspired a substantial amount of research by Schreiner scholars representing a diversity of academic disciplines. They continue to speculate about the extent of her contribution to society, the degree to which she realised her potential as a writer and the nature of her psychological disturbance. Olive was chosen as the subject of this research because she was so interesting, complex and controversial. She has been the subject of numerous biographies. All have offered interpretations of her life and some have employed formal theories of psychology to do so. None has utilised explicit or established psychological research designs and methodologies. The aim of this study was to conceptualise Oliveâs life in terms of the principles of Individual Psychology, thereby providing an illuminating account of her life and offering explanations of her creativity, altruism, psychological difficulties and general personality development. Individual Psychology is the theory developed by Alfred Adler (1870-1937). It is a holistic theory, emphasising subjectivism and the creative roles of individuals in developing their lifestyles. Adlerâs work has had a significant influence on psychotherapeutic practice although he has received comparatively little recognition for his contributions to contemporary psychology. The autobiographical nature of the Adlerian concept of lifestyle and the theoryâs focus on the uniqueness of human beings means that it is well suited to the study of individual lives. The study can be described as life history research. It employed a single case, holistic design and entailed a psychobiographical study of a single subject over an entire lifespan. The research was explanatory and the method was qualitative. Two strategies for data extraction and analysis were employed. One entailed the use of theoretical propositions to identify relevant data, and the other involved the development of a descriptive framework for organising the case material. The combination of these strategies enabled the researcher to obtain evidence for key theoretical constructs throughout Oliveâs life. This type of psychobiographical research is useful in understanding rare or unique phenomena and its application to the lives of enigmatic individuals facilitates theory development and testing. The researcher concluded that Individual Psychology was well suited to conceptualising Oliveâs life, and that it offered a plausible and coherent explanation of her moral development, creativity and her psychological distress. Oliveâs lifestyle, in accordance with the tenets of Individual Psychology, was understood to be motivated by a deep sense of inferiority which she spent her life striving to overcome. To this end, and in an attempt to protect her fragile sense of self-worth, she employed particular symptoms. Most obvious were her attempts at safeguarding her self-esteem by distancing herself from lifeâs challenges. In many respects she displayed evidence of the Adlerian concept social interest, or a commitment to the welfare of others. The study of Oliveâs personality provided a positive demonstration of the value of Adlerâs theory. The validity of the construct social interest as the primary indicator of mental health was questioned. Suggestions for further research were made.

Thesis advisor: Philip Altbach / As the number of part-time faculty in higher education rises, colleges and universities have begun to offer additional services and support to their part-time faculty in an attempt to attract and retain instructors who contribute to the institution. However, few institutions consider that the needs of their part-time faculty may differ; most seem to anticipate that the programming and services they offer will be equally desirable to all adjuncts. This study surveyed a sample of part-time faculty in Massachusetts to determine if faculty with differing backgrounds and motivations for teaching might desire different types of support and services from the college or university where they taught. A survey instrument was created using questions from the National Survey of Post-Secondary Faculty and included questions about interest in specific institutional services and support. An analysis of the results indicates that the faculty in this study fit into a modified form of the typology proposed by Gappa and Leslie in 1993. The relationship between these "types" and interest in the supports and services was analyzed using standard statistical techniques. Results of the study indicate significant difference in the interests of these faculty based on their faculty type. Reasons for these differences are proposed and suggestions for how colleges and universities might act on this knowledge are offered. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration and Higher Education.

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In the South African context there have been individuals who have made remarkable contributions to the anti-apartheid struggle and towards the establishment of the democratic society we live in today. Their âfinished livesâ warrant closer investigation to uncover what these persons may have to teach South African society (or societies at large) today. Dr Beyers Naudé (1915-2004) was such a figure. He was born of Voortrekker stock into the Afrikaner elite, but he vehemently opposed apartheid and became one of the heroes of the anti-apartheid struggle and made a significant contribution to contemporary South African society. Although much has been written on the life and work of Naudé, none of the literature adopts a specific psychological focus and no psychobiographical study of the life of Naudé exists. As such, Naudé was selected for this study by means of purposive sampling. Naudéâs life history was uncovered in this psychobiography through the systematic and consistent collection and analysis of life history materials. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources of life history materials. Psychobiographical research is qualitative research that involves the investigation of unique and âgreatâ lives as well as the investigation of the lives of contentious or controversial figures. This is achieved through the application of formal psychological theory to the life history of these individuals. Psychobiographical research may investigate the origin, development and nature of constructs such as psychological strenghts, optimal wellness and coping. This is referred to as a eugraphic approach in psychobiography as opposed to the pathographic approach in psychobiography which focuses on psychopathology. This psychobiographical study may also be described as eugraphic in nature. The aim of the study was to explore and describe Naudéâs holistic wellness and faith development. A framework consisting of a wellness model and a faith development theory was employed in order to âuncoverâ Naudéâs wellness and faith development over his lifespan. The wellness model employed in this study was the Wheel of Wellness (Myers et al., 2000; Witmer and Sweeney, 1992) and the faith development theory employed was Fowlerâs Faith Development Theory (Fowler, 1981). Alexanderâs (1988) indicators of saliency and McAdamsâ (1996) approach to investigating life stories were employed to identify salient data or themes that were investigated in this study. Furthermore, conceptual frameworks or matrices were also presented to organise data, integrate findings and guide the presentation and discussion of findings. The frameworks were derived from the historical periods in Naudéâs life, on the one hand, and the theoretical perspectives of the Wheel of Wellness model (Myers, Witmer & Sweeney, 2000; Witmer & Sweeney, 1992) and the Faith Development Theory (Fowler, 1981) respectively, on the other. Findings in this study regarding Naudéâs holistic wellness indicated that he was able to successfully negotiate the life tasks as outlined by the Wheel of Wellness model throughout his lifespan. These were spirituality, self-direction, work and leisure, friendship and love. Findings also indicated that Naudé progressed through all the stages of faith development proposed by the Faith Development Theory and reached a very mature level of faith development, namely, universalising faith. Furthermore, findings also suggest that both Naudéâs holistic wellness and faith development were influenced by personal experiences, societal forces (life forces) and global events. This study provides a positive demonstration of the value of the Wheel of Wellness Model (Myers et al., 2000; Witmer & Sweeney, 1992) and the Faith Development Theory (Fowler, 1981) to describe the holistic wellness, on the on hand, and faith development, on the other, over an individual life. Additionally, recommendations are made for future research employing the psychobiographical research design and methodology to uncover the lives of âgreatâ and enigmatic or contentious and controversial personalities.

Thesis (Ph. D., Education)--University of Idaho, April 2008. / Major professor: Michael Kroth. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-121). Also available online (PDF file) by subscription or by purchasing the individual file.