I am because we are and therefore we are because I am.

(Asante Proverb)

Black Psychology

What Shall We Say?

Black Psychology

African Psychology

Africentric Psychology

Afrocentric Psychology

African American Psychology

Psychology of African Americans

• Black (African) Psychology – System of knowledge concerning the nature of

the universe from an African perspective (Baldwin, 1986 as cited in Belgrave and Allison).

• Africentric (Afrocentric) Psychology– Focuses on defining African psychology

experiences from an African perspective (Grills, 2004 as cited in Belgrave and Allison)

Psychology of African Americans

• African American Psychology– Pro-Black

• Study Blacks in the United States without using African structure to interpret those experiences

– Pro-African• African philosophies are central to studying African

Americans and their experiences.

The Journey

• Cecil Sumner, Ph.D– Father of Black Psychology– First African American earn Ph.D (1920)

• Kenneth Clark and Mamie Clark (1939, 1940s, 1950s)

• Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi)– Modern Era (1968)

More Traveled Roads• Joseph White (1970, 1972). Toward a Black

Psychology• Reginald Jones (1972). Black Psychology• William Cross (1978). “nigrescence’ model• Wade Nobles (1980). writings on African

philosophy• Joseph Baldwin (1985) African Self-Consciousness

Scale• NA’IM AKBAR (1991) . Effects of oppression• DAUDI AJANI YA AZIBO (1996) system of

diagnosing

Wood may remain ten years in the water, but it will never

become a crocodile.(Zairian proverb)

Not White! Black!

DIFFERENT And That’s All!

• Historical Themes in Psychological Research (Parham,White, and Ajamu, 2000)

– Inferiority—Blacks are intellectually, physically, and mentally inferior to whites

– Deficit-Deficiency—Blacks are deficient respect to intelligence, cognitive styles, family structure

– Multi-cultural—all cultural distinct groups have strengths and limitations.

Ghetto-centricism

• Failure of traditional and general psychology to provide a full and accurate picture of Black reality. (Parham, White, and Ajamu, 2000)

• Normative standards developed by analyzing working-class, ghetto-dwelling Black people (Akbar, 1981 as cited in Belgrave and Allison, 2006)

• Biases generated against Blacks who do not fit the stereotype.

One Course of Action

• Black psychologists are making attempts to establish a normative standard of appropriate and inappropriate behaviors using an Afrocentric framework.– Humphries, Parker, and Jagers (2000)– Woods and Jagers (2004)

Methodological Issues• Low number of African American Psychologist• Design

– Experimental often favored

– Interviewing and observations more appropriate• Self-knowledge

• Constructs being measured– Self-esteem

• Collective rather than individualistic

– Family • definition

Afro and Euro OppositesCulturally different Worldviews

• Self

• Feelings

• Survival

• Language• Time

• Universe

• Death

• Worth

• Family

The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.

(Ashanti proverb)

The foundation of an authentic Black psychology is found in the Black

family (White,1972 as cited in Belgrave and Allison)

African American Families

• “The Black family has ended up as the most maligned, unappreciated, and least understood of American institutions” (Lincoln, 1978, p. 489).

African American FamilyStructure and Function

• Enslavement– Harsh conditions of slavery– Mother-child relationship not husband-wife– Permanent union not possible

• Reconstruction – Increase 2 parent families

• Migration– Urbanization and single-parent homes

African American Familiesbeyond Extended and Nuclear (Billingsley, 1968)

• Nuclear-Incipient• Nuclear-Simple• Nuclear-Attenuated• Extended-Incipient• Extend-Simple• Extended-Attenuated• Augmented-Incipient

• Augmented-Incipient-Extended

• Augmented-Nuclear• Augmented-Nuclear-

Extended• Augmented-Attenuated• Augmented-Attenuated

-Extended

African American Males

• Stud• Lacked emotional

maturity• Confused identity• Irresponsible• Missing

• The most shameful chapters in America as a Christian nation is the systematic exploitation of the Black male as a domestic animal and denying him the status of being a responsible father (Erikson, 1968).

African American Women

• Breeder• Dominant• Extended self-worth• Devalued African

American men• Strong Black Women

(SBW)

• The multiple roles assumed by Black women has been out of necessity (Lincoln, 1978)

African American FamiliesMethodological Issues

• Historical, cultural, social, economic, political factors, and institutional practices

• Lack of longitudinal studies

• Oversampling of low income families

Knowledge kept to oneself is as useless as candle burning in a pot.

(Oromo proverb)

Why Study Black Psychology?

Bringing It Home To DTCC

• Diverse population of students from African descent.

• Within group differences of African students.• Between group differences between African

students and African-American students.• Understanding culturally different world views of

self, time, and language may help to promote positive student outcomes.

The list could go on and on, but let us stop here.

See you next time.

List of Sources

• Belgrave, F. Z. and Allison, K. W. (2006). African American psychology: From Africa to America. London: Sage Publications.

• Billingsley, A. (1968). Black Families in White America. Englwood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

• Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity youth and crisis.NY: W. W. Norton and Company.

• Humphries, M. L., Parker, B. L., and Jagers, R. J. (2000). Predictors of moral reasoning among African American children: A preliminary study. Journal of Black Psychology. 26(1), 51-64.

• Lincoln, C. E. (1978). Black family, the black church, and the transformation of values. Religion in Life. 47, 486-496. Psychology. 26(1), 51-64.

• Parham, T. A., White, J. L, and Ajamu, A. (2000). The psychology of blacks: An African center perspective. (3rd ed.). NJ: Prentice-Hall Publishers.

• Woods, L. N. and Jagers, R. J. (2003). Are cultural values predictors of moral reasoning in African American adolescents? Journal of Black Psychology. 29(1), 102-118.