• ill-health = state of fragmentation and disintegration → disharmony • Body and mind are a unit, so physical health and mental health are seen as one ∴ mental illness → Not devoid of physical symptoms → Psychosomatic disorders • There is a primary indivisible unity between mind and body, unlike the western reciprocity • Stress → Can be work-related in a Western view →Most likely community related in an African view • Psychopathology linked to ancestors, malignant spirits and sorcerers. ∴ pathological behavior → result of disharmony between a person and the ancestors → caused by evil spells or deeds of malignant spirits or sorcerers • Thwawa = process of becoming an traditional healer → often involves an illness • What is important is not what caused an illness, but who brought it about • Dreams → Not symbolic, but direct communication from ancestors. check p 558 PSYCHOTHERAPY • Words have less value in an African context ○ Verbal communication thus less NB as part of therapy ○ Rhythmic dancing, singing and ritual are important avenues for healing • Healing should be grounded in the collective existence ○ Treatment should involve the whole family •African perspectives emphasize “collective social responses to afflictions” as opposed to Western individualistic diagnoses.
This external locus of control is located in mystical, animistic and magical forces, and is seen as operating from the past into the present. These forces drive and influence every person’s life over which he or she has absolutely no control. IV. Optimal development and mental health How do traditional Africans attain optimal development and how does this differ from the development of Westerners?  Because of their connectedness with their physical and spiritual environments and the balanced use of the left and right hemispheres of the brain, Pasteur and Toldson (1982) believe that traditional Africans are better equipped to reach and sustain optimal development and psychological health than modern Westerners.  The Westerner’s functioning is dominated by the left hemisphere of the brain in an attempt to investigate, analyse and take things apart in order to understand and explain them logically.  This functioning is subject to an imbalance of the right and left hemispheres and causes tension and stress, which induces Westerners to seek help to relieve the tension.  The holistic view of the person and the worldview of Africans, on the other hand, give rise to the balanced use of both hemispheres.  According to Pasteur and Toldson (1982), “Instead of one-sided dominance of the left hemisphere, the right hemisphere is not repressed in the African mind and is therefore allowed to freely interact with the left, infusing it with creative imperatives. This is how the wonderful blend known as harmony comes to reside in the personality”.  A further factor that Pasteur and Toldson (1982) identify as promoting optimal development and functioning among Africans is their collective existence.  The Westerner’s stress and tension can, to a large extent, be ascribed to the emphasis on individuals’ responsibility for themselves, which places them predominantly in competitive relationships with their fellows. By contrast, the selflessness of Africans, who are wholly rooted in their collective existence, offers the essential security that can counteract anxiety and tension.