Chapter 2:African-Centered Psychology SOLUTIONS

Learning Objectives For Chapter 2: African-Centered Psychology -To define and understand African-centered psychology -To understand the origins of African psychology -To understand worldview dimensions found among people of African descent -To appreciate the contributions of African-centered psychologists -To become familiar with research in African-centered psychology -To become familiar with programs that use an African-centered approach African Psychology a discipline in Psychology that consists of African values, ways of accessing knowledge, ways of defining reality, ways of governing and interpreting behavior, social relations, and designing environments to sustain healthy, adaptive functioning among people of African descent The focus of ------- psychology is on African values and on ways of thinking and behaving that are indigenous to Blacks throughout the Diaspora African African culture undergirds the -------- of people of African descent behavior Worldview way of thinking that organizes all aspects of one's life, including intra- and interpersonal thoughts and behaviors and one's functioning in social systems and institutions in the community and in larger society Interpersonal Thoughts one's attitudes, beliefs, values, and expectations Interpersonal Behavior one's interactions with others worldview provides us with a --------- for interpreting events and understanding the world framework African Worldview consists of the values, beliefs, and behavior of the indigenous people of Africa and those in the Diaspora who share in this cultural heritage Afrocentricity a mode of thought and action in which the centrality of African interests, values, and perspectives dominate Eurocentric Worldview a mode of thought and action in which the centrality of European interests, values, and perspectives dominate study of African psychology as an organized and systematic study of African people began in modern day Egypt, the country of ----- (3400-600 BCE) Kemet African American psychologists began to write about African-centered psychology and the Africentric worldview and how it could be used to understand the psychology of African Americans in as early as ---- 1960 Author Mpofu notes that most of the mainstream theories in African are actually ------- and represent a minority worldview based on a heritage that does not contain the worldviews of the majority of the population Western Limitations of Using Western Worldview for African/African American Psychology -mainstream theories are individualistic and exclude family and community influences -lack of cultural adaption when applying western practices Conflicting Belief regarding using Western Psychology techniques and Methods the notion that western psychology is not appropriate to be applied to african and african american people In general, there is ------- research and study of African psychology in Africa limited Journals of African Psychology -South African Journal of Psychology -Journal of Psychology in Africa 7 African American Psychologists -Joseph White -Asa Hilliard -Wade Nobles -Na'im Akbar -Kobi K.K. Kambon -Linda James Myers -Cheryl Tawede Grills Joseph White African American Psychologist who established Black Psychology as a discipline and started the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) as California State University Asa Hilliard African Psychologist and Historian from Georgia State University who reformed testing systems used on African American children and pioneered study of Ancient African civilization Wade Nobles Black Psychologist noted for his contribution to the understanding of African philosophy, including religion, notion of unity, concept of time, death and immortality, and kinship, his conceptualization of the self from an African-centered perspective, and work on addressing substance abuse and HIV in Black communities Na'im Akbar African American Psychologist who spoke extensively about the effects of oppression on AA's and other Blacks, developmental stages of the study of Black/African Psychology, and the 'nature-centric' perspective on African Psychology Kobi K.K. Kambon / Joseph Baldwin African Psychologist and author of 'Cultural Misorientation' who pioneered theories on African Personality, and developed the African Self-consciousness Scale (ASC) African Self-Consciousness Scale -assesses how African Americans feel about African or African American culture and societal issues that are related to racism Cultural Misorientation a condition that drives African people to engage in anti-Black, racially disempowering, and self-destructive behaviors Linda James Myers African Psychologist who developed the optimal worldview theory and the Belief Systems Analysis Scale (BSAS) optimal worldview view that anyone's orientation with the world is influenced by how one perceives the world as a projection of their own reality The Eurocentric worldview places importance on the acquisition of -------- objects, and -------- knowledge is assumed to be the basis for all knowledge -material -external African knowledge is based on the ideas that reality is both --------- and material, interpersonal relationships are valued, and ---- - knowledge is the foundation for all knowledge -spiritual -self Imposter Syndrome the feeling that one is faking being smart Cheryl Tawade Grills African Psychologist who made important contributions to Africentric psychology through theoretical work developing the Africentrism Scale, methodological work on the assessment of Africentric values, and community work to address social and economic problems of Black People Black Menticide refers to destruction of the Black mind Commonalities Within African Philosophy -Metaphysical Thinking -religious beliefs about God, the universe, and interrelations between and individual -reality as a closed system African Philosophy is -------- in nature holistic Dualism belief that natural and supernatural or spiritual and material are two distinct things Western Perspective on Knowledge knowledge is the possession of a particular individual and it must be accounted for or assessed African Perspective on Knowledge One's selfhood is seen and accounted for from a relational perspective, and thus knowledge is based on social relationships Knowledge in Africa is thought to be obtained by a ---- or elder -sage Holism All aspects of one's being, physical, psychological, spiritual, social, etc. are integrated, in harmony, and in balance Individualistic Culture people are oriented to look out for themselves and their immediate families Collectivist Culture people are oriented toward the needs of the groups to which they belong ------------ is a fundamental Africentric dimension and is interwoven in the lives of African people. Spirituality Spirituality a relationship between transcendent forces (e.g., God, spirits) and humans that results in the individual's recognition of the sacredness of all things and a conscious commitment to live a life of virtue African Americans are ---- religious than the U.S. population as a whole. African Americans have ------ levels of religious affiliation, religious service attendance, and beliefs in the importance of prayer and religion in their lives. -more -higher Collectivism an Africentric dimension that reinforces interdependence, cooperation, and motivation to work for the survival of the group rather than for that of the individual The collectivistic orientation values ------------- relationships. interpersonal Among many contemporary African Americans, collective orientation is reflected through strong ---------- to the family, the extended family, and fictive kin -commitment Fictive Kin individuals who are not related biologically or through marriage but who are treated as though they are Time Orientation of African Culture the belief that time is cyclical rather than linear, where the past shapes the direction for present-day and future life experiences and decisions Time Orientation of European Culture belief that time is linear and a commodity to be bought and sold Time among Europeans is mathematical and bound by the ----- whereas time among Africans is flexible and exists to meet the needs of the ------ -clock -people Colored People Time arriving late is acceptable or that time must be experienced to be valid Orality a preference for receiving stimuli and information from the external world orally African cultures, compared with Western cultures, are ---- oral in orientation -more Orality is used in Africa when information is handed down from ----- to younger members of the tribe. elder sensitivity to affect and emotional cues an orientation that acknowledges the emotional and affective states of self and others. Emotionally Isolated orientation one's affective state is determined by one's individual and personal level of functioning Verve and Rhythm Orientation behavior that is rhythmic and creative as seen in movement, posture, speech patterns, and behavior Verve improvisational style among African Americans Rhythmn a recurring pattern of behavior that gives energy and meaning to one's experiences of the external environment Because of verve and rhythm orientation, African American children might learn better through -------- teaching and learning methods (interactions with each other, movement, touching, etc.) multiple Balance and Harmony with Nature Orientation African philosophy that one's well-being is tied to its harmony with nature and balance is necessary for one's mental, physical, and spiritual states Western Philosophy of Nature belief that one's goal in life is control and mastery over nature Ma'at Concept of African Psychology -refers to balance and cosmic order -individual development is determined by virtues of truth, justice, compassion, harmony, balance, reciprocity, and order Maafa Concept of African Psychology -describes enslavement and denial of humanity of African people -refers to oppressive and discriminatory actions against African Americans Veneration of Person Concept of African Psychology -states that a person's life is interwoven with the lives of everyone else -belief that all life, past, present, and future, is cherished and celebrated Spiritness Concept of African Psychology -means to be full of life from mind, soul, energy, and passion Human Authenticity Concept of African Psychology condition of being sincere and being who you are meant to be Inclusive Metaphysical Epistemology Concept of African Psychology refers to the use of both affective and cognitive syntheses of information as a way of knowing Sankofa Concept of African Psychology an Akan Adrinkra symbol that means in order to go forward, one must look back Acculturation the degree to which a minority culture adopts the values and customs of the majority culture Some scholars note that acculturation and deviation from an ------- - centered perspective is at the root of many of the social problems African Americans face today, including problems with drugs and violence, as well as child abuse and neglect -African African-Centered Research -examines differences between African Americans and European Americans on Africentric worldview dimensions -examines the relationship between Africentric worldview and other psychological and sociological variables Social Interdependence Scale test that assesses cooperative, competitive, and individualistic learning preferences Ellison et al. Study of 2005 all students preferred cooperative learning to competitive and individualistic learning, African American students reported significantly higher preferences for cooperative learning than did their White counterparts Gaines et al. study of 2007 -persons of African descent scored higher on measures of collectivism, familism, and romanticism than persons of European descent -no differences between African-descended people and European-descended people on measures of individualism or spiritualism Africentric worldview constructs have been associated with ------ and ------ identity, academic attitudes, self-esteem, and drug attitudes and use -racial -ethnic Constantine et al. study of 2006 -administered the Africentric Value Scale for Children and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale -found greater adherence to Africentric cultural values were predictive of higher levels of self-esteem, perceived social support, and life satisfaction Rosenburg Self-Esteem Scale a global measure of self-esteem, and a measure of life satisfaction along with other measures Williams and Chung study of 2013 -found a significant relationship between an Africentric cultural orientation and academic self-concept/esteem Two Methodological Issues Surrounding Africentric Psychology -how one studies people of african descent -how one measures africentric values, beliefs, and constructs Most African American Psychologists ------ the use of the experimental method for studying black people -reject Ethnic Identity consists of thoughts, behaviors, and feelings about being a member of a racial and ethnic group and feelings of belonging and affiliation with one's ethnic group Asante Afrocentricity Scale scale that measures cultural centeredness, spirituality and ancestral connection, and Afrocentric epistemology Communalism Scale measures how connected the respondent feels to others in his or her family, community, and other environments Seven Principles of Nguzo Saba -Umoja (unity) -Kujichagulia (self-determination) -Ujima (collective work and responsibility) -Ujamaa (cooperative economics) -Nia (purpose) -Kuumba (creativity) -Imani (faith) Umoja (unity) To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race Kujichagulia (self-determination) To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves Ujima (collective work and responsibility) To build and maintain our community together by sharing our sisters' and brothers' problems and making an effort to solve them together Ujamaa (cooperative economics) To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together Nia (Purpose) To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. Kuumba (Creativity) To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it. Imani (Faith) To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. The Africentrism Scale assesses the principles of the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles of Kwanzaa Africentric Value Scale for Children -assess Africentric values following an Africentric-based program designed to infuse Africentric values among youth -composed of the seven principles of Nguzo Saba Africentric Home Environment Inventory -assesses Messages children receive in the home to promote pride in one's African heritage studies that use Africentric methods in programs are ---------- and suggests a ------- benefit to children and adults using these methods -increasing -positive