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10 June 2022 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Stephen Collett
Prof Paul Fouche
Prof Paul Fouché is a leading scholar within the field of psychobiography. He presented his inaugural lecture on the subject matter on 1 June 2022.
Anyone can become famous today with enough social media exposure, but then there are individuals who have transcended any regular level of ‘fame’ and have become celebrated icons. These people’s names are usually synonymous with the area in which they gained prominence. 

In his inaugural lecture titled Dissecting the eminent personality from a psychobiographical approach, Prof Paul Fouché, Lecturer of Applied Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of the Free State (UFS), aimed to unpack the overarching markers such as traits, features and life events which contribute to attaining a level of greatness. “Eminent personalities are viewed as famous, distinguished, illustrious, and sometimes controversial people who had a profound impact on society,” Prof Fouché said. 

His research interest lies in an interdisciplinary research area combining both history and psychology to create the niche research field of psychobiography.

Click to view document  Read summary of inaugural lecture by Prof Paul Fouché here.

Scoping research identified markers for attaining greatness 

People do not just become great, there are emerging patterns or markers that psychobiographers look at when dissecting eminent personalities, Prof Fouché said. “These markers are not definite; they still need to be tested further.” He referred to scoping research by Prof Dean Simonton – an expert in the fields of Intelligence, Excellence, Genes and Genius – which identified emerging patterns and markers that correspond to the psychological patterns of excellence.

Genetics is one of the emerging patterns dissected as a marker of excellence. “Genius seems to be clustered within certain family lines,” Prof Fouché said. “Inheriting creative genius from a parent provides you with a head start to achieve extraordinary achievements.” The famous Bach musical family is a prime example of inherited talent being passed on from parent to child. However, as Prof Fouché noted, these high-quality genes “require environmental stimulation such as quality education and experienced mentorship”. The other key emerging patterns include but are not limited to extreme sleeping patterns, grit and passion, and either type A or type B personality types. 

Defining eminent personalities 

Prof Fouché says greatness and eminence are relative and subjective because of our differing viewpoints, which is why it is important to define these two terms to make them more scientific. “What psychobiographers did worldwide was to define eminent personalities who are viewed as distinguished, illustrious, famous, and at times even controversial,” he said. These individuals also had a profound impact on their immediate environments and on creating change in the world. 

Psychobiographical studies and research class eminent personalities into three broad categories: “These categories are, however, not closed systems. Some great individuals can be found in more than one category,” Prof Fouché said. The three categories are the Explorers, the Leaders and the Visionaries. 

Explorers – including people such as Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin and Mark Zuckerberg, who are innovators with new ideas – are driven by curiosity. Leaders are those who are driven by a desire for power and/or the empowerment of their society. Historical political figures such as Steve Biko, the current Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Jan Smuts are classed in this category. “A common marker of those in the Leader category is that they tend to challenge the status quo,” Prof Fouché said. The last category is the Visionaries – people who are dreamers and storytellers. This includes people like poet Ingrid Jonker, author Roald Dahl and entertainment visionary Walt Disney. Also included in this category are performers such as John Lennon and Brenda Fassie.

Prof Fouche inaugural lecture From the left; Dr Edwin du Plessis, Head of Department of Psychology; Prof Heidi Hudson: Dean of the Faculty of the Humanities; Prof Paul Fouché, and Prof Corli Witthuhn. (Photo: Stephen Collett) 

A leading voice in psychobiography 

Prof Fouché is a C-rated National Research Foundation scholar and is a registered psychologist who lectures in the applied master’s progamme. He is widely published, with over 60 academic papers. His extensive research in psychobiography has led to the UFS being one of the leading universities in the area of psychobiography in the Global South.

As noted by Prof Corli Witthuhn, Vice-Rector: Research and Internationalisation, inaugural lectures are the pinnacle of academic achievement for any lecturing professor. “It is the official induction to full professorship,” she said. 

Watch recording video below:




News Archive

Getting out of the dark
2015-04-28

Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

Since 2008, the University of the Free State has been busy with the planning and implementation of projects to reduce the impact of load shedding. To date,  the cost of these projects has run to R6 million. They have been done primarily to ensure that the academic programme does not suffer damage as a result of the increasing interruptions in the power supply that are continuing this year.

The university’s greatest concern has been the provision of emergency power to the lecture halls and laboratories.

Thus far, 35 generators are servicing 55 buildings on the three campuses of the UFS. This includes 26 generators on the Bloemfontein Campus, eight on the Qwaqwa Campus in the Eastern Free State, and one generator on the South Campus in Bloemfontein. The generators are already in service, and are maintained in working order.

Since 2010, the university has also ensured that all newly-built academic buildings are equipped with emergency power supplies.

On the South Campus in Bloemfontein, the new lecture-hall building and the computer laboratory are equipped with emergency power, while the installation of emergency generators in other buildings is under way. The majority of the buildings on the Qwaqwa Campus in the Eastern Free State are equipped with emergency power supplies.

In the meantime, the UFS management has approved a further R11 million for the installation of additional generators on the three campuses. A further R1.5 million has also been approved for the purchase of two mobile generators.

To extend the work already done, the main task will be the installation of more generators on the Bloemfontein Campus to ensure that lecture halls with emergency power will be available for the centrally-arranged timetables, and to ensure that more of the critical laboratories will be provided with emergency power.

There are still  some important buildings and halls on the Bloemfontein Campus that must be supplied with emergency power. However, it is a costly process and must be brought into operation gradually. The further implementation of emergency power depends on the delivery of equipment. The university is also investigating alternative solutions for power provisioning, including solar power.

Generators with spare capacity are optimally deployed to satisfy the lower needs of the campus, including the Odeion, the ANNEX at Microbiology, the Stabilis ANNEX, the Agriculture Building, the UV-Sasol library, and the Francois Retief Building.

In addition, the UFS  is busy on all campuses, coupling area lighting, including

street lights and pedestrian walkways, to existing generators. Procedures for the operation of mechanical equipment, such as entrance gates, lifts, and so on, are currently being dealt with on all campuses. Continuous power sources for certain ICT equipment will be installed on all campuses to protect it against power surges.

Staff and students can also equip themselves with the necessary knowledge to manage load shedding in their specific areas of work and study. It is always helpful to know who to contact. The following list with guidelines and contact numbers has been compiled to assist you:

1. In an emergency, call Protection Services. This line will continue to operate, regardless of whether the power is on or off.
2. Avoid using lifts just before planned load shedding. Some lifts have emergency power packs which will bring the lift to the nearest floor and open the doors. If you still get stuck in a lift during a power outage, use your cellphone to call Protection Services. While you're waiting, stay calm and be patient.
3. If the access control systems in your building stop working after load shedding, contact Protection Services.
4. The students and staff members who are most at risk during load shedding are those in wheelchairs or with other mobility limitations. As far as possible, plan ahead to avoid being stuck on a floor or in a room that is difficult to access when load shedding is imminent. Please contact Protection Services if you need assistance.
5. During a fire, alarms WILL go off. Alarms are not power driven, but battery driven. For assistance, contact Protection Services.
6. The main UFS Switchboard (Bloemfontein Campus +27(0)51 401 9111 and Qwaqwa Campus +27(0)58 718 5000) will continue to operate during load shedding.

Contact details of Protection Services:

  • Bloemfontein Campus: +27(0)51 401 2634/2911
  • Qwaqwa Campus: +27(0)58 508 5460/5175
  • South Campus: +27(0)51 5051217

Communication and Brand Management will make information available on the UFS web, Facebook page, Twitter, Blackboard and the intranet. Get the load shedding schedule from Eskom’s webpage (http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za/). The Bloemfontein Campus falls in group 4 and the South Campus falls in group 2 in Centlec’s load shedding schedule.

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