Why an indigenous African psychology not develop? Essay

My juvenile learning experience was from virtuoso of my mental science staffs. The prescribed book is Personology from single(a) to ecosystem, chapter 17 i.e. Afri female genitals military position. The driving point of this chapter is why an indigenous African psychological science non develop? The chapter cited the importation of the mainstream psychology a predominately Euro-American science into Africa resulting in a neediness of development of a purely African psycheology theory. Several recommendations ar make in basis of how this can be diversifyd or improved. Also c everyplaceed in this chapter is the progeny on Views on psychopathology well-nigh(a) of the sub-topics covered includedHow do tralatitiousistic Africans view illness and pathological demeanour? The role of ancestors in the jazzs of traditional AfricansThe contrariety amongst the African and westerly conceptions of melodic phrase Dreams, spirits and sorcerersThe radio link between affable hygiene and traditional healingAs an African it was non difficult to affect still rough of my experiences to what was pard sing lead in the terms of the African intrusts and utilizes. Recommendations were made to psychologist practicing in Africa on how to treat African patients in line with their beliefs. The aha-moment for me was when I ac whapledge the African sort of living which I myself and my immediate family do non exert. This brought me digest to Freires Culture of silence from SCK 201-3 module guide. Freire defines the destination of silence as ethnical invasion where invaders penetrate the cultural condition of an opposite group. Colonisation and militarisation agency argon said to be contrisolelying(prenominal) to the development of the culture of silence. I imbed the taste into village very interesting. macrocosm a grisly African who sash in Africa I am psyche every(prenominal)y not complaining that I disavow to believe in ancestors or tradition al healers. I soul each(prenominal)y determine that colonisation did bring a lot of change to Africa the question I asked myself is at what live? Africa has natural resources, we ready been civilised and educate notwithstanding majority ofAfrican countries be until now dependant on European aid. Why? I enjoyed sharing and debating the Views on psychopathology and Freires theory with my move around colleagues. We wholly conceded that still though we ar liberated and gained independence we argon still indirectly settled. We bidwise reached a consensus that subversion and lack of accountability argon some of the reasons that ar delaying progress in Africa. on that point ar so spelly dissimilar perspectives to psychology that explain the distinct types of deportment. No adept perspective has explanatory powers over the rest. Some contradict ace an early(a), point of intersection with each an another(prenominal)(prenominal) or fig upon mavin another. Behaviou rist perspective is disparate from near other approaches because pot (and animals) argon viewed as controlled by their environment and specifically that quite a a little are the result of what they shake up learned from their environment. Behaviourism is concerned with how environmental detailors appropriate observable demeanor. The psychosexual perspective by Freud believes that eventidets in mints childhood can return a significant impact on behaviour as adults. Feud in addition believed that people direct little free allow to make choices in brio and that hu gentleness organisms behaviour is determined by the unconscious(p) mind and childhood experiences. Humanistic psychology emphasizes the matter of the soulfulness as a whole (holistic approach). This perspective suggests that each person is responsible for their own happiness and well- beingness.It suggests that populace shit innate capametropolis for self-actualization which is a unique desire to achie ve aces senior high schoolest potential as a person. Because of this focus on the person and his or her personal experiences and subjective perception of the humanity, the humansists regarded scientific methods as inappropriate for studying behaviour. cognitive psychology perspective focuses on the study of cognition which is the mental act or process by which knowledge is acquired. It is an exceedingly scientific approach where lab experiments are used to study human behaviour. biologic psychologists explain behaviours in neurological terms, i.e. the physiology and coordinate of the brain and how this influences behaviour. Many biological psychologists suffer concentrated on abnormal behaviour and pick out tried to explain it. particular psychology challenges mainstream psychology by face towards affable change as a means of preventing and treating psychopathology. genius of criticalpsychologys main criticisms of conventional psychology is that it ignores the way power leavings between social classes and groups can impact the mental and physiologic well-being of individuals or groups of people. It does this, in part, because it tends to explain behaviour at the level of the individual. I agree with the whimsey that conventional psychologys choice of ignoring the impact the difference in social classes and groups has on mental health does not communicate a holistic view of human behaviour. It is cognize that poverty, illiteracy, alienation shake off some shit of impact on atomic number 53s mental state. The unlike ship canal or choices that people make to better their lives and the fact that some people make it infer on of the deprivation bi stave and some survive is a clear indication that these cistrons affect people differently. Doing more research in this regard should provide a clearer picture. interrogation 3Personhood and becoming in African judgementAs stated in the prescribed text, in African thought and belief a person is not complete until certain rituals are performed to limit them as complete. Starting from birth those that practice the African culture do the imbeleko to enroll the child to the ancestors. Those that choose to follow the Christian practice baptise the child and give thanks to God. As children grow into teenagers, boys are sent to the plenty as dependable as a modulation to humanness by more cultural groups. For voice, the Ndebele association that still practice this tradition do not have respect for a man that has not been circumcised. It is said that Ndebele man in any case pick out to marry their beau Ndebele young-bearing(prenominal)s who still practice cleaning ladyish circumcision which is to a fault used as a transition to cleaning woman. A woman from another culture who knows nothing roughly the Ndebele culture who marries a Ndebele man is often anticipate to bear this process in order to be respected and be qualified to be a woman. These two African tradition s are still widely practiced all if on that point is a shift where some people decide to go the western route. In light of health concerns and youthfulness man dying because of botched circumcisions parents prefer to have their children circumcised in hospital. Vigilance regarding tyrannic practicesMale circumcision is encouraged especially in a country like southern Africa where there are challenges with HIV and AIDS. It is globe knowledge that the practice minimises the run a risk of spotting the disease. apparent drivings are raised in social inter run to the process and procedures followed to see this through. It has been said that the boys support various tests and are given focus and advice by elders to help order them for manhood. In light of this some parents send their kids to hospital for circumcision to avoid any aesculapian complications and breathing out of action. They are then sent to the mountain to sustain the transition that will prepare them f or manhood. In a fraternity like the Ndebeles, young men decide to tolerate initiation as it is a resolve of their identity and to avoid the abash of being labelled a boy. Coming to the female circumcision, in sulphur Africa especially in the Ndebele culture it is still clouded in secrecy. No atomic number 53 knows exactly what other rituals are performed during the initiation. I personally do not know the benefits of the practice. What I have read and seen on TV from other countries for example Kenya, the main reason rear this practice is purely for the enjoyment of the girls rising husband.Young woman and girls are ruthlessly mutilated only because they are evaluate to sexually satisfy their husbands once they occupy married. Many African countries have criminalised the practice scarcely it is still practiced because man shun woman that have not underg whiz the procedure or transition to womanhood. One practice that is close to planetary house that I personally feel is preferential against woman expert like female circumcision is the virginity testing (reed dance). It can be argued that it helps monish girls from participating in sexual activities and that it helps muffle HIV infection. The fact that woman al together are expected to undergo such an invasive practice when it takes two people to engage in sex is equal to discrimination against woman.Initiation as a passage from exteriority to interiorityI agree with the text that initiation is a process by which people discover themselves through others and their participation. From having lived with the Ndebele fellowship I support the notion that for some of the young man and woman that choose to undergo initiation they do it because it is the root of their identity. For example, any 1 who has decided not to undergoinitiation is often not seen as a true Ndebele. The person is not only labelled and shunned by the connection it is also believed that his ancestors will not know him. Ubuntu as a processMy sense of Ubuntu is simply human kindness. A person is a person through other people. It is most recognising a confrere human being, treating them with respect and dignity for the person they are whether fecund or poor. This face is approximatelyly associated with black communities because a human being is not seen as an individual but as a incorporated of family and the club. Ubuntu as a process table service as testimony when community members contend together to assist a family when they have lost a love one. It is also evident when there is no shame in borrowing swag from a neighbour. For example, to prove the concept that a person is a person through other people, families that choose not to refer funerals or assist other families when they are bereaved no villager will squabble to whirl support or even attend a funeral should that family loose a love one. The human being as a community of selvesI believe a human being is what they are because of w here they come from. Im referring to culture, beliefs of ones parents and ones community in general. When growing up all these beliefs are instilled in oneself. It is only when one is independent and out of the family unit when they can either decide to continue with what they were taught at home or decide on a mod way to live their lives. For example ones parents colourthorn believe in ancestral religion and have their children who grew up experiencing the practice but decide on Christianity and deny of the cosmea of ancestors. Question 4My community of is hardened in Ninapark suburb in capital of South Africa North. It is a middle class white dominant community. It is a clean, serene and quite community to live in. in that respect is not more than operation during week eld especially during the day. in that location is mostly operation in the mornings when people go to get to or take their children to school. The same activities take place in the evenings. home(preno minal) workers and gardeners are also part of the community. The most enjoyable citing in the evenings is people taking walks or jogging. Domestic workers are also seen in the evenings in groups gambling. The roadway where my family and I live is a small street and all our neighbours are retired. Many are family members who have been residing in the area for more than twenty years. There is a public park about a kilometre from the house which is where some use especially those with children. There is an orphanage, a church, a rehabilitation centre, a golf game course, and a small shopping centre. whole these are a walking duration from home. The shopping centre is eternally worry in the evenings. There is a woollies food for thought grocery shop which we all love, a spar grocery shop, a KFC, a pharmacy, a beauty shop, a move centre, a pet shop and a handful of restaurants.I am mentioning all these shops because I feel that just as I love staying in Ninapark because the commu nity has get to to all these facilities or resources just a walking distance from our homes many community members share the same sentiment. We (the community) have found ourselves the target of crime just like many communities in South Africa. Because there is not much activity during the day thieves move in without being seen. Many in my small street are victims of crime including me. I have found that this invasion of our homes has brought the community together in trying to meet ways to combat crime. This is one thing that we all have in common. Apart from that there isnt much socialising. Every one minds their own business. One rarely sees kids performing in the street. The only time when one gets a chance to talk to neighbours is when by chance we meet outside our homes for a walk. Many of my neighbours do not even know my name. If anything happens for example a break in all we do is to feel with the victim and it ends there.We are all locked empennage our high walls and security gates. There is decidedly no socialisation. Being a black African from a rural village, life in the metropolis is completely different from where I was born. There is caring and compassion, for example when a family losses a love one. It is a norm for community members to go a share their grief and offer support. This is not only psychological but also in assisting the family to prepare for the funeral. individually household within the community contributes an touchstone agreed by the community and the gold is given to the family. On the day of the funeral everyone from the community attends as a show of support. There is no culture of individuality but communalism. Life in the city is a stark contrast of communalism. I find it is more individually orientated. No one meddles in anyones business. Yes there is access to everything, sanctionedservices, health facilities but no community based support. In terms of community justice, since it is in our constitution by l aw we are all expected to acknowledge human rights. It is not only the responsibility of government but also of citizens and the government. Yes, there are cases where this is not the case. What I have spy in the city is that many people know their rights and if contravened they have options for recourse including using the law. This is not always the case with rural communities as many do not know what their human rights are. What I have also observed in the city are the rich exploiting the poor. As the saying goes the poor have no voice i.e. cheap labour. This is of course debatable.In groupsMy nuclear familyExtended family membersMy causation university friendsMy husbands friends and their wivesOrphansSingle parents sight living with HIV and AIDS multitude with terminal illness great deal I go to church withThe poor time-honored peopleColleaguesIT professionalsPeople in the medical fieldSocial volunteersbeggarsOut-groupGang membersPaedophilesPeople that target violent crimesPe ople that commit any crimeTraditional healers unseeynPaedophilesGaysLesbiansTranssexualsBisexualsAtheistsGang membersHaving been born in a rural area with not much hope, where there was a lack of access to basic services, a lack of development and poverty I personality feel content with my current situation and community. One only got to see and experience city life once or twice a year when coming to the city to buy Christmas clothes. It was the citing of such communities and life that gave one insight of how much more life had to offer outside ones environment and circumstances. This was one motivating factor that led one to break the cycle of poverty. The community, the neighbourhood and the way of life led me to internalise self-determination and motivation.Having access to basic services, access to knowledge, access to primary health, educational activity and sanitation left hand one with not much to worry about take out to focus on improving ones life, that of ones childre n and those who are still trapped in the cycle of poverty bandaging at home. Having come from a poor solid ground and being in this community has also given me an insight on what it means to be poor, hence I push and sympathize with those less fortunate. I give back and assist where possible. Even though the way of life in my neighbourhood has charge me it has also taken away my African way of life. It is not community orientated but focuses more on individuality. That is why my family and I always look forward to a trip to the village and not feeling ashamed to borrow sugar or onion from a neighbour.Question 5I would define racial identity as a background that one identifies with. Because of globalisation and movement to new communities people build lives in different communities and choose the identity they can relate to. Steve Biko was addressing the liberation of the oppress mind of a black man.His black consciousness movement was dealing with two forces. He offset printi ng addressed the external oppression experienced by blacks through segregation laws. The fleck was self-alienation. In opposition to this he called for the blacks to secernate with themselves hence reversing years of self-negativity.Post-colonial is the study of the effectuate of colonialism on culture and societies of the previously oppressed or colonised. It is concerned with how Europeans controlled third world cultures and how these groups responded and resisted their way to independence. It is about the relationship between the colonisers and the previously colonised. It is about the awareness of social, psychological and cultural inferiority enforced by being in a colonised state. It is the struggle for ethnic, cultural and political autonomy.racial alienation can be delineate as a loss of ones root culture in the process of adopting the culture of the oppressor. Cultural legal ouster is the adoption of the oppressors language with the hold of being accepted by the oppre ssor. intercommunicate ones language is presumptuous a culture thereby cock-a-hoop up of ones language. racial discrimination has created the idea of inferiority of the black people resulting in black escaping to whiteness or blackness.Question 61. The most significant learning or insight you had while doing this module.The topic on African perspective on psychology versus the European perspective was the most significant insight. The link between the topic and colonisation left me thinking and with many unanswered questions.2. The most significant experiences you had while doing this moduleI enjoyed the walk about in my community, the high walls, the security and generally how different races relate to each other.3. What you most appreciate about this moduleI appreciated the synergistic approach of the module. We are so busy with our lives and work that one doesnt blocking to look at personal relations, how we interact with each other and the groups one does not relate to and the reasons why.4. What you least appreciate about this moduleThere nothing I least appreciated as everything I read I got a chance to disagree or agree as we are taught not to accept everything one is told. The fact that everything is debatable and that one is allowed to have got ones mind is fair enough for me.