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New Trends in Psychobiography pp 209–227Cite as

The Use of Unusual Psychological Theories in Psychobiography: A Case Study and Discussion

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Abstract

This chapter argues for the use of ‘unusual’ theories in psychobiographical research through the presentation of a case study. Historically, psychobiographical research has made use of the work of psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, and developmental theorists, while more recent psychobiographical approaches have preferred more modern, empirically based theories. However, over reliance on a few theories within psychobiographical research creates the possibility for narrow explanations of complex lives. Given the proliferation of theoretical models in psychology the current use of theory barely scratches the surface of available explanatory paradigms. This chapter argues for the value of casting the explanatory net wider, and for the inclusion of more psychological theories in psychobiographical work. Using a psychobiographical case study, the chapter illustrates how a ‘forgotten’ psychological theory (Tomkins in Personality structure in the life course. Springer, New York, pp 152–217, 1992) can serve as a useful explanatory paradigm for a complex religious figure. The case study focuses on Gordon Hinckley (b. 1910, d. 2008), the fifteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (commonly referred to as the Mormon Church), who remains a prominent figure in contemporary Mormonism and played a key role in the rapid growth and increasingly positive public profile of the Religion throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Using Tomkins’ script theory in conjunction with a psychobiographical method and the analysis of data gathered from published speeches, this study explores Hinckley’s personality structure and identifies three core psychological scripts.

Keywords

  • Gordon Hinckley
  • Psychobiography
  • Script theory
  • Silvan Tomkins
  • Latter Day Saints
  • Mormonism

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A popular Mormon hymn sang in praise of Joseph Smith.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Carol du Plessis

    Present address: University of Southern Queensland, Ipswich, Australia

  2. Christopher R. Stones

    Present address: Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa

    Carol du Plessis & Christopher R. Stones

Authors
  1. Carol du Plessis
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  2. Christopher R. Stones
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Correspondence to Carol du Plessis .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, University of Johannesburg , Johannesburg, South Africa

    Claude-Hélène Mayer

  2. Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

    Zoltan Kovary

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du Plessis, C., Stones, C.R. (2019). The Use of Unusual Psychological Theories in Psychobiography: A Case Study and Discussion. In: Mayer, CH., Kovary, Z. (eds) New Trends in Psychobiography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16953-4_12

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