Searching for meaning in the life of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf: A call to meaningful responses to tragedies.

Abstract

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, born in 1938, is Africa's first elected female head of state. She navigated stressful and traumatic events, including bullying, domestic abuse, persecution, a civil war, witnessing the effects of genocide and navigating a patriarchal system. Nonetheless, Johnson-Sirleaf's determination established her as a global icon who played a significant role in women’s empowerment. Johnson-Sirleaf was purposively selected for this study as she is an extraordinary female political leader. Frankl’s dimensional ontology is employed to describe and explore the life of Johnson-Sirleaf from a psychobiographical perspective using publicly available information. The study focused on the period between 1938 and 2005. The findings suggest that Johnson-Sirleaf transcended psychophysical and psychosocial limitations and crafted a meaningful life. It seems Johnson-Sirleaf was guided by a sense of purpose and used her will to meaning to overcome psychosocial injustices and psychophysical issues. This study illustrates the value of Frankl’s existential theory in illuminating the life histories of extraordinary political leaders and its potential contribution to contemporary mental health challenges.