M.T. Steyn se ervaring van die Anglo-Boereoorlog vanuit ‘n sielkundige perspektief

Abstract

At the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War President M.T. Steyn was 42 years of age. This article examines Steyn's experience of the Anglo-Boer War from a psychological viewpoint, more specifically from a perspective dealing with the concept of stress and psycho-physiological disorders. A brief look is given to the work and theories of Hans Selye, the different types of stressors, the importance of general resistance resources and the constructs of salutogenesis and fortigenesis. <br>Steyn's experiences are reviewed with emphasis on three matters: his ceaseless struggle to keep his ally, the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR), from succumbing to peace overtures and his subsequent mistrust of his ally's leadership; his persistent problems among his own forces and lastly his frequent involvement in military operations. <br>The conclusion is reached that Steyn's double vision and subsequent muscle disorder, seen in the light of today's scientific knowledge, and despite the various biomedical theories, can be described as a psycho-physiological disorder and not pathological in origin. It serves as an example of how stress can play a role in the course of history