Contains notes on the work covered in week 1. A brief history of psychology in south Africa. Covers post and pre Apartheid. Focusing on the main ideas and concepts of the work covered. This content is to be in the first minor assignment (test) on the 14th of march.
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind, mental processes and human behavior
We cannot only look at the past for guidance, society is constantly changing
Mainstream Psychology in SA is based off Eurocentric values due to colonialism
- Fails to consider social, cultural, and political location (western values = not always socially relevant)
SOUTH AFRICAN PSYCHOLOGY PRE-1994 (APARTHEID STATE)
Every area of life was affected by racist ideas + laws
Psychology in SA supported reproduction of racism – denying and ignoring suppressive systems
- Reasoned + Justified racist ideologies (e.g., Psychologists used their influence to justify the government
not educating black people because professions dedicated to black people did not require math)
No resistance against Apartheid because majority of psychologists were white and benefitted from Apartheid
- Under 10% of psychologists were black - could not ‘stand up’ for themselves
- Movement embraced by psychology = black people were genetically inferior
Psychology went to great extents to Favour, research and publish about white people
- Generated a racially skewed process of knowledge production. Little to no psychological education for
black people (underrepresentation)
- Uni education restricted to and reserved for white people
- Books challenging Racism and apartheid were banned and monetized
Most psychologists (even today) are white females
Different Psychological diagnostic criteria were used to treat the mental health of different races.
- e.g., Argued that black people did not suffer from depression = ‘Bantu hysteria’
Psychology objectified black people as the negative other – Psychology favored poor white people
SOUTH AFRICAN PSYCHOLOGY POST 1994 (POST APARTHEID)
People noticed how psychology was side-stepping racism, Still substantial barriers to addressing racial issues
Attempts to reform psychology (progressive psychologists)
- Started a movement where psychology re-addressed effects of racism
- Strong movement against organizations that excluded black people (apartheid ideologies)
New organizations formed (e.g., PSYSSA)
- Devoted attention to internal struggles in organization (racial division)
- Race became a defining feature in the running of such institutions/ organizations (e.g. black people
encouraged to publish + research = attempt to shift knowledge production
Sudden influx of students in universities – run more like a business = less time for research
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