African Psychology

This chapter explores the concept of “African psychology” with a view to addressing the competing discourses on the existence or otherwise of a branch of psychology that is distinctly African. While in some literature African psychology is used interchangeably with Black psychology and African-centered psychology, this chapter adopts the term African psychology to refer to all elements of psychology centered on African people on the African continent. Notably, Black psychology focuses more on people of African descent, people of color, dispersed in the Diaspora. By African psychology, this chapter refers to psychology as manifested and operationalized in African contexts by Africans. In defining the concept, the chapter draws from Jamison (2018) and echoes the questions he poses in reference to the concept of African psychology. Is it White psychology with a Black face? How does it differ from traditional (read Euro-American) psychology? Is there an indigenous African psychology rooted in the continent’s own unique epistemologies, knowledge systems, and identities? Another question that is explored in this chapter is about the truth element regarding African psychology: Does African psychology exist? Is it a reality or is it a myth? What are its characteristics and subject matter? These are the key issues that this chapter addresses.