Abstract
The meaning of life has been studied all over the world ever since the beginnings of philosophy and psychology. Western theories are often used in psychobiography to explore the meaning of life for extraordinary individuals. These theories are anchored in existentialism, existential philosophy, and in exis-tential (positive) psychology. African philosophies on existentialism and life have very seldom been considered in psychobiography. This psychobiography explores the life of Oprah Gail Winfrey, a female African American talk-show host who comes from a partially non-WEIRD background and became the first female African American billionaire. This life exploration is based on selected Western and African psycho-philosophical perspectives which are anchored in European and African existentialism. The psychobiography accordingly expands previous psycho-biographical research by contributing to: (1) research on female celebrities and billionaires, (2) research on African American citizens, (3) differentiated discourse on the concept of WEIRD/non-WEIRD samples, (4) exploration of existentialism and meaning in life in European and African philosophical perspectives, (5) the expansion of psychobiography as a transcultural and transdisciplinary study (psycho-philosophy), and (6) research from an existential, positive transdisciplinary perspective.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Beyond WEIRD |
| Subtitle of host publication | Psychobiography in Times of Transcultural and Transdisciplinary Perspectives |
| Publisher | Springer International Publishing |
| Pages | 199-215 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9783031288272 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9783031288265 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2023 |
Keywords
- African psycho-philosophy
- American Black female
- Existentialism
- Gender
- Meaning of life
- Non-WEIRD
- Oprah Gail Winfrey
- Psychobiography
- Transculture
- WEIRD
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Psychology
- General Social Sciences