Our aim is to highlight the past, present and future state of affairs of South African psychobiography. Particular attention is given to the trends and the challenges faced by academic psycho-biographers in South Africa. Over the past decade psychobiography has evolved into an established research genre and has become a methodology used by various academics and post-graduate research scholars at South African universities. Psychobiography entails the study of historically significant and extraordinary individuals over their entire life spans with the aim to uncover and reconstruct their lives psychologically. These longitudinal case studies include the psychological study of personalities in diverse occupational fields such as architecture, arts and literature, business and entrepreneur-ship, politics, religion and spirituality, sport, science, as well as the popular biographies of celebrities. Psycho-biographical studies in South Africa have been nurtured in the departments of psychology at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Rhodes University, the University of Johannesburg, and the University of the Free State. Most of these biographical studies have been completed as postgraduate r research endeavours in master's and doctoral degree programmes in psychology where academic staff have initiated and grown psychobiography as a strategic research focus area within their faculties. Psycho-biographical research has considerable logistical and administrative value for postgraduate research and the supervision process, and is also of academic benefit to the theoretical development of South African psychology. In South Africa an array of exemplary personalities constitute a ‘hall of fame’. Their legendary lives are ideal case studies which may be used to develop and/or refute aspects of psychological theory and its applicability to human development over the span of an individual's life.
BareiraL. (2001). The life of Helen Martins, creator of the Owl House: A psychobiographical study. Unpublished Master's dissertation, University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
6.
BertauxD. (1981). Introduction. In BertauxD. (Ed.), Biography and society: The Life history approach in the social sciences (pp. 5–15). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
7.
BiggsI. (2007). Ray Charles: A psychobiographical study: Unpublished Master's dissertation, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
8.
BurgersM. P. O. (1939). Die mens Langenhoven. Kaapstad: Nasionale Pers.
9.
BurgersM. P. O. (1960). C.L. Leipoldt: 'n Studie in stof keuse,-verwerking en —ontwikkeling. Kaapstad: Nasionale Boekhandel.
10.
CarlsonR. (1988). Exemplary lives: The use of psychobiography for theory development. Journal of Personality, 56, 105–138.
11.
ChézeE.HowcroftG.FouchéJ. P. (2007). Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer: A psychobiographical study. Presentation at the Prestigious Student Research Conference, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
12.
ClaasenM. (2007). The life of Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd: A psychobiographical study. Unpublished Master's dissertation, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
13.
De la ReyC. (2009). Psychology and the public good in a developing society. Keynote address at the 15th South African Psychology Congress, Cape Town, South Africa.
14.
DigmanJ. M. (1990). Personality structure: Emergence of the Five-factor Model. Annual Review of Psychology, 41, 417–440.
15.
EdwardsM. J. (2004). A psychobiographical study of Albert Schweitzer. Unpublished Master's dissertation, University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
16.
ElmsA. (1994). Uncovering lives: The uneasy alliance of biography and psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.
17.
EriksonE. H. (1963). Childhood and society (2nd ed.) New York: Norton.
18.
EriksonE. H. (1981). Identity and the life cycle. New York: International University Press.
19.
EspinosaM. (2008). Melanie Klein: A psychobiographical study. Unpublished Master's dissertation, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
20.
FancherR. E. (2006). Review of the book Handbook of psychobiography by William Todd Schultz. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 42, 287–289.
21.
FouchéJ. P. (1999). The life of Jan Christiaan Smuts: A psychobiographical study. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
22.
FouchéJ. P.GouwsJ. (2007). Eileen Carol Wournos: A psychobiographical study of a female serial killer. Poster presented at the 13th South African Psychology Congress, International Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa.
23.
FouchéJ. P.SmitR.WatsonM. B.Van Niekerk (2007). Psychobiographical research in South Africa: A systematic review from 1995–2004. Poster presented at the 13th South African Psychology Congress, International Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa.
24.
FouchéJ. P.UysH.HoelsonC. (2009). A psychobiographical study of Ralph Rabie: A public persona known as Johannes Kerkorrel. Poster presentation at the 15th South African Psychology Congress, International Convention Centre, Cape Town, South Africa.
25.
FouchéJ. P.Van NiekerkR. (2005a). Psychobiography: An interdisciplinary approach between psychology and biography in the narrative reconstruction of personal lives. Poster presentation at the International Society for Theoretical Psychology Conference, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
26.
FouchéJ. P.Van NiekerkR. (2005b). Psychobiography: Methodological criticisms, constraints and strategic considerations. Poster presented at the International Society for Theoretical Psychology Conference, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
27.
FouchéJ. P.Van NiekerkR. (2009). The emergence of South African academic psychobiography: The significance of academically institutionalised life history studies for postgraduate research and supervision. Poster presented at the 15th South African Psychology Congress, International Convention Centre, Cape Town, South Africa.
28.
FoxcroftC. D.FouchéJ. P.SchanklandT. (2005). The life of Salvador Dali the surreal artist: A psychobiographical study. Poster presentation at the 9th European Congress of Psychology, Granada, Spain.
29.
GreenS. (2006). Karen Horney: A psychobiographical study. Unpublished Master's dissertation, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
30.
HenningR. (2010). Psigobiografiese persoonlikheidsbeskrywing van Generaal Christiaan De Wet. Unpublished PhD thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
31.
HookD. (2003). Reading Geldenhuys: Constructing and deconstructing the Norwood killer. South African Journal of Psychology, 33, 1–9.
32.
HoweM.(1997). Beyond psychobiography: Towards more effective syntheses of psychology and biography. British Journal of Psychology, 88, 235–248.
33.
JacobsA. (2004). Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven: A psychobiographical study. Unpublished Master's dissertation, University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
34.
JacobsA.StroudL.FouchéJ. P. (2005). Langenhoven: A psychobiographical study. Poster presentation at the 11th South African Psychology Congress, Cape Town, South Africa.
35.
JungC. G. (1950). The integration of the personality. London: Routledge, Kegan & Paul.
36.
de VriesKets M. F. R. (1990). Leaders on the couch. Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 26, 423–431.
37.
KottonD. (2002). Bantu Stephen Biko: A psychobiographical study. Unpublished Master's dissertation, University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
38.
KrugerL. (2003). Narrating motherhood: The transformative potential of individual stories. South African Journal of Psychology, 33, 198–204.
39.
LaubscherL. (2005). Afrikaner identity and the music of Johannes Kerkorrel. South African Journal of Psychology, 35, 308–330.
40.
LevinsonD. J. (1978). The seasons of a man's life. New York: Knopf.
41.
LevinsonD. J. (1990). The seasons of a woman's life. New York. Knopf.
42.
ManganyiC. (1991). Treachery and innocence: Psychology and racial difference in South Africa. Johannesburg: Ravan.
43.
ManganyiC. (1996). A black man called Sekoto. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.
44.
MaslowA. H. (1970). Motivation and personality (2nd ed.). New York: Harper.
45.
McAdamsD. P. (1994). The person:An introduction to personality psychology. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace.
46.
McAdamsD. P. (2004). The person: An introduction to personality psychology (2nd ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace.
47.
McAdamsD. P. (2006). The person. A new introduction to personality psychology (4th ed.). Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
48.
McwalterA. (2008). Herman Mashaba: A psychobiography of a South African entrepreneur. Unpublished Master's dissertation, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
49.
McWalterA.CrousF.(2008). The appreciative intelligence of Herman Mashaba; A psychobiography of a South African entrepreneur. Presentation at the 11th Annual SIOPSA Conference, CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.
50.
MorrisonN. (2004). The personality of an elite ultramarathon athlete: A case study of Bruce Fordyce. Unpublished Master's dissertation, University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
51.
MullerH. R. (2010). Vincent van Gogh: A psychobiographical study. Unpublished Master's dissertation, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
52.
NiensU.CairnsE.FinchilescuG.FosterD.TredouxC. (2003). Social identity theory and the authoritarian personality theory in South Africa. South African Journal of Psychology, 33, 109–117.
53.
OchbergR. L. (1988). Life stories and the psychosocial construction of careers. Journal of Personality, 56, 174–204.
54.
OlivierB. (2009). That strange thing called identifying. South African Journal of Psychology, 39, 407–419.
55.
RobertsB. (2002). Biographical research. Buckingham: Open University Press.
56.
RunyanW. M. (1988). Progress in psychobiography. Journal of Personality, 56, 295–326.
57.
SchultzW. T. (Ed.) (2005). Handbook of psychobiography. New York: Oxford University Press.
58.
SimontonD. K. (1994). Greatness: Who makes history and why?New York: Guilford Press.
59.
SimontonD. K. (2003). Qualitative and quantitative analyses of historical data. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 617–641.
60.
SmutsC. (2009). A Psychobiographical study of Isie Smuts. Unpublished Master's dissertation, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
61.
SokolovsyM.(1996). Case study as research method to study life histories of elderly people: Some ideas and a case study of a case study. Journal of Aging Studies, 10, 281–294.
62.
StakeR. E. (2005). Qualitative case studies. In DenzinN. K.LincolnY. S. (Eds), Handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed.) (pp. 443–466). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
63.
StroudL.(2004). A psychobiographical study of Mother Teresa. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
64.
StrümpferD. J. W. (1995). The origins of health and strength: From salutogenesis to fortigenesis. South African Journal of Psychology, 25, 81–88.
65.
StrümpferD. J. W. (2006). Positive emotions, positive emotionality, and their contribution to fortigenic living. South African Journal of Psychology, 36, 144–167.
66.
TemaneQ. M.WissingM. P. (2006a). The role of subjective perception of health in the dynamics of context and psychological well-being. South African Journal of Psychology, 36, 564–581.
67.
TemaneQ. M.WissingM. P. (2006). The role of spirituality as a mediator for psychological well-being across different contexts. South African Journal of Psychology, 36, 582–597.
68.
Van Der MerweL. M. (1978). Ingrid Jonker: 'n Psigologiese analise. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
69.
Van NiekerkR. (2007). 'n Psigobiografiese ontleding van Christiaan Neethling Barnard se loopbaanontwikkeling. Unpublished Master's dissertation, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.
70.
Van NiekerkR.FouchéJ. P. (2006). Psychobiographical research in South Africa: 1994–2005. Paper presented at the South African Conference on Positive Psychology: Individual, Social and Work Wellness, University of the North-West, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
71.
Van NiekerkR.VosH. (2007). The career development of Prof Chris Barnard: A psychobiographical analysis. Paper presented at the 10th Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.
72.
VorsterM. S. (2003). The life of Balthazar Johannes Vorster: A psychobiographical study. Unpublished Master's dissertation, University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
73.
VosH.Van NiekerkR. (2006). The career development of Prof Chris Barnard: A psychobiographical study. Paper presented at the South African Conference on Positive Psychology: Individual social and work wellness, Northwest University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
74.
WallisC.(2005). The new science of happiness. TIME, 165, 38–51.
75.
WarmhovenA. (2004). A psychobiographical study of Wessel Johannes “Hansie Cronje”. Unpublished Master's dissertation, University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
76.
WarmhovenA. (2006). The emotional intelligence of “Hansie” Cronje: A psychobiographical study. Unpublished PhD thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
77.
WelmanC. (2010). Emily Hobhouse: A psychobiographical study. Unpublished Master's dissertation, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
78.
WissingM. P.Van EedenC. (1997, September). Psychological well-being; A fortigenic conceptualisation and empirical clarification. Paper presented at the 3rd Annual Congress of the Psychological Society of South Africa, Durban, South Africa.
79.
WissingM. P.Van EedenC. (2002). Empirical clarification of the nature of psychological well-being. South African Journal of Psychology, 32, 32–44.
80.
WitmerJ. M.SweeneyT. J.(1992). A holistic model for wellness and prevention over the life span. Journal of Counseling and Development, 71, 140–148.
81.
YinR.(2003). Case study research: Design and methods (3rd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
