- Title
- A psychobiographical case study: Amelia Dyer in a search for glory
- Creator
- April, Heather
- Subject
- Serial murderers--Psychology
- Date Issued
- 2020
- Date
- 2020
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Doctoral
- Type
- PhD
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/50857
- Identifier
- vital:43008
- Description
- The study is a psychobiographical case study based on the life of a Victorian baby farmer Amelia Dyer (1837-1896). She was executed for the murder of babies who were placed in her care over a period of 30 years. Psychobiography is a qualitative method of enquiry which explores the life of a unique individual subject through the lens of a psychological theory for the purpose of creating a coherent psychological case study. The psychoanalytic theoretical lens of Karen Horney was used to trace the evolution of Amelia Dyer’s sense of self within the Victorian culture of respectability. Baby farming referred to an unregulated business of adoption and fostering of infants, mostly illegitimate infants for a fee. Insufficient social structures and support for unwed mothers and children encouraged the business practice as women had very little choice for childcare. Baby farming was open to abuse and exploitation and hundreds of babies lost their lives due to insufficient care or infanticide. Amelia Dyer showed special talents and creativity from a young age, was ambitious and wanted to be self-reliant in a culture that did not provide women with opportunities to live out their ambitions. Baby farming became a business venture for her in the early stages of her life which later evolved into sadistic abuse and murder of the infants. Her evolution from a creative and hardworking young girl to a sadistic murderer of children is what qualifies her as a suitable subject for the exploration of Karen Horney’s dynamic theory of neuroses and the development of the neurotic self within culture. Extensive biographical data was collected and processed into salient themes. The study integrates the theory of Karen Horney, the life experiences of Amelia Dyer and Victorian respectability and demonstrates the value of using psychobiography as the method of inquiry into the exploration of the unique individual. The findings of the study demonstrated that Amelia Dyer and her social context were inextricably bound by a vicious cycle of psychic and emotional vi conflicts related to fear, control and self-hatred by the internalization of gender stereotypes and norms. The contribution of the study as a whole rests with its demonstration of the value of a holistic and reflexive exploration of the unique individual woman. It demonstrates the value of Horney’s in-depth theoretical understanding of the ambivalent core of selfhood that lies behind observable acts of behavior. The study as a whole contributes towards building upon holistic and integrative therapeutic frameworks in the understanding of diversity amongst women and mothers in culture.
- Format
- xxiii, 324 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Health Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Heather April Thesis. December 2020 ( PHD).pdf | 3 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |