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Bashar Al-Assad: a Psychobiography Using Levinson's Theory Of COPYRIGHT AND CITATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR THIS THESIS/ DISSERTATION o Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. o NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. o ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. How to cite this thesis Surname, Initial(s). (2012) Title of the thesis or dissertation. PhD. (Chemistry)/ M.Sc. (Physics)/ M.A. (Philosophy)/M.Com. (Finance) etc. [Unpublished]: University of Johannesburg. Retrieved from: https://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za (Accessed: Date). Bashar al-Assad: A Psychobiography Using Levinson’s Theory Of Development By CERI KRISTIN KERRIN A minor dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment for the Degree of Magister Artium in Psychology (Counselling) In the Faculty of Humanities UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG Supervisor: Ms C.F. Saccaggi Co-supervisor: Professor Z.G Knight 2014 i AFFIDAVIT: MASTER’S AND DOCTORAL STUDENTS TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN This serves to confirm that I ________________Ceri Kristin Kerrin ______________ (Full Name(s) and Surname ID Number ___ ____________________________________________________ Student number __________________________________________ enrolled for the Qualification __Magister Artium in Counselling Psycholog________________________________ Faculty __Humanities ____________________________________________________________ herewith declare that my academic work is in line with the Plagiarism Policy of the University of Johannesburg, with which I am familiar. I further declare that the work presented in the minor dissertation X dissertation Doctoral thesis is authentic and original unless clearly indicated otherwise, and in such instances full reference to the source is provided. I do not presume to receive any credit for such acknowledged quotations, and there is no copyright infringement in my work. I declare that no unethical research practices were used or material gained through dishonesty. I understand that plagiarism is a serious offence, and that should I contravene the Plagiarism Policy, notwithstanding signing this affidavit, I may be found guilty of a serious criminal offence (perjury). This would among other consequences compel the UJ to inform all other tertiary institutions of the offence and to issue a corresponding certificate of reprehensible academic conduct to whoever requests such a certificate from the institution. Signed at ________________________on this ___________day of _______________ 20___. Signature______________________________ Print name_____________________________ STAMP COMMISSIONER OF OATHS Affidavit certified by a Commissioner of Oaths This affidavit conforms with the requirements of the JUSTICES OF THE PEACE AND COMMISSIONERS OF OATHS ACT 16 OF 1963 and the applicable Regulations published in the GG GNR 1258 of 21 July 1972; GN 903 of 10 July 1998; GN 109 of 2 February 2001 as amended. ii (ال سد حاف ظ ب شار ) PHOTOGRAPH OF BASHAR HAFEZ AL-ASSAD Figure 1: A cropped photograph of Bashar al-Assad. Adapted from Agência Brasil, by R. Pinheiro, 2010, Retrieved November 10, 2013 from http://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/fotos. Copyright 2010 by Agência Brasil iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research could not have been possible without the support and assistance of a number of individuals. I would therefore like to thank the following individuals for their support, time and patience. Firstly, I would like to thank both of my supervisors, Ms Carol Saccaggi and Prof Zelda Knight, for their guidance, encouragement, patience and professional advice throughout this process. It is through their supervision that I have developed a genuine love for psychobiographical research. My husband, Jon, for the support and motivation which made this study possible. Your continued interest in this study and related matters has helped to develop my conceptual understanding of Bashar al-Assad and the Arab Spring, without which this study would not have been possible. To my parents and family (Taylor and Kerrin), for their continued love, emotional support and encouragement throughout this study and my academic career. I am constantly grateful for your belief in me and my ability to achieve. Thank you for investing your time and energy in sharing in this journey (and its ups and downs) with me. To my friends and classmates, thank you for your continued support, interest and motivation. Sharing this journey with you has been a great pleasure. iv ABSTRACT Psychobiographical research analyses the life of an individual through the use of psychological theory. This form of case study research is important as it enables an understanding of the unique nature of an individual case within a specific context. Despite this, this form of case study research has been under-utilised both internationally and within South Africa. Current trends, however, indicate local and international growth in the use of this method. The research subject, Bashar Hafez al-Assad, the current president of Syria, was selected through purposive sampling based on interest value and uniqueness. The current crisis in Syria and the Arab world (known collectively as the Arab Spring) greatly increased the value of a study of this nature. Although a range of data is available on Bashar al-Assad, none of this data has been analysed using a psychological theory. The primary aim of this study was thus to explore the life of Bashar al- Assad (from birth until December 2000) in terms of Levinson, Darrow, Klein and McKee’s (1978) developmental theory. The secondary aims of this study are to determine (1) the applicability of Levinson et al.’s (1978) theory to the life of Bashar al-Assad and (2) the applicability of Levinson et al.’s (1978) theory when used for cross-cultural analysis. Data collected was analysed according to Huberman and Miles’ (2000) and Huberman, Miles and Saldaña’s (2013) approach. The study found that within the predefined ages considered in this study Bashar al-Assad developed from a quiet shy child with a desire to be perceived as normal to the president of Syria, with no possibility of a normal life. Changes in Bashar al-Assad’s life structure were often the result of loss and tragedy, as seen through the death of his brother (Basel al-Assad) and father (Hafez al-Assad). This study demonstrated that Bashar al-Assad, although from a political family, spent his pre-adult era, early adulthood transition phases and the period during which he entered the adult world trying to be ‘normal’. Bashar’s life structure, however, did not follow the ‘normal’ trajectory he had envisioned. Instead, the death of Basel al-Assad and Hafez al-Assad led to his assumption of the role of president of Syria, changing his life structure in a way that he seemed unable to change v TABLE OF CONTENTS AFFIDAVIT: MASTER’S AND DOCTORAL STUDENTS ........................................................ ii iii .................................. (ال سد حاف ظ ب شار ) PHOTOGRAPH OF BASHAR HAFEZ AL-ASSAD ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... vi LIST OF APPENDICES ................................................................................................................ ix Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Chapter overview .................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 The context of this research .................................................................................................. 1 1.4 A brief introduction to Bashar al-Assad ............................................................................... 3 1.5 The research problem ............................................................................................................ 4 1.6 An overview of the structure of this mini-dissertation ......................................................... 4 1.7 Chapter summary .................................................................................................................. 5 Chapter 2: The Life of Bashar Hafez al-Assad ............................................................................... 6 2.1 Chapter overview .................................................................................................................. 6 2.2 Constraints with regard to our understanding of Bashar ...................................................... 6 2.3 The life of Bashar al-Assad ................................................................................................... 7 2.3.6 Bashar al-Assad the president ...................................................................................... 16 2.4 Chapter summary. ............................................................................................................... 21 Chapter 3: Theoretical Overview of Psychobiography ................................................................
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