The life of Olive Schreiner: a psychobiography

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Date
2012-07-31
Authors
Perry, Mark James
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University of the Free State
Abstract
English: 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 Olive’s 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. Adler’s 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 theory’s 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 Olive’s 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 Olive’s life, and that it offered a plausible and coherent explanation of her moral development, creativity and her psychological distress. Olive’s 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 life’s challenges. In many respects she displayed evidence of the Adlerian concept social interest, or a commitment to the welfare of others. The study of Olive’s personality provided a positive demonstration of the value of Adler’s theory. The validity of the construct social interest as the primary indicator of mental health was questioned. Suggestions for further research were made.
Afrikaans: Olive Schreiner (1855-1920) was ʼn bekende Suid-Afrikaanse romanskrywer en filantroop. Die merkwaardige en enigmatiese vrou se lewe en werk het ʼn aansienlike hoeveelheid navorsing inspireer deur geleerdes wat diverse akademiese disciplines verteenwoordig. Hulle spekuleer steeds oor die mate waarin sy tot die samelewing bygedra het, haar potensiaal as skrywer verwesenlik het, asook die aard van haar sielkundige versteuring. Olive is as navorsingsubjek gekies omdat sy so interessant, kompleks en omstrede was. Talle biografieë is oor haar lewe geskryf. Hulle almal het interpretaisies van haar lewe aangebied en sommige het in die proses formele sielkundige teorieë gebruik. Niks daarvan was egter op eksplisiete of gevestigde sielkundige navorsingsontwerpe of metodes gebaseer nie. Die doelwit van hierdie studie was om Olive se lewe to konseptualiseer in terme van Individuele Sielkundige beginsels en was daarop gemik om lig to werp op haar lewe en verklarings aan to bied van haar kreatiwiteit, altruïsme, sielkundige probleme en algemene persoonlikheidsontwikkeling. Alfred Adler (1870-1937) was verantwoordelik vir die formulering van Individuele Sielkundeteorie. Dit is ʼn holistiese teorie wat subjektiviteit en die kreatiewe rolle benadruk wat individue speel tydens die ontwikkeling van hul lewenstyle. Adler se werk het ʼn beduidende invloed uitgeoefen op psigoterapeutiese praktyk ten spyte daarvan dat hy weinig erkenning ontvang het vir sy bydraes tot kontemporêre sielkunde. Die outobiografiese aard van die Adleriaanse konsep lewenstyl (life style) en die teorie se focus op menslike uniekheid beteken dat die teorie baie geskik is vir die bestudering van individuele lewens. Die studie kan beskryf word as lewensgeskiedenisnavorsing. Dit was op ʼn enkele gevalstudie en holistiese navorsingsontwerp gebaseer. Dit het voorts ʼn psigobiografiese bestudering van ʼn enkele subjek tydens ʼn volledige lewensverloop behels. Die navorsing was verduidelikend en het kwalitatiewe metodologie gebruik. Tydens die dataekstraksie en-ontleding is twee strategieë gebruik. Die een strategie het teoretiese stellings gebruik om relevante data te identifiseer, terwyl die ander die ontwikkeling van ʼn beskrywende raamwerk gebruik het om gevalstudiemateriaal to organiseer. Die kombinasie van die twee strategieë het die navorser in staat gestel om bewyse to bekom vir sleutelkonstrukte wat ʼn rol gespeel het tydens Olive se lewe. Die tipe psigobiografiese navorsing is nuttig om skaars of unieke verskynsels to begryp en hul toepassing op die lewens van enigmatiese individue fasiliteer teorie-ontwikkeling en toetsing. Die navorser het tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat Individuele Sielkunde besonder geskik is tydens die konseptualisering van Olive se lewe en dat dit aanneemlike en samehangende verduidelings verskaf vir haar morele ontwikkeling, kreatiwiteit en sielkundige probleme. Olive se lewenstyl was, in ooreenstemming met die aannames van Individuele Sielkunde, gemotiveer deur diepgaande minderwaardigheidsgevoelens. Sy het dwarsdeur haar lewe probeer om die gevoelens to oorkom. In die proses, en in ʼn poging om haar brose eiewaarde to beskerm, het sy spesifieke simptome aangewend. Die mees opvallendste was haar pogings om haar selfagting to beskerm deur aftand te skep tussen haarself en die uitdagings van die lewe. Dit het in talle opsigte bewyse opgelewer vir die Adleriaanse konsep sosiale belangstelling (social interest), oftewel ʼn verbintenis tot die welsyn van andere. Die studie van Olive se persoonlikheid het die waarde van Adler se teorie op ʼn positiewe wyse ten toon gestel. Die geldigheid van die konstruk sosiale belangstelling as primêre aanduider van geestesgesondheid is terselfdertyd bevraagteken. Voorstelle vir verdure navorsing is gemaak.
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Keywords
Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--University of the Free State, 2012, Schreiner, Olive, 1855-1920, Schreiner, Olive, 1855-1920 -- Psychology, Authors, South African -- 19th century -- Biography, Authors, South African -- 20th century -- Biography, Women authors, South African -- Biography, Psychobiography, Individual psychology, Life history
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