Suchergebnisse

This biography of Frantz Fanon is the review and assessment of his life a theory of psychology, by the author, which will augment and prove useful to theorists and practitioners who focus on Third World

It is claimed that the psychological study of Africa has historically served the colonial drives of Europe & the US, & has militated against the interests of African natives; even the present-day research carried out by Africans trained in European or US educational systems perpetuates the subjugation of Africans in some respects. A review of research rationales shows that implicitly or explicitly, scholars are less concerned with the psychological health of Africans than they are with their own contribution to their own knowledge specialties or with improving the chances for "self-knowledge" among Europeans &/or Americans. The character of psychological testing carried out by the US Agency for International Development in the early 1960s is described, suggesting that research findings became data for use in the economic & political manipulation of Africans. Recommendations for psychological research that serves the social needs of Africans are offered. 50 References. D. Dunseath.

An attempt is made to assess Frantz Fanon's contributions to psychiatry. Fanon basically relies on a Freudian model of personality & is explicitly concerned with sexuality & aggression as aspects of race relations. At the same time, he rejects several Freudian positions, in particular, the concept of the Oedipus complex. Fanon also borrowed from Jung, while condemning his confinement of attention to European culture, & drew ideas from such other figures as Adler, Lacan, & Mannoni. Fanon's own work relies on a sociogenetic, historical perspective to create a theory of self-destructive violence & a radical approach to psychiatry. W. H. Stoddard.

Outlined are a series of stages which the oppressed African undergoes in order to maintain an identity through differing Western influences which contradict everything the African was told he was made of. The first stage is assimilation where the African educated into Western thought may temporarily reject or no longer support or value his own traditions. The practice of Western education, or neocolonialism, becomes auto-colonialism, where the oppressed are also the oppressors of their own selves, both on the mass level & on individual levels. Mentioned are instances where leaders spent their country's budget on luxuries for purposes such as crowning themselves king, areas in United States cities where black homicide has risen beyond control, & cases where individuals leave their homes to seek out the promises of the United States. Subsequently, reactions to this identity conflict take the form of isolation, alienation, & identity lack, which foster a need for resolution. The resolution takes the form of 'revitalization,' or going back to traditional roots. An example cited is a community in SC, which calls itself Oyotunji & lives according to the Yoruba culture. Also it is noted that the individuals who came to the United States eventually experienced severe loneliness & despair & returned to Africa. The eventual return to the autonomy of their roots & to nationalism may be associated with radicalism in their efforts. C. Strong.

European & American colonialism in Africa still retains a firm grip on the educational patterns of the African elite. The African intelligentsia is still defined in terms of Euro-American education, & their value in native governments striving for efficient self-rule, is questioned. Those Africans educated abroad may lose touch with the forces of African tradition & become, in effect, "neocolonized," ie, parties to the western oppression their governments sought to dispel with the achievement of independence. A psychosocial theory of reactive identification is described to demonstrate alternative phases of identification for the western-educated African: (1) a period of unqualified acceptance of the culture of the occupying power, (2) a period of "identity crisis" in which the African past & tradition are romanticized & once again accepted, & (3) a fighting phase in which the traditions of "the people" are shaken off & a revolutionary commitment to action & change is made. M. Cain.