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Editorial an Easy Alliance: the Relationship Between Phenomenology and Psychobiography

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Editorial an Easy Alliance: the Relationship Between Phenomenology and Psychobiography Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology Volume 18, Special Edition August 2018 Page 1 of 4 ISSN (online) : 14451445----73777377 ISSN (print) : 20792079----72227222 Editorial An Easy Alliance: The Relationship Between Phenomenology and Psychobiography by Carol du Plessis and Graham du Plessis Guest Editors Special Edition on Psychobiography and Phenomenology This Special Edition represents the first attempt, to the is necessary to include a brief introduction to psycho- best of our knowledge, to explicitly link the traditions biography for those readers who are unfamiliar with the of phenomenology and psychobiography. The decision research method. The term psychobiography refers to to call for papers for this volume was based on our belief the study of the lives of extraordinary or exemplary that the phenomenological tradition has much to offer individuals through the lens of psychological theory, psychobiographical research. Phenomenology’s emphasis with the aim of arriving at a more in-depth under- on lived experience privileges individual voices and standing of that particular individual (Fouché & Van subjective experiences and is thus commensurate with Niekerk, 2010; Ponterotto, 2014, 2018). Psychobio- the fundamental aim of all psychobiographical research, graphical endeavours have a long history, with early which is the simultaneously simple yet grandiose task of attempts at psychobiography by leading figures such understanding the life of a single human being. This as Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson having mixed Special Edition sought to bring together scholarship in success (see Elms, 2005a, as well as Ponterotto and psychobiography that made use of the phenomenolo- Moncayo’s paper in this volume). Psychobiography was gical tradition as a lens through which to view individual nevertheless not very strongly pursued for large parts of lives and experiences. Each of the four articles collected the second half of the 20th century. However, over the in this edition represents a different use of phenomeno- past four decades the term psychobiography has re- logical methods within psychobiographical research and emerged in the psychology lexicon, most notably with illustrates the way in which the merging of the two the publication of a special edition of the Journal of traditions allows for densely nuanced description that Personality in 1988, the publication of the Handbook enhances the psychobiographical narratives. The diversity of Psychobiography (Schultz, 2005) and the more recent of the papers contained within this volume reflects the publication of a special section on psychobiography by richness of current research in psychobiography, as the American Psychologist in 2017. well as the multiple ways in which phenomenological methods and philosophies can be used within psycho- The proliferation of publication in psychobiography has biographical research. In this way, this Special Edition also yielded more rigorous guidelines for conducting represents (to misquote Elms, 1994) an easy alliance psychobiographical research, as well as scholarship in between the respective traditions of phenomenology and relation to issues such as ethics in psychobiography psychobiography. and ensuring the quality of psychobiographical work (see, for example, du Plessis, 2017; Ponterotto, 2014; A Brief Introduction to Psychobiography Ponterotto & Reynolds, 2017; Schultz & Lawrence, 2017). While some authors continue to question the Before outlining the articles in this Special Edition, it validity of the psychobiography endeavour (see, Young © The Author(s). This Open Access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0]. The IPJP is published in association with NISC (Pty) Ltd and Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. www.ipjp.org DOI: 10.1080/20797222.2018.1511307 Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology Volume 18, Special Edition August 2018 Page 2 of 4 & Collins, 2018, as well as Ponterotto’s, 2018, response paper is groundbreaking in that it positions magical to this criticism), psychobiography as a method now thinking as non-pathological, and shows how this form enjoys a level of legitimacy that suggests that it is of thinking has had a positive influence on the life of an increasingly taking its place alongside more mainstream extremely successful individual. This non-pathologising qualitative and case study approaches in psychology. It view of magical thinking has practical and therapeutic is hoped that this Special Edition will contribute to this implications, as it may allow therapists working with continued growth in the field. patients to view unusual thinking patterns as part of a positive and self-actualising process of behaviour. The The Papers in this Edition role played by Husserl’s phenomenology in this psycho- biography is central, as it is the willingness on the part The first three articles in this Special Edition present of the authors to examine lived experience (rather than “traditional” psychobiographies that employ different apply a pre-existing theoretical lens) that enables this psychological theories as explanatory paradigms. What positive reading of Coelho’s magical thinking. The unifies these case studies is the fact that all three make phenomenological approach allowed for the under- use of a form of phenomenology as an anchoring frame- standing that the two lebenswelten are complementary work that allows them to view their subjects through the rather than antagonistic. lens of lived experience and to embrace the subjective reality that resides at the heart of psychobiography. In Paul Fouché, Nico Nortjé, Crystal Welman and Roelf this way, the inclusion of a phenomenological ontology van Niekerk provide a sophisticated analysis of the grounds the studies in lived experience and privileges only female subject in this Special Edition, the anti-war the subjects’ own experiences above the explanations campaigner Emily Hobhouse. With her trail-blazing offered by the theoretical frameworks. campaigning against the abuse of the Afrikaner popula- Tatiana Latilla and Sherianne Kramer present a psycho- tion during the Anglo-Boer war, Hobhouse is portrayed biographical study of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ frontman, in this psychobiographical study as an individual who Anthony Kiedis, using Erik Erikson’s theory interwoven in her later years was able to break free from the with lyrics from various albums to put forward an orthodox female roles in which she was raised and make argument suggesting that Kiedis’s creative genius is a contribution to society in her own right. Given the fuelled by an infinite moratorium, allowing him to importance of interpreting Hobhouse’s activities within continue the adolescent pursuit of identity through his the psychosocial context in which they occurred, the lyrical offerings. This psychobiography uses the psycho- study does well to ground itself in the ontological biographical methodology of writers such as Alexander philosophy of Merleau-Ponty (1964/1968), basing its (1988), Elms (2005b), Schultz (2005) and Ponterotto analysis on the phenomenological view of “the individual (2014), but also complements it through the addition of in the world and the world in the individual”. Through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA; Smith, its commitment to viewing Hobhouse’s life as deeply Flowers, & Larkin, 2009). The use of IPA creates an embedded in context, the analysis is able to demonstrate experiential psychobiography that allows the authors to how the occurrence of importance events in Hobhouse’s focus on the lived experience of identity development external world (such as the death of her father, or the as experienced by Kiedis. The authors argue that an Anglo-Boer War) during times of psychological transition autobiography can be viewed as a narrative of lived in her internal world (based on the theory of Levinson, experience, and that IPA can therefore be used to 1996; Levinson et al., 1978) combined to change her life conduct thematic analysis within psychobiography. trajectory and resulted in her engaging in activities that This blending of two methodological approaches allows would not have been expected of a woman of her era for creating a richer psychobiographical interpretation. and status. Claude-Hélène Mayer and David Maree use the The final article in this Special Edition is not a psycho- psychobiographical analysis of writer Paulo Coelho to biography in the traditional sense, but instead an analysis delve into the world of magic and magical thinking. of the relationship between the psychobiographer and his Positioned within the methodological framework of or her subject. Joseph Ponterotto and Kevin Moncayo Husserl’s phenomenology, the paper focuses on argue that this relationship is unique in the research field Coelho’s lebenswelt (lived world) and looks at how and resembles, in many ways, the relationship between magical thinking functions within Coelho’s lived experi- a psychotherapist and a patient. The study makes use of ence. The paper traces Coelho’s magical thinking across the case study of Sigmund Freud’s psychobiography of his life and career, and shows how concepts such as Leonardo da Vinci to show how countertransference magic, clairvoyance, telepathy, spirits and witchcraft plays a role in the psychobiographical process. This function in tandem with his success as a writer. At one thought-provoking paper represents a novel view of the point, the paper argues that Coelho inhabits two distinct psychobiographical relationship
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