From adversity to activism: A psychobiographical case study of Cori Bush.

Abstract

Cori Bush is a prominent modern activist in the U.S., becoming involved in activism following Michael Brown's death. Bush, like many activists before her, has set clear goals for social change, yet work is needed to understand why Bush (and like others) became an activist when others did not. One potential reason may be that these exemplars found purpose in life in activism. Thus, the current psychobiography explores the purpose in life of Cori Bush, a prominent activist and politician in the U.S., as well as what factors emerge for how Bush found her purpose in life. The present research gathered public materials (e.g., speeches) from Bush and coded materials for the presence and depth of both themes of purpose and factors predicting purpose. Activism was the most prominent theme of purpose for Bush, with some pro-social purposes also occurring. Multiple personal factors emerged as influences on her activist purpose, including extraversion, psychological flexibility, and action-oriented coping style. Additionally, the situational factors of discriminatory experiences and Michael Brown's death emerged as factors. These results suggest that Bush has an activist purpose in life and that she found this purpose through a combination of personal and situational factors.