Breaking barriers: a psychobiography of Siya Kolisi from a sociocultural perspective

Abstract

Siyamthanda (Siya) Kolisi OIG (1992-) is the first black captain of the South African rugby team (Springboks) in its 128 years of existence. The Springboks have long been associated with Afrikaner people and a history of racism. Siya had to navigate a tumultuous upbringing in an environment characterised by various issues such as socioeconomic inequalities, high unemployment among Black people, and lack of resources. Siya was purposively selected for this study as he has become one of the most influential individuals in South Africa. Publicly available biographical data was gathered, analysed, and interpreted using the Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST; Spencer, 2006). I used the theoretical lens to understand the role of social and cultural context, meaning-making processes in human development, and the transition between different worlds. The findings indicated a need to consider the role of context as a source of consonance or dissonance in human development. The study also sheds light on the importance of viewing marginalised individuals holistically to facilitate smooth boundary transitions. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of recognising that maladaptive and adaptive coping strategies exist on a continuum. The study contributes towards non-WEIRD psychobiographical studies and understanding culture’s role on human development.

Keywords:

• Siya Kolisi
• non-WEIRD
• Psychobiography
• Identity
• Culture
• Rugby
• PVEST

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Siyamthanda means we love him.

2 Phakama means rise (the title of his autobiography).

3 Ubuntu, as a philosophy, “is based on generic life values of justice, responsibility, equality, collectiveness, relatedness, reciprocity, love, respect, helpfulness, community, caring, dependability, sharing, trust, integrity, unselfishness and social change” (Mayaka & Truell, 2021, p. 3).