Carol Saccaggi Du Plessis

• D Litt et Phil (Psychology)
• Lecturer at University of Southern Queensland

This psychobiography focuses on meaning making in the early life and young adulthood of acclaimed African American author Maya Angelou (1928-2014) through the lens of Frankl’s existential psychology with a specific focus on the tri-dimensional nature of human beings and the fundamental triad. The primary data source was Angelou’s own published auto...

Objectives Online support can be a crucial source of support for individuals experiencing suicidal behaviours, with forum moderators being pivotal in terms of the role they play in times of personal mental health emergencies. This study identified what is empirically known about the professional practices of health professionals who are online ment...

Introduction A core facilitator of the transition from suicidal thoughts to suicide attempt is the individual’s capacity for suicide. Suicide capacity is a theoretically universal concept adaptable for specific groups that is hypothesised to comprise three contributing factors: acquired capability, for example, previous self-harm; dispositional, su...

During the transition from school to university students are faced with many challenges to their well-being. This is especially true in resource constrained societies like South Africa. While there is extensive research linking well-being with gratitude, less is known qualitatively about what individuals are grateful for. A sample of 933 undergradu...

With an increase in gender equality policies and gender balance targets within traditionally male professions, organisations such as the police service are experiencing changing demographics. How these shifts influence the construction of professional identity is unclear. Drawing on focus group data, this study aimed to explore identity constructio...

Introduction Suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviours are common yet complex mental health presentations that can pose significant challenges for health professionals. The inability to accurately predict the individuals who may move from experiencing suicidal ideation and associated behaviours, to completing suicide, presents one such challenge. T...

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...

Psychobiography as a qualitative research method in psychology has witnessed prolific growth in the last few decades. This growth has been accompanied by concerns regarding the veracity, rigour, quality and trustworthiness of psychobiographical research. Current research has gone a long way towards addressing these concerns through the publication...

The field of positive psychology has burgeoned since its formal inception with Martin Seligman’s 1998 APA presidential address. Aimed at better baking the positive half of the psychology “cake”, the gains in research and practice over the past decade and a half have been substantial. Among the chief reasons for the rapid growth and development in t...

This chapter presents the psychobiography of Alexander, a South African psychotherapist. Based on a series of in-depth interviews with Alexander an Eriksonian analysis of his identity development as a psychotherapist is advanced. Erikson’s psychosocial developmental stages and their associated ego strengths are tracked throughout the various stages...

The psychological conceptualisation of the character strength of citizenship as a trait ubiquitous across cultures is examined within the context of a diverse South African sample. The theoretically supposed elements common to the definition of citizenship as a dispositional trait (rather than a situational or cultural phenomenon) are examined by m...

Told from an existential-phenomenological perspective this inspirational story recounts the case of an intervention with a class of approximately 1500 first-year psychology students where various appreciative and positive psychological interventions were run. Central to the intervention was the theme of gratitude, which was explored through mindful...

University students are at a transition point in their lives, as they move from the safety of home towards the independence of adulthood. In South Africa, many students are first generation university students from disadvantaged backgrounds who struggle with this transition. As part of a larger intervention aimed at assisting these students, the st...

Employing an adapted Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method, the experience of practicing Clinical Psychologists entering academia is explored. The article explores the recursive process between individual and institution as professional and academic identities develop in the context of a multiplicity of trajectories emerging at the in...

Introduction: In their text Character Strengths and Virtues Peterson and Seligman (2004) introduce each character strength with an example of an individual who epitomizes that strength. This paper extends this process by combining the theory of character strengths with a psychobiographical methodology in order to gain a greater understanding of the...

The lived-experiences of professional clinical psychologists who recently started a new academic career Employing an adapted Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method the experience of practicing clinical psychologists entering academia is explored. The article explores the recursive process between individual and institution as professi...