Personal Narrative: Black/African Centered Psychology

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As typical with most friendships, during the course of several conversations the subject of our childhoods aroused. To my surprise, mentions of my experiences growing up in a suburban New Jersey neighborhood produced incredulous gazes. Based on my descriptions, it was concluded that I grew up in “the Hood”. My friends were surprised that my personal conduct and philosophy did not overtly reflect my background in a manner they expected. “The Hood” is associated with all forms of disenfranchisement: poverty, violence, low employment, lack of public funds, and poor education systems. In the cafeteria of my middle school my peers and I were labeled as “hoodrats”, “ghetto”, or “at-risk”. However, once the bell rang and I returned to my honors classes …show more content…
It is the self- conscious "centering" of psychological analyses and applications in African realities, cultures, and epistemologies. Black/African centered psychology, as a system of thought and action, examines the processes that allow for the illumination and liberation of the Spirit. Relying on the principles of harmony within the universe as a natural order of existence, Black/African centered psychology recognizes: the Spirit that permeates everything that is; the notion that everything in the universe is interconnected; the value that the collective is the most salient element of existence; and the idea that communal self knowledge is the key to mental health. Black/African Centered psychology is ultimately concerned with understanding the systems of meaning of human beingness, the features of human functioning, and the restoration of normal/natural order to human development. As such, it is used to resolve personal and social problems and to promote optimal …show more content…
In other words children are at risk for numerous negative psychosocial situations because society failed to meet their needs. Dr. W.E.B. DuBois was one of the first sociologists to recognize the role structural and environmental factors played in the overall quality of life of Africana people. In his work, The Philadelphia Negro (1899), DuBois empirically demonstrated that during the end of the 19th century, Black inequality was a result of improper resource allocation and concentrated poverty, not an inborn deficiency. This phenomena is illustrated by DuBois’s Materialist Foundation which regards institutional and systemic inequality (i.e. income, housing, jobs, prenatal care, etc.). Thus so, the aforementioned risk factor of childhood exposure to lead or mercury and similar environmental risk factors, are a direct result of poor housing facilities, redlining, and gentrification--systemic

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