Black psychology

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Black psychology, also known as African-American psychology and African/Black psychology, is a scientific field that focuses on how people of African descent know and experience the world.[1] The field, particularly in the United States, largely emerged as a result of the lack of understanding of the psychology of Black people under traditional, Westernized notions of psychology.[2][3] Overall, the field combines perspectives from both Black studies and traditional psychology encapsulating a range of definitions and approaches while simultaneously proposing its own framework of understanding.[4][5]

In practice, Black psychology exists as both an academic and applied discipline, which focuses on furthering the well-being of people of African descent through more accurate knowledge.[1][6] Based on different definitional systems, developments in Black psychology tend to utilize a range of approaches.[7][8] Overall, the field has contributed to developing Afrocentric models of research, therapy, and well-being, identifying inaccuracies in current psychological frameworks, furthering understandings specific to Black and African-American individuals, and advocating for increased equity and appreciation of Black excellence.[9][6]

  1. ^ a b Belgrave, Faye; Allison, Kevin (2019). African American Psychology: From Africa to America (4 ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  2. ^ Clark, C. (1972). Jones, Reginald L. (ed.). "Black studies or the study of Black people". Black Psychology. Berkeley, CA: US: Cobb & Henry Publishers.: 3–17.
  3. ^ Guthrie, Robert (1991). "The Psychology of Black Americans: An Historical Perspective". Black Psychology: 47–63.
  4. ^ Hicks, L.H.; Ridley, S.E. (1979). "Black studies in psychology". American Psychologist. 34 (7): 597. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.34.7.597.
  5. ^ Jamison, DeReef F (March 2008). "Through the Prism of Black Psychology: A Critical Review of Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Africology as Seen Through the Paradigmatic Lens of Black Psychology". The Journal of Pan African Studies. 2: 96–117.
  6. ^ a b "The Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) - home page". abpsi.org. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  7. ^ Cokley, Kevin; Garba, Ramya (November 2018). "Speaking Truth to Power: How Black/African Psychology Changed the Discipline of Psychology". Journal of Black Psychology. 44 (8): 695–721. doi:10.1177/0095798418810592. ISSN 0095-7984. S2CID 149920611.
  8. ^ Karenga, Maulana, "Introduction to Black Studies", Racism: Essential Readings, SAGE Publications Ltd, pp. 209–216, ISBN 978-0-7619-7197-9, retrieved 2019-12-04
  9. ^ Holliday, Bertha Garrett (2009). "The history and visions of African American psychology: Multiple pathways to place, space, and authority". Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. 15 (4): 317–337. doi:10.1037/a0016971. ISSN 1939-0106. PMID 19916668. S2CID 463858.