Element contents
Indigenous Psychology in Africa
A Survey of Concepts, Theory, Research, and Praxis
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 April 2024
Summary
Understanding human behaviour, thoughts, and emotional expressions can be challenging in the global context. Due to cultural differences, the study of psychology cannot be de-contextualised. This calls for unearthing of the explanatory systems that exist in Africa to understand and account for behaviour, emotions, and cognition of Africans. This call is addressed through the emergence of African Psychology (AP) or Indigenous Psychology in Africa (IPA) as a legitimate science of human experience. This Element discusses the motivations for AP, centrality of culture, demarcations of AP, and the different strands within AP. It highlights issues related to African philosophy, African cultural anthropology, African philosophy of science, and suitable methodological approaches for AP research. It also discusses some selected theoretical contributions and applications of AP. The Element concludes that AP researchers and practitioners need to pursue interdisciplinarity and avoid meaningless rejection of good ideas from other cultural settings.
Keywords
- Type
- Element
- Information
- Online ISBN: 9781009392860Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication: 23 May 2024
References
Abas, M., Bowers, T., Manda, E., et al. (2016). ‘Opening up the mind’: Problem-solving therapy delivered by female lay health workers to improve access to evidence-based care for depression and other common mental disorders through the Friendship Bench Project in Zimbabwe. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 10, 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-016-0071-9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Adjei, S. B. (2017). Entrapment of victims of spousal abuse in Ghana: A discursive analysis of family identity and agency of battered women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 32(5), 730–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515586375.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Adjei, S. B. (2018). The social intentionality of battered women’s agency in Ghana. Psychology and Developing Societies, 30(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0971333617747320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA). (2005). Report of the African Commission’s working group on indigenous populations/communities. www.iwgia.org/images/publications/African_Commission_book.pdf.Google Scholar
African Development Bank Group. (2016). African Development Bank Group’s development and Indigenous Peoples in Africa. Safeguards And Sustainability Series, 2(2), 1–29. www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Publications/Development_and_Indigenous_Peoples_in_Africa__En__-__v3_.pdf.Google Scholar
Agyekum, K. (2018). Akan body parts expressions: Cognitive semantics and pragmatic approach. Adwinsa Publications (Gh) Ltd.Google Scholar
Agyekum, K. (2020). Akan cultural concepts and expressions for ‘stress’, ‘distress’, ‘sorrow’, and ‘depression’. Nordic Journal of African Studies, 29(3), 21. https://doi.org/10.53228/njas.v29i3.546.Google Scholar
Ahuma, S. R. B. A. (1905). Memoirs of West African celebrities: Europe, & c., 1700–1850, with special references to the Gold Coast. D. Marples.Google Scholar
Ajei, M., & Myles, N. O. (2019). Personhood, autonomy, and informed consent. In Frimpong-Mansoh, Y. A. & Atuire, C. A. (Eds.), Bioethics in Africa: Theories and praxis (pp. 77–94). Vernon Press.Google Scholar
Allwood, C. M. (2018). The nature and challenges of indigenous psychologies. Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allwood, C. M. (2019). Comment: Future prospects for indigenous psychologies. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 39(2), 90–7. http://doi.org/10.1037/teo0000108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
American Psychological Association. (2021, February 18). TAMPSY: Tales and African mythology psychotherapy. Global Insights Newsletter. www.apa.org/international/global-insights/african-mythology-psychotherapy.Google Scholar
Apolot, J. M., Ejuu, G., & Lubaale, G. (2020). Pursuing quality education in Karamoja: An analysis of the caregivers’ quality indicators from a community perspective for sustainable early childhood education programmes. American Journal of Education and Practice, 4(1), 72–88. https://doi.org/10.47672/ajep.574.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Appiah, P., Appiah, A., & Agyeman-Duah, I. (2007). Bu Me Bɛ: Proverbs of the Akans (2nd ed.). Ayebia Clarke Publishing.Google Scholar
Appiah, A., Fadiji, A. W., Wissing, M. P., & Schutte, L. (2021). Participants’ experiences and impressions of a group-based positive psychology intervention programme for rural adults in Ghana. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being, 16(1), 1891760. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2021.1891760.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arnett, J. J. (2008). The neglected 95%: Why American psychology needs to become less American. The American Psychologist, 63(7), 602–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003066X.63.7.602.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Asante, S. K. B. (2011). Setting straight the records of Ghana’s recent political past. DigiBooks Ghana Ltd.Google Scholar
Asare, M., & Danquah, S. A. (2017). The African belief system and the patient’s choice of treatment from existing health models: The case of Ghana. Acta Psychopathologica, 3(4), 1–4. www.primescholars.com/articles/the-african-belief-system-and-the-patients-choice-of-treatment-from-existing-health-modelsthe-case-of-ghana.pdf.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Azibo, D. (2014). The Azibo Nosology II: Epexegesis and 25th anniversary update: 55 culture-focused mental disorders suffered by African descent people. The Journal of Pan African Studies, 7(5), 32–145. http://jpanafrican.org/docs/vol7no5/4-Nov-Azibo-Noso.pdf.Google Scholar
Bandura, A. (2018). Toward a psychology of human agency: Pathways and reflections. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(2), 130–6. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617699280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, N., McIlwraith, T., & de González, L. T. (2020). Perspectives: An open introduction to cultural anthropology. American Anthropological Association.Google Scholar
Bruck, J. N. (2020). Long-term memory. In Vonk, J. & Shackelford, T. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of animal cognition and behavior (pp. 1–5). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_783-1.Google Scholar
Chibanda, D., Mesu, P., Kajawu, L., et al (2011). Problem-solving therapy for depression and common mental disorders in Zimbabwe: Piloting a task-shifting primary mental health care intervention in a population with a high prevalence of people living with HIV. BMC Public Health, 11, 828. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-828.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chibanda, D., Verhey, R., Munetsi, E., et al. (2016). Using a theory driven approach to develop and evaluate a complex mental health intervention: The friendship bench project in Zimbabwe. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 10(16). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-016-0050-1.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chibanda, D., Weiss, H. A., Verhey, R., et al. (2016). Effect of a primary care-based psychological intervention on symptoms of common mental disorders in Zimbabwe: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 316(24), 2618–26. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2016.19102.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Christaller, J. G. (1879). Twi mmebuse̲m, mpensã-ahansĩa mmoaano: A collection of three thousand and six hundred Tshi proverbs, in use among the Negroes of the Gold Coast speaking the Asante and Fante language, collected, together with their variations, and alphabetically arranged. Evangelische Missionsgesellschaft.Google Scholar
Dar, A., & Lyså, I. M. (2022). Southern theories and decolonial childhood studies. Childhood, 29(3), 255–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/09075682221111690.Google Scholar
Davis, P. J. (2000). Anthropology and African philosophy: A review essay. The CLR James Journal, 7(1), 151–63. www.jstor.org/stable/26759427.Google Scholar
Draper, C. E., Barnett, L. M., Cook, C. J., et al. (2022). Publishing child development research from around the world: An unfair playing field resulting in most of the world’s child population under-represented in research. Infant and Child Development, 32(6), e2375. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2375.Google Scholar
Dziwornu, E., & Oppong, S. (2023). Opportunities for growing psychology due to the COVID-19 pandemic in a non-Western context: the case of Ghana in West Africa. Ghana Social Science Journal, 20(1), 58–70. https://journals.ug.edu.gh/index.php/gssj/article/view/2278.Google Scholar
Dzokoto, V. A. (2020). Adwenhoasem: An Akan theory of mind. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 26(S1), 77–94. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9655.13242.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dzokoto, V. A., Osei-Tutu, A., Kyei, J. J., et al. (2018). Emotion norms, display rules, and regulation in the Akan Society of Ghana: An exploration using proverbs. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1916. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01916.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ejuu, G. (2015). Is this early childhood development ours? Deciphering what African parents want their children to learn in early childhood development. Teachers’ Work, 12(1), 30–44. https://doi.org/10.24135/teacherswork.v12i1.44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ejuu, G. (2019). African indigenous games: Using Bame Nsamenang’s Africentric thoughts to reflect on our heritage, pedagogy, and practice in a global village. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 29(4), 319–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2019.1647496.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ejuu, G., Apolot, J. M., & Serpell, R. (2022). Early childhood education quality indicators: Exploring the landscape of an African community perspective. Global Studies of Childhood, 12(2), 170–80. https://doi.org/10.1177/2043610619832898.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ejuu, G., & Opiyo, R. A. (2022). Nurturing Ubuntu, the African form of human flourishing through inclusive home based early childhood education. Frontiers in Education, 7, 838770. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.838770.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ejuu, G., Locoro, V., Miria, N., et al. (2022). Community’s knowledge, attitude and practices towards inclusive home based early childhood education in Uganda: Lessons for scaling deep. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 12(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v12i1.1117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flynn, J. R. (2009). What is intelligence? Beyond the Flynn effect. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511605253.Google Scholar
Flynn, J. R. (2012). Are we getting smarter? Rising IQ in the twenty-first century. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139235679.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Funk, L., Scheidecker, G., Chapin, B. L., et al. (2023). Feeding, bonding, and the formation of social relationships: Ethnographic challenges to attachment theory and early childhood interventions. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009306300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gavi, J. K., Akotia, C. S., Osafo, J., et al. (2022). Conceptions of personhood in Ghana: An emic perspective. Ghana Social Sciences Journal, 19(1), 16–31. https://journals.ug.edu.gh/index.php/gssj/article/view/1905/1094.Google Scholar
GPE-KIX. (2024). Inclusive child to child learning approach: Scaling up inclusive play based learning for smooth transition from pre-priary to primary school. Retrieved March 16, 2024 from: www.gpekix.org/project/inclusive-child-child-learning-approach-scaling-inclusive-play-based-learning-smooth.Google Scholar
Greenwood, E. (1976). Attributes of a profession. In Gilbert, N. & Specht, H. (Eds.), Emergence of social welfare and social work (pp. 302–18.). Peacock Publishers.Google Scholar
Grigorenko, E. L., Geissler, P. W., Prince, R., et al. (2001). The organisation of Luo conceptions of intelligence: A study of implicit theories in a Kenyan village. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 25(4), 367–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650250042000348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gyekye, K. (1978). The Akan concept of person. International Philosophical Quarterly, 18(3), 277–87. https://doi.org/10.5840/ipq197818329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gyekye, K. (2003). African cultural values: An introduction. Sankofa Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Hambrick, D. C., & Chen, M.-J. (2008). New academic fields as admittance-seeking social movements: The case of strategic management. The Academy of Management Review, 33(1), 32–54. www.jstor.org/stable/20159375.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hapunda, G. (2022). Caregiving roles of female guardians, older siblings, and time spent on child activities. Family Relations, 72(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12762.Google Scholar
Hergenhahn, B. R. (2009). An introduction to the history of psychology. Cengage Learning.Google Scholar
Jahoda, G. (2016). Seventy years of social psychology: A cultural and personal critique. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 4(1), 364–80. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v4i1.621.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Janz, B. (2007). African philosophy. In Boundas, C. (Ed.), Companion to 20th century Philosophy (pp. 689–701). Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar
Jiyane, M. S. (2022). How Africa(n)-centred psychology scholars conceptualise Black psychological empowerment [Unpublished doctoral thesis]. University of Johannesburg.Google Scholar
Johnson, J. (2018). Anthropology and the study of Africa. In Oxford research encyclopedia of African History. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jovanović, G. (2005). Theoretical challenges of internationalizing psychological knowledge. In Gülerce, A., Hofmeister, A., Staeuble, I., Saunders, G., & Kaye, J. (Eds.), Contemporary theorizing in psychology: Global perspectives (pp. 78–87). Captus Press.Google Scholar
Jukes, M. C. H., Sitabkhan, Y., and Tibenda, J. J. (2021b). Adapting pedagogy to cultural context. RTI Press Publication No. OP-0070-2109. RTI Press. https://doi.org/10.3768/rtipress.2021.op.0070.2109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kathuria, R., & Serpell, R. (1998). Standardization of the Panga Munthu Test: A nonverbal cognitive test developed in Zambia. Journal of Negro Education, 67, 228–41. https://doi.org/10.2307/2668192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keller, H. (2016). Psychological autonomy and hierarchical relatedness as organizers of developmental pathways. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B, Biological Sciences, 371(1686), 20150070. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0070.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ketsitlile, L. (2013). An integrative review on the San of Botswana’s Indigenous literacy and formal schooling education. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 41(2), 218–28. https://doi.org/10.1017/jie.2012.21.Google Scholar
King, K. M. (2023, July 25). Becoming a parent is changing how I approach early childhood development programming. www.rti.org/insights/how-to-approach-early-childhood-development-programming.Google Scholar
Kluckhohn, C., & Kelly, W. H. (1945). The concept of culture. In Linton, R. (Ed.), The science of man in the world crisis (pp. 78–105). Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Laher, S., & Hassem, T. (2020). Doing systematic reviews in psychology. South African Journal of Psychology, 50(4), 450–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/0081246320956417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lamont, M. (2019). How to publish, but most importantly, why. Sociologica, 13(1), 33–5. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1971-8853/9384.Google Scholar
Louw, D. A., & Louw, A. E. (2014). Child and adolescent development (2nd ed.). Psychology Publications.Google Scholar
Lowie, R. H. (1953). Ethnography, cultural and social anthropology. American Anthropologist, 55(4), 527–34. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9t13v9kz.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mafela, L. (2014). Education and perceptions of ‘Other’: Colonial education of Batswana and formal education of Indigenous San in Botswana. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 10(1), 45–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/117718011401000105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mazrui, A. A. (2005). Pan-Africanism and the intellectuals: Rise, decline, and revival. In Mkandawire, T. (Ed.), African intellectuals: Rethinking politics, language, gender, and development (pp. 56–77). Zed Books.Google Scholar
Mbiti, J. S. (1969). African religions and philosophy. East African Educational Publisher.Google Scholar
Merriam-Webster, . (n.d.). Orientation. In Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved March 8, 2023, from www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orientation.Google Scholar
Mignolo, W. D. (2009). Epistemic disobedience, independent thought and decolonial freedom. Theory, Culture and Society, 26(7–8), 159–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276409349275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mkhize, N. (2013). Psychology: An African perspective. In Hook, D., Mkhize, N., Kiguwa, P., & Collins, A. (Eds.), Critical psychology (pp. 24–52). Juta and Company.Google Scholar
Molosiwa, A. A., & Galeforolwe, D. (2018). Child rearing practices of the San communities in Botswana: Potential lessons for educators. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 14(2) 130–7. https://doi.org/10.1177/1177180118772601.Google Scholar
Morelli, G., Quinn, N., Chaudhary, N., et al. (2018). Ethical challenges of parenting interventions in low-to middle-income countries. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 49(1), 5–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mpofu, E. (2002). Psychology in sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges, prospects and promises. International Journal of Psychology, 37(3), 179–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207590244000061.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nafungo, J., & Ejuu, G. (2022, December 1). Early learning unlocks potential for children with disabilities and developmental delays. Retrieved August 8, 2023 from www.gpekix.org/blog/early-learning-unlocks-potential-children-disabilities-and-developmental-delays.Google Scholar
Nafungo, J., Wind, T., Jamtsho, S., et al. (2022, March 31). ‘Playful beginnings’: New KIX research collaborations for better early learning. Retrieved August 8, 2023 from www.gpekix.org/blog/playful-beginnings-new-kix-research-collaborations-better-early-learning.Google Scholar
Naidoo, A. V. (1996). Challenging the hegemony of Eurocentric psychology. Journal of Community and Health Sciences, 2(2), 9–16.Google Scholar
Nanda, S., & Warms, R. L. (2012). Culture counts: A concise introduction to cultural anthropology (2nd ed.). Wadsworth.Google Scholar
Nkwi, P. N. (2015). Introduction: The anthropology of Africa: Challenges for the 21st century. In Nkwi, P. N. (Ed.), The anthropology of Africa: Challenges for the 21st century (pp. ix–xiv). Langaa RPCIG. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvh9vxg1.3.Google Scholar
Noyau, C., and Gbeto, K.-S. (2004). Les conceptions de l’intelligence dans la culture éwé: analyse sémantique des expressions du domaine cognitif [Conceptions of intelligence in Ewe culture: Semantic analysis of expressions in the cognitive domain]. Actes du Congrès de l’ARIC (Association pour la Recherche InterCulturelle) [Proceedings of the Congress of the ARIC (Association for InterCultural Research)], Université d’Amiens, Amiens, France, 30 June–4 July 2003. Actes en ligne: www.unifr.ch/ipg/sitecrt/ARIC/XeCongres/communication.html.Google Scholar
Nsamenang, A. B. (1992). Human development in a cultural context: A third world perspective. Sage Publications.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nsamenang, A. B. (2006). Human ontogenesis: An indigenous African view on development and intelligence. International Journal of Psychology, 41(4), 293–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207590544000077.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nwoye, A. (2006). A narrative approach to child and family therapy in Africa. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 28(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-006-9691-6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nwoye, A. (2014). African psychology, critical trends. In Teo, T. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of critical psychology (pp. 57–65). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583-7_483.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nwoye, A. (2015a). What is African psychology the psychology of? Theory & Psychology, 25(1), 96–116. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354314565116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nwoye, A. (2015b). African psychology and the Africentric paradigm to clinical diagnosis and treatment. South African Journal of Psychology, 45 (3), 305–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/0081246315570960.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nwoye, A. (2017a). An Africentric theory of human personhood. Psychology in Society (PINS), 54, 42–66. http://doi.org/10.17159/2309-8708/2017/n54a4.Google Scholar
Nwoye, A. (2017b). The psychology and content of dreaming in Africa. Journal of Black Psychology, 43(1), 3–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798415614159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nwoye, A. (2017c). A postcolonial theory of African Psychology: A reply to Kopano Ratele. Theory & Psychology, 27(3), 328–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354317700000.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nwoye, A. (2020). From psychological humanities to African psychology: A review of sources and traditions. In Oxford research encyclopedia of psychology. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.659.Google Scholar
Nwoye, A. (2022). African psychology: The emergence of a tradition. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190932497.001.0001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Opare-Henaku, A., & Utsey, S. O. (2017). Culturally prescribed beliefs about mental illness among the Akan of Ghana. Transcultural Psychiatry, 54(4), 502–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461517708120/CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oppong, S. (2011). Health & safety: Theory and practice in the oil and gas sector. VDM Verlag Dr Müller.Google Scholar
Oppong, S. (2013a). Industrial and organizational psychology in Ghana. The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, 50(3), 79–83. https://doi.org/10.1037/e520182013-009.Google Scholar
Oppong, S. (2013b). Indigenizing knowledge for development: Epistemological and pedagogical approaches. Africanus, 4(2), 34–50. https://doi.org/10.25159/0304-615X/2300.Google Scholar
Oppong, S. (2014). A critique of the philosophical underpinnings of mainstream social science research. Academicus, 5(10), 242–54. https://doi.org/10.7336/academicus.2014.10.17.Google Scholar
Oppong, S. (2015a). A critique of early childhood development research and practice in Africa. Africanus, 45(1), 23–41. https://doi.org/10.25159/0304-615X/252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oppong, S. (2015b). Risk chain process model: Linking risk perception to occupational accidents. Sigurnost, 57(1), 25–34. https://hrcak.srce.hr/137603.Google Scholar
Oppong, S. (2016). The journey towards Africanizing psychology in Ghana. Psychological Thought, 9(1), 1–14. https://psyct.swu.bg/index.php/psyct/article/view/128/html.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oppong, S. (2017). History of psychology in Ghana since 989 AD. Psychological Thought, 10(1), 7–48. https://psyct.swu.bg/index.php/psyct/article/view/195/html.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oppong, S. (2018). Investigating comprehension of road hazard communication designs and safety climate as correlates of risk perception and road traffic accidents using mixed methods design. In Sage research methods cases part 2. Sage Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526439079.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oppong, S. (2019a). Overcoming obstacles to a truly global psychological theory, research and praxis in Africa. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 29(4), 292–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2019.1647497.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oppong, S. (2019b). Doing ‘history of psychology’ in Ghana: A long, frustrating, lonely journey without directional signs but rewarding. HAP: Newsletter of History of Applied Psychology, 10, 4–8. https://iaapsy.org/site/assets/files/1820/newsletter_10_june_2019.pdf.Google Scholar
Oppong, S. (2019c). When the ethical is unethical and the unethical is ethical: Cultural relativism in ethical decision-making. Polish Psychological Bulletin, 50(1), 18–28. https://doi.org/10.24425/ppb.2019.126014.Google Scholar
Oppong, S. (2020a). When something dehumanizes, it is violent but when it elevates, it is not violent. Theory & Psychology, 30(3), 468–72. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354320920942.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oppong, S. (2020b). Towards a model of valued human cognitive abilities: An African perspective based on a systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 538072. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.538072.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oppong, S. (2021a). From risk perception to accident: An empirical test of the risk chain process model. Sigurnost, 63(2), 125–42. https://doi.org/10.31306/s.63.2.1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oppong, S. (2021b). Development and testing of culturally adapted road hazard communication designs. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 27(1), 290–301. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2019.1573942.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oppong, S. (2022a). Indigenous psychology in Africa: Centrality of culture, misunderstandings, and global positioning. Theory & Psychology, 32(6), 953–73. https://doi.org/10.1177/09593543221097334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oppong, S. (2022b). On mainstreaming philosophy of science in psychology through ‘psychological theoretics’. Annals of Psychology, XXV(1), 27–45. https://doi.org/10.18290/rpsych2022.0002.Google Scholar
Oppong, S. (2022c). Raising a new generation in a postcolonial era through decolonised early childhood development and care services. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 23(2), 182–97. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949120970238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oppong, S. (2023a). Epistemological allyship. Psychology and Developing Societies, 35(1), 69–86. https://doi.org/10.1177/09713336231152301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oppong, S. (2023b). An indigenous representation of personhood for citizenship behaviours. In Osafo, J. & Akotia, C. S. (Eds.), Personhood, Community and the human condition: Reflections and applications in the African experience (pp. 27–47). Ayebia Clarke Publishing Limited.Google Scholar
Oppong, S. (2023c). Promoting global ECD top-down and bottom-up. Ethos, 51(3), 321–5. https://doi.org/10.1111/etho.12393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oppong, S., Ajei, M. O., & Majeed, H. M. (2023). Nurturing the nexus between African philosophy and African psychology. The American Philosophical Association Studies, 23(1), 141–6. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.apaonline.org/resource/collection/C29D5481-4D0D-4E09-81F3-8C5DC2148822/APAStudiesFall2023.pdf.Google Scholar
Oppong, S., Asante, K. O., & Anum, A. (2022). Psychological assessment in West Africa. In Laher, S. (Ed.), International histories of psychological assessment (Educational and Psychological Testing in a Global Context, pp. 59–81). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108755078.005.Google Scholar
Oppong, S., Brune, K. R., & Mpofu, E. (2020). Indigenous community health. In Mpofu, E. (Ed.), Sustainable community health: Systems and practices in diverse settings (pp. 579–610). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59687-3_17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oppong, S., Oppong Asante, K., & Kumaku, S. K. (2014). History, development and current status of psychology in Ghana. In Akotia, C. S. & Mate-Kole, C.C. (Eds). Contemporary psychology: Readings from Ghana (pp. 1–17). Digibooks Ghana Ltd.Google Scholar
Oppong, S., & Strader, S. (2022). Interventions that matter start with local cultures: Issues and strategies in early childhood care and education interventions in Africa. An ECCE Project Supported by Spencer Foundation/Boston College. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.12651.82722/1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oppong Asante, K., & Oppong, S. (2012). Psychology in Ghana. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 22(3), 473–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2012.10820557.Google Scholar
Osei-Tutu, A., Dzokoto, V. A., Adams, G., et al. (2018). ‘My own house, car, my husband, and children’: Meanings of success among Ghanaians. Heliyon, 4(7), e00696. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00696.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Osei-Tutu, A., Dzokoto, V. A., Affram, A. A., et al. (2020). Cultural models of well-being implicit in four Ghanaian languages. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1798. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01798.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Owusu, M. K. (2012). Towards an African critique of African ethnography: The usefulness of the useless. In Lauer, H. & Anyidoho, K. (Eds.), Reclaiming the human sciences and humanities through African perspectives (pp. 77–104). Sub-Saharan Publishers.Google Scholar
Pasricha, S. K. (2011). Relevance of para-psychology in psychiatric practice. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 53(1), 4–8. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.75544.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pence, A., Makokoro, P., Ebrahim, H. B., & Barry, O. (Eds.). (2023). Sankofa: Appreciating the past in planning the future of early childhood education, care and development in Africa. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000384942.Google Scholar
Pheko, M., Oppong, S., & Mfolwe, L. (2021). Substance use in organizations: Antecedents and interventions. In Mutepfa, M. M. (Ed.), Substance use and misuse in sub-Saharan Africa: Trends, intervention, and policy (pp. 113–28). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85732-5_8.Google Scholar
Phuti, F., Tsheko, G. N., & Oppong, S. (2023). Developing and validating a soft skills assessment scale for psychoeducational assessment. Sage Open, 13(4), 1–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pickren, W. E., & Taşçı, G. (2022). Indigenous psychologies: Resources for future histories. In McCallum, D. (Ed.), The Palgrave handbook of the history of human sciences (pp. 1–22). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4106-3_80-2.Google Scholar
Poortinga, Y. H. (2021). Concept and method in cross-cultural and cultural psychology. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108908320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rad, M. S., Martingano, A. J., & Ginges, J. (2018). Toward a psychology of Homo sapiens: Making psychological science more representative of the human population. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115(45), 11401–11405. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1721165115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ratele, K. (2017a). Editorial: Frequently asked questions about African psychology. South African Journal of Psychology, 47(3), 273–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/0081246317703249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ratele, K. (2017b). Editorial: Six theses on African psychology for the world. Psychology in Society, 54, 1–9. www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1015-60462017000200001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ratele, K. (2017c). Four (African) psychologies. Theory & Psychology, 27(3), 313–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354316684215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roughley, N. (2021). Human nature. In Zalta, E. N. (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Spring 2021 Edition). https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2021/entries/human-nature/.Google Scholar
Russell, R., Chung, M., Balk, E. M., et al. (2009). Issues and challenges in conducting systematic reviews to support development of nutrient reference values: Workshop summary. (Prepared by the Tufts Evidence-based Practice Center under Contract No.290–02-0022).Google Scholar
AHRQ Publication No. 09–0026-2. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.Google Scholar
Sam, D. L. (2014). Relationship between culture and behaviour. In Akotia, C. S. & Mate-Kole, C. C. (Eds.), Contemporary psychology: Readings from Ghana (pp. 231–47). Digibooks Ghana.Google Scholar
Samuelson, B. L. (2009). Ventriloquation in discussions of student writing: Examples from a high school English class. Research in the Teaching of English, 44(1), 52–88. www.jstor.org/stable/27784349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scheidecker, G., Boyette, A., Chaudhary, N., et al. (2023b). Parents, caregivers, and peers: Patterns of complementarity in the social world of children in rural Madagascar (article, comments, and reply). Current Anthropology, 64(3). www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/725037.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scheidecker, G., Chaudhary, N., Keller, H., et al. (2023). Poor brain development’ in the Global South? Challenging the science of early childhood interventions. Ethos: Journal of the Society for Psychological Anthropology, 51(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/etho.12379.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scheidecker, G., Chaudhary, N., Oppong, S., et al. (2022). Different is not deficient: Respecting diversity in early childhood development. The Lancet: Child & Adolescent Health, 6(12), e24–e25. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(22)00277-2.Google Scholar
Scheidecker, G., Oppong, S., Chaudhary, N., & Keller, H. (2021). How overstated scientific claims undermine ethical principles in parenting interventions. BMJ Global Health, 6(9). http://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007323.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scheidecker, G., Tekola, B., Rasheed, M., et al. (2024). Ending epistemic exclusion: Toward a truly global science and practice of early childhood development. The Lancet: Child & Adolescent Health, 8(1), 3–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(23)00292-4.Google Scholar
Schein, E. H. (1984, January 15). Coming to a new awareness of organizational culture. Sloan Management Review, 25(2), 3–16. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/coming-to-anew-awareness-of-organizational-culture/.Google Scholar
Schein, E. H. (2004). Organizational culture and leadership (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Schultz, D. P., & Schultz, S. E. (2012). A history of modern psychology (10th ed.). Wadsworth.Google Scholar
Serpell, R. (1989). ‘Dimensions endogenes de l’intelligence chez les AChewa et autres peuples Africains [Endogenous dimensions of intelligence among AChewa and other African peoples]. In Retschitzki, J., Lagos, M. B., & Dasen, P. (Eds.), La Recherche Interculturelle, Tome II [Intercultural Research, Vol. II] (pp. 164–79). Editions l’Harmattan.Google Scholar
Serpell, R. (1993). The significance of schooling: Life-journeys in an African society. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Serpell, Z. N., Dzokoto, V. A. A, Anum, A., & Belgrave, F. Z. (2022). Editorial: African cultural models in psychology. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 844872. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.844872.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Houghton Mifflin Company.Google Scholar
Simpson, M. C., Majeed, H. M., Ackah, K., & Ani E. I., E. I. (Eds.). (2013). A celebration of philosophy & classics. Ayebia Clarke Publishing.Google Scholar
Singh, L., Cristia, A., Karasik, L. B., et al. (2023). Diversity and representation in infant research: Barriers and bridges toward a globalized science of infant development. Infancy: The Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies, 28(4), 708–37. https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12545.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, J. A. (2015). Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods (3rd ed.). Sage.Google Scholar
Spencer-Oatey, H. (2008). Culturally speaking: Culture, communication and politeness theory (2nd ed.). Continuum.Google Scholar
Ssentongo, J. S. (2020). ‘Which journal is that?’ Politics of academic promotion in Uganda and the predicament of African publication outlets. Critical African Studies, 12(3), 283–301. https://doi.org/10.1080/21681392.2020.1788400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Starodub, A. (2015). Post-representational epistemology in practice: Processes of relational knowledge creation in autonomous social movements. Interface: A Journal for and about Social Movements, 7(2), 161–91. www.interfacejournal.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Issue-7-2-Starodub.pdf.Google Scholar
Steindl, C., Jonas, E., Sittenthaler, S., et al. (2015). Understanding psychological reactance: New developments and findings. Zeitschrift fur Psychologie, 223(4), 205–14. https://doi.org/10.1027/2151-2604/a000222.Google ScholarPubMed
Tafirenyika, J., Mhizha, S., & Ejuu, G. (2023). Building inclusive early learning environments for children with a disability in low-resource settings: Insights into challenges and opportunities from rural Zimbabwe. Frontiers in Education, 8, 1029076. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1029076.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, C. (1992). Sources of the self: The making of the modern identity. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Teo, T., & Febbraro, A. R. (2003). Ethnocentrism as a form of intuition in psychology. Theory & Psychology, 13(5), 673–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/09593543030135009.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thalmayer, A. G., Toscanelli, C., & Arnett, J. J. (2021). The neglected 95% revisited: Is American psychology becoming less American? American Psychologist, 76(1), 116–29. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000622.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tsamaase, M., Harkness, S., & Super, C. M. (2020). Grandmothers’ developmental expectations for early childhood in Botswana. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2020(170), 93–112. https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20335.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
UNICEF. (2021). Baseline study for the community-based integrated early childhood development (ECD) ‘Insaka’ programme. www.unicef.org/zambia/reports/baseline-study-community-based-integrated-early-childhood-development-insaka-programme.Google Scholar
United Nations. (2004, January). The concept of Indigenous peoples. Background paper prepared by the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/workshop_data_background.docGoogle Scholar
Weber, A. M., Diop, Y., Gillespie, D., et al. (2021). Africa is not a museum: The ethics of encouraging new parenting practices in rural communities in low-income and middle-income countries. BMJ Global Health, 6(7), e006218. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whorf, B. L. (1956). Science and linguistics. In Carroll, J. B. (Ed.), Language, thought, and reality (pp. 207–19). MIT Press.Google Scholar
Wingo, A. (2017). Akan philosophy of the person. In Zalta, Edward N. (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Summer 2017 Edition). https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2017/entries/akan-person/.Google Scholar
Wiredu, K. (2013). Are there cultural universals? In Simpson, M. C., Majeed, H. M., Ackah, K., & Ani, E. I. (Eds.), A Celebration of Philosophy & Classics (pp. 97–112). Ayebia Clarke Publishing.Google Scholar
Wissing, M. P., Wilson Fadiji, A., Schutte, L., et al. (2020). Motivations for relationships as sources of meaning: Ghanaian and South African experiences. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02019.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yang, K.-S. (2012). Indigenous psychology, Westernized psychology, and indigenized psychology: A non-Western psychologist’s view. Chang Gung Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 5(1), 1–32. https://cgjhsc.cgu.edu.tw/data_files/5-1%2001.pdf.Google Scholar
Yankah, K. (2012). Globalisation and the African scholar. In Lauer, H. & Anyidoho, K. (Eds.), Reclaiming the human sciences and humanities through African perspectives (pp. 51–64). Sub-Saharan Publishers.Google Scholar