A Psychobiographical Study of Gavin Maxwell: A
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A PSYCHOBIOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF GAVIN MAXWELL: A KERNBERG OBJECT RELATIONS APPROACH Jacqueline Walters 202314642 Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Magister Artium: Psychology (Counselling) In the Department of Psychology School of Behavioural Sciences Faculty of Health Sciences Nelson Mandela University April 2021 Supervisor: Dr Alida Sandison I STUDENT DECLARATION I, Jacqueline Walters (s202314642), hereby declare that the dissertation for Magister Artium in Counselling Psychology is my own work and that it has not previously been submitted for assessment or completion of any postgraduate qualification to another University or for another qualification. ii Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to: My supervisor, Dr Alida Sandison, for her guidance, patience and good humour My partner for his support and interest My children for their patience and sharing their mom with “that otter dude” for so many months. My cats for the early morning company iii Abstract Gavin Maxwell was an author and naturalist. He published a memoir called A Ring of Bright Water, which shaped the way millions of readers viewed nature. Maxwell wrote simple prose which paints an idyllic and moving picture of his time spent in his “lost paradise”, alongside his beloved animals, most notably his otters. However, in reality Maxwell was a man in conflict, seen in volatile relationships, financial recklessness, and the preference for the company of animals over people. The aim of this study was to explore Maxwell’s life to gain insight into his personality development. This was achieved by applying Otto Kernberg’s Object Relations Theory to his life experiences. In doing so the author hoped to gain an understanding of the personality dynamics that led to Maxwell’s relational difficulties and eccentricities. Data was collected by triangulating multiple sources of information on his life. Miles and Huberman’s (1994) three step approach was used to analyse data collected. These steps are: data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. The research study found that Maxwell’s personality development was likely arrested at the third stage of Kernberg’s model. Maxwell relied primarily on immature defence mechanisms based in splitting and possessed a fragile ego structure which he protected through grandiosity. The findings indicated that Maxwell’s personality falls in the borderline level of functioning with a strong likelihood of pathological narcissism. Key words: borderline, defences, Gavin Maxwell, Kernberg, narcissistic, object relations, psychobiography iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration……………………………………………………………………………………..i Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………ii Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………….iii Chapter 1: Introduction…………………………………………………………………….. 1 Chapter Overview…………………………………………………………………………….. 1 General Orientation to the Study……………………………………………………………... 1 The Research Subject………………………………………………………………………… 1 The Research Approach……………………………………………………………………….2 The Research Aim……………………………………………………………………………..2 Theoretical Framework………………………………………………………………………..2 Overview of Chapter Structure………………………………………………………………...3 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………......3 Chapter 2: The Life of Gavin Maxwell………………………………………………………4 Chapter Overview……………………………………………………………………...4 Ancestry and Lineage………………………………………………………………….4 Early Childhood………………………………………………………………………..5 Middle Childhood……………………………………………………………………...6 Adolescence……………………………………………………………………...….. 10 Young Adulthood…………………………………………………………………….11 Middle Adulthood…………………………………………………………………….15 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………31 Chapter 3: Kernberg’s Object Relations Theory…………………………………………32 Chapter Overview…………………………………………………………………….32 Theory Overview……………………………………………………………………..32 v Development of Object Relations According to Kernberg……………………………33 Stage I: Normal Autism………………………………………………………33 Stage II: Normal Symbiosis…………………………………………………..34 Stage III: Differentiation of Self from Object Relations……………………..34 Stage IV: Integration of Self Representations and Object Representations….34 Stage V: Consolidation of Ego and Superego Integration……………………38 Levels of Personality Development and Defence Mechanisms……………………….38 Healthy Development According to Kernberg……………………………………….42 Development of Psychopathology According to Kernberg…………………………..44 The Borderline Personality Organisation According to Kernberg……………………47 The Narcissistic Personality Organisation According to Kernberg…………………..49 Critique of Theory……………………………………………………………………54 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………55 Chapter 4: Research Methodology…………………………………………………………56 Chapter Overview…………………………………………………………………………56 Research Aim……………….…………………………………………………………….56 Research Design…………………………………………………………………………..56 Definition of Psychobiography………………………………………………58 History of Psychobiography………………………………………………….59 Value of Psychobiography……………………………………………..…….61 Methodological Considerations of Psychobiography…………………………63 Trustworthiness of Data…………………………………………………………………..65 Credibility……………………………………………………………………65 Transferability……………………………………………………………….66 Dependability………………………………………………………………..66 vi Confirmability………………………………………………………………..67 Sampling…………………………………………………………………………………..68 Data Collection and Data Analysis………………………………………………………..68 Ethical Considerations…………………………………………………………………….70 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………...70 Chapter 5: Findings and Discussion……………………………………………………….72 Chapter Overview…………………………………………………………………………72 Development of Object Relations…………………………………………………………72 Genetics………………………………………………………………………………..73 Ancestral Lineage……………………………………………………………………...73 Early Loss……………………………………………………………………………...74 Smothering……………………………………………………………………………..74 Positive Family Members………………………………………………………………75 Seclusion……………………………………………………………………………….75 Object Relations in Middle Childhood, Adolescence and Adulthood…………………….76 ‘Otherness’ and ‘Specialness’……………………………………………………… 77 Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Turmoil……………………………………………..80 Entitlement and Peter Pan Complex………………………………………………….85 Self Doubt and Critique………………………………………………………………88 Suspiscion and Paranoia……………………………………………………………...89 Control and Manipulation……………………………………………………………91 Grandiosity…………………………………………………………………………..93 Idealisation of Nature………………………………………………………………..95 Discussion…………………………………………………………………………...97 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………. ..98 vii Chapter 6: Conclusion and Limitations……………………………………………………99 Chapter Overview…………………………………………………………………….99 Overview of the Study………………………………………………………………..99 Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………..99 Limitations of the Study…………………………………………………………….100 Recommendations for Future Research…………………………………………….101 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….101 References………………………………………………………………………………… 102 Appendix A: Extract of Triangulated Data Sources……………………………………109 Appendix B: List of Primary and Secondary Source Material……………………… ..112 Appendix C: Turnitin Originality Report...……………………………………………..114 viii Image 1: Maxwell and Teko at Sandaig Image 2: Maxwell and Edal 1 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Chapter Overview This chapter introduces the research study to the reader. It will do so by providing a general orientation that will include an introduction of the research subject, the research approach, research aim and the theoretical framework. Finally, it will provide a brief overview of the chapter structure. General Orientation to the Research Study The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the personality development of author Gavin Maxwell across his lifetime and takes the form of a psychobiographical case study. The information gathered on Maxwell is analysed using Otto Kernberg’s (1975, 1976, 1980, 1992) Object Relations Theory. The Research Subject: Gavin Maxwell Gavin Maxwell was an author and naturalist. He published a series of memoires, the first being A Ring of Bright Water, which shaped the way millions of readers viewed nature. Maxwell wrote simple prose which paints an idyllic and moving picture of his time spent in his “lost paradise”, alongside his beloved animals, most notably his otters. However, in reality Maxwell was a man in conflict, a literary success yet personally unsatisfied, financially reckless and insolvent. He was popular and well liked by many but his close relationships were marked by emotional outbursts and volatility. While Maxwell longed for human contact he seemed unable to tolerate it for long stretches and would need the seclusion of his Avalon, Sandaig, and indulge his preference for animal company over human contact Maxwell’s life was focused on his otters and his writing, and he preferred the isolated life he created. His literary success brought public attention to his remote home (Maxwell & Straiton, 2016), leading to intrusion, which he resented (Field, 2014). Toward the end of his life, Maxwell experienced a series of 2 unfortunate events, and ultimately a diagnosis of cancer in 1968 (Lister-Kaye, 2014). Maxwell died of lung cancer on the 7th September 1969 in Inverness, Scotland at the age of 55. He wrote a total of eleven books during his lifetime (Maxwell & Straiton, 2016). Research Approach: Psychobiography Psychobiographies can best be described as idiographic studies that access information about the psychological characteristics of their subjects (Simonton, 1999). Essentially they are biographies that use psychological theory and knowledge to study the entire