Pan African Black Psychology: A Psychological Analysis

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Black psychology is a practically unknown genre of psychology. It does not receive the attention it deserves from society. The Association of Black Psychologists was founded in 1968 and wanted to find solutions and explanations to the oppression African American experience from society (Nobles, 2015, p. 401). They wanted to represent the segment of the population Western psychology failed to show. Black Psychology can be defined as psychology from the perspective of the African American culture. This perspective is essential to the psychological community due to an epidemic that is occurring within the African American community. Some of these include “a diseased that can be best symptomized as ‘Afrophobia,’ a persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear for things African; …show more content…

There is a concept of “Pan African Humanism”, which encourages the engagement with various types of African literature, art, and culture (Nobles, 2015, pg. 404). This view leads to the formation of a specific type of Black Psychology. Pan African Black Psychology focuses on the various forms of human life through the viewpoint of the African American culture (Nobles, 2015). It provides society with a new approach to psychology that allows them to divert from the Western counterpart. In addition, there is a certain component present in this school of psychology that differentiates it from the well-known mainstream form. “A Pan African Black Psychology must, therefore, embrace the African meaning of being human as a being spirit, an energy, or power” (Nobles, 2015, p. 408). The element of incorporating the spirit and energy of a human being is a unique concept. There is a large focus on mental elements in Western psychology and how it drives people to feel and act the things they do. Conversely, Pan African Black Psychology believes in the journey and evolution of a human spirit throughout life (Nobles, 2015, p.

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