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

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I am because we are and therefore we are because
I am. (Asante Proverb)

• Black Psychology

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What Shall We Say?

• Black Psychology
• African Psychology
• Africentric Psychology
• Afrocentric Psychology
• African American Psychology

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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)

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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.

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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)

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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
• NAIM AKBAR (1991) . Effects of oppression
• DAUDI AJANI YA AZIBO (1996) system of diagnosing

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Wood may remain ten years in the water, but it
will never become a crocodile.(Zairian proverb)

• Not White! Black!

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DIFFERENT And Thats All!

• Historical Themes in Psychological Research
  (Parham,White, and Ajamu, 2000)
• InferiorityBlacks are intellectually,
  physically, and mentally inferior to whites
• Deficit-DeficiencyBlacks are deficient respect
  to intelligence, cognitive styles, family
  structure
• Multi-culturalall cultural distinct groups have
  strengths and limitations.

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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.

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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)

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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

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Afro and Euro OppositesCulturally different
Worldviews

• Self
• Feelings
• Survival
• Language
• Time

• Universe
• Death
• Worth
• Family

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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)

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African American Families

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

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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

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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

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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).

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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)

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African American FamiliesMethodological Issues

• Historical, cultural, social, economic, political
  factors, and institutional practices
• Lack of longitudinal studies
• Oversampling of low income families

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Knowledge kept to oneself is as useless as candle
burning in a pot.(Oromo proverb)

• Why Study Black Psychology?

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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.

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

• See you next time.

23
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.