Pienaar, Domenick Cuthbert (1926-1978)

South African personnel officer who took an active interest in parapsychology. He was born on August 2, 1926, at Krugersdorp, Transvaal, South Africa. He studied at the University of Potchefstroom (B.S., 1950) and the University of South Africa (B.S. hons., psychology 1956). After graduation he worked as an assistant personnel officer at Daggafontein Mines, Springs, Transvaal (1957), a vocational guidance officer at the Department of Labour, Johannesburg (1958-61), and in 1961 he joined the personnel study section of South African Coal, Oil and Gas Corporation.

In 1971, Pienaar received his Ph.D. from the University of South Africa for his thesis "Studies in ESP; an Investigation of Distortion in ESP Phenomena." This study was aided by a grant from the Parapsychology Foundation and used clock cards as targets in testing for ESP. He has tested ESP ability in abnormal personalities using Zener Cards. Pienaar has also studied factors in the relationship between percipient and agent. He distinguished two primary factors: the "sheep/goat" effect and "friends/strangers" differences, as well as other agent-centered or percipient-centered factors.

He was associated with the South African Society for Psychical Research and the South African Parapsychology Institute for more than twelve years. He was a council member of the Society, served as secretary, and was president for seven years.

Sources:

Pienaar, Domenick C., and Karlis Osis. "ESP Over Seventy-Five Hundred Miles." Journal of Parapsychology 20, no. 4 (1956).

Pleasants, Helene, ed. Biographical Dictionary of Parapsychology. New York: Helix Press, 1964.