Psychology 114
A brief history of psychology in South
Africa
Why is it important to discuss the history of psychology in South Africa?
• South Africa’s history was characterized by racism.
• To make us aware of how the past can shape and influence how we think in the
present and future in ways that can be unproductive, oppressive and destructive.
• Knowledge production: the production of knowledge about psychology in south
Africa, which informs how we practice psychology through teaching, research,
psychotherapy, psychometric assessments etc.
- Naidoo (1996) argues that the history of knowledge of psychology
has produced, at an international and local is: steeped in
Western/Eurocentric values/interests and promotes a positivist-
empirical mode of scientific investigation.
- This means that we allow this knowledge of Western/Eurocentric
views to speak on our (South African’s) behalf in the present and
this becomes problematic because it fails to consider social,
cultural, economic and political context from which we come.
- This means that mainstream psychology carries the tendency to
decontextualize your experiences and subjectivities and its
usefulness for your current social reality.
DEFINITIONS:
o Western/Eurocentric values: knowledge that reflects the interests and ideas of white,
heterosexual, middle class, and educated American and European societies
o Positivist-empirical science: knowledge is only considered scientific, valid, true and
factual when it is produced under conditions that are observable, objective, highly
controlled and quantified.
Histories that are important to consider in this context:
1. The history of psychology
2. The history of South Africa
,Historical determinants that shaped South Africa
- Racism
- Apartheid
History of South African Psychology
• This history can be divided into two important periods.
o South African Psychology pre-1994
o South African Psychology post-1994
South African Psychology pre-1994
• Pre-1994 South Africa was an Apartheid state.
o This means that all areas of life were shaped and influenced by the
racist and oppressive policies put in place by the government during
this period.
• Psychology took up a humanitarian role.
o Psychology positioned itself as a solver of human problems and a
preserver and protector of human rights.
o South African psychology labeled itself as a humanitarian-based
science.
• Psychology’s authorization of racism.
o Psychology during this period supported the reproduction of racism
by denying and ignoring the suppressive system.
o Psychology produced arguments that justified racist practices and
ideologies.
o Psychology used their authority as a science to justify racism.
• Psychology documented white people’s lived experiences whilst ignoring black
people.
• Psychology generated a racially skewed process of knowledge production and
training.
o This means that there was little to no training facilities for Black
psychologists in South Africa.
o This resulted in the under representation of Black people working in a
professional environment
, • Psychology produced racially defined diagnostic systems (Bantu hysteria versus
depression).
o This means that that different diagnostic systems were designed per
race even though people were suffering from the same thing.
• Psychology objectified black people as the negative “other”.
• Psychology’s major concern was “poor white people”.
o All resources and funding went towards this issue rather than the
oppressive issue of apartheid.
o Psychology had privileged the problems, concerns and needs of White
people rather than Black people.
Why did South African Psychology not resist apartheid?
• South African psychologists indoctrinated into systems of knowledge and ideologies
that left them little room to criticize and challenge racism.
o Psychologist that were training during the time of apartheid, were
trained and socialized into the prevailing ideologies at that time which
were Eurocentric and Western positivist system.
o The apartheids regimes racists way of life, this means that these
dominated ideologies shaped the way psychologists were educated.
• The majority of psychologists were white and middle class and they benefitted from
apartheid’s racism.
• Black psychologists represented under 10% of registered psychologist, and so they
did not have a significant number to create a strong resistance and be able to criticize
racism in psychology.
• The eugenics movement embraced and supported by psychology during apartheid
(the idea that Black people are genetically inferior to white people).
o It argued that white Europeans are morally and mentally superior
because of the genetic makeup.
o The eugenics explicitly and implicitly promotes the idea that white
people are more intelligent and morally superior compared to Black
people.
o For example branches of educational and child psychology argued for
poor and underprivileged race group such as black people to be
sterilized so that Black people could stop producing an inferior species
to live in this world.
A brief history of psychology in South
Africa
Why is it important to discuss the history of psychology in South Africa?
• South Africa’s history was characterized by racism.
• To make us aware of how the past can shape and influence how we think in the
present and future in ways that can be unproductive, oppressive and destructive.
• Knowledge production: the production of knowledge about psychology in south
Africa, which informs how we practice psychology through teaching, research,
psychotherapy, psychometric assessments etc.
- Naidoo (1996) argues that the history of knowledge of psychology
has produced, at an international and local is: steeped in
Western/Eurocentric values/interests and promotes a positivist-
empirical mode of scientific investigation.
- This means that we allow this knowledge of Western/Eurocentric
views to speak on our (South African’s) behalf in the present and
this becomes problematic because it fails to consider social,
cultural, economic and political context from which we come.
- This means that mainstream psychology carries the tendency to
decontextualize your experiences and subjectivities and its
usefulness for your current social reality.
DEFINITIONS:
o Western/Eurocentric values: knowledge that reflects the interests and ideas of white,
heterosexual, middle class, and educated American and European societies
o Positivist-empirical science: knowledge is only considered scientific, valid, true and
factual when it is produced under conditions that are observable, objective, highly
controlled and quantified.
Histories that are important to consider in this context:
1. The history of psychology
2. The history of South Africa
,Historical determinants that shaped South Africa
- Racism
- Apartheid
History of South African Psychology
• This history can be divided into two important periods.
o South African Psychology pre-1994
o South African Psychology post-1994
South African Psychology pre-1994
• Pre-1994 South Africa was an Apartheid state.
o This means that all areas of life were shaped and influenced by the
racist and oppressive policies put in place by the government during
this period.
• Psychology took up a humanitarian role.
o Psychology positioned itself as a solver of human problems and a
preserver and protector of human rights.
o South African psychology labeled itself as a humanitarian-based
science.
• Psychology’s authorization of racism.
o Psychology during this period supported the reproduction of racism
by denying and ignoring the suppressive system.
o Psychology produced arguments that justified racist practices and
ideologies.
o Psychology used their authority as a science to justify racism.
• Psychology documented white people’s lived experiences whilst ignoring black
people.
• Psychology generated a racially skewed process of knowledge production and
training.
o This means that there was little to no training facilities for Black
psychologists in South Africa.
o This resulted in the under representation of Black people working in a
professional environment
, • Psychology produced racially defined diagnostic systems (Bantu hysteria versus
depression).
o This means that that different diagnostic systems were designed per
race even though people were suffering from the same thing.
• Psychology objectified black people as the negative “other”.
• Psychology’s major concern was “poor white people”.
o All resources and funding went towards this issue rather than the
oppressive issue of apartheid.
o Psychology had privileged the problems, concerns and needs of White
people rather than Black people.
Why did South African Psychology not resist apartheid?
• South African psychologists indoctrinated into systems of knowledge and ideologies
that left them little room to criticize and challenge racism.
o Psychologist that were training during the time of apartheid, were
trained and socialized into the prevailing ideologies at that time which
were Eurocentric and Western positivist system.
o The apartheids regimes racists way of life, this means that these
dominated ideologies shaped the way psychologists were educated.
• The majority of psychologists were white and middle class and they benefitted from
apartheid’s racism.
• Black psychologists represented under 10% of registered psychologist, and so they
did not have a significant number to create a strong resistance and be able to criticize
racism in psychology.
• The eugenics movement embraced and supported by psychology during apartheid
(the idea that Black people are genetically inferior to white people).
o It argued that white Europeans are morally and mentally superior
because of the genetic makeup.
o The eugenics explicitly and implicitly promotes the idea that white
people are more intelligent and morally superior compared to Black
people.
o For example branches of educational and child psychology argued for
poor and underprivileged race group such as black people to be
sterilized so that Black people could stop producing an inferior species
to live in this world.
