Bashar al-Assad : a psychobiography using Levinson’s theory of development

• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13739

M.A. (Counselling Psychology) === 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