Hoffard, Andrew J. (2019) Psychobiography of General Sir John Monash From a Positive Psychology Perspective. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
General Sir John Monash is considered Australia’s greatest military commander. The aim of this psychobiography is to explore whether positive psychology theory can help explain how Monash responded to the trauma experienced during the First World War. 100 years after the First World War maladaptive responses to trauma still effect current veterans with increased rates of PTSD reported. This research projected used a psychobiographical approach, which is a qualitative research method involving an intensive life-span study of an individual. The current study used a thematic analysis process set by Braun and Clarke and was guided by key themes that were consistent in Monash literature and align with positive psychology theory. Primary sources used for the analysis included extensive war letters written by Monash and two biographies that were determined to be an unbiased portrayal of Monash. The data was analysed using NVivo, Version 12, and the results suggested that there was substantial evidence of four key themes; exposure to trauma, optimism, grit, and growth. The findings of the study suggest that during the period of self-reflection following trauma, optimism, and grit can be used to facilitate growth. The results also identified that optimism was cultivated through preparedness, positive affirmation and gratitude. This psychobiography better informs the understanding of how positive psychology traits facilitate growth after a traumatic event. It would behove future research on PTSD in veteran populations to consider the benefits of character strength interventions based on positive psychology theory to prevent PTSD.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Carol du Plessis |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Sep 2025 00:46 |
| Last Modified: | 24 Sep 2025 00:46 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Positive psychology; psychobiography; General Sir John Monash; trauma; optimism; growth |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52419 |
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