Relevance debate: Psychology and the South African context

Question 1

Why a ‘relevance’ debate in psychology?

Answer 1

because:

1. there is Euro-American bias in the discipline
2. there are marginalized experiences of the black majority
3. of the existing indifference to human rights abuses of the state

Question 2

What did the ‘relevance’ debate in post-apartheid South Africa consist of?

Answer 2

1. A white, middle-class, European/Amercan, ethnocentric and colonizer worldview
2. Lack of broader, systemic, socio-political interventions
3. Silences around apartheid practices, race, class, gender etc “and how these relate to issues of poverty, power, inequality and exploitation.

Question 3

What is the current ‘relevance’ debate looking at?

Answer 3

1. Theoretical issues
   Euro-American bias
2. Professional issues
   ‘Race’
   Language

3.Training issues
Selection criteria and their operationalization
Selection panels

4. Research issues
Poor uptake of government priorities
2% of articles look at HIV/AIDS 
2% of articles are about race
Sidelining of socio-economic issues/poor and working class communities

Question 4

Why the apparent lack of progress in the ‘relevance’ debate?

Answer 4

There are 3 broad explanations for this

• The profession
• Cultural explanations
• Institutional practices

Question 5

American psychology is facing…(crisis)

Answer 5

...the artifact crisis
...the ethics crisis
...the 'relevance' crisis
*Fun-and-games values
*social psychology as history

Question 6

European Psychology in crisis

Answer 6

the crisis is brought up by:

• Student revolution
• America social psychology as ideological
• European social psychology as atheoretical

Question 7

‘Third World’ psychology in crisis…

Answer 7

…Because:
Euro-American psychology is invalid
and there is NO credible alternative

Question 8

Why won’t the ‘relevance’ debate end?

Answer 8

Because of the…

1. Failure to define psychology’s subject matter
2. Indecision about psychology’s cognitive interest
3. Inevitable result of a disciplinary culture if scientism
4. A consequent difficulty theorizing rapid social change
5. Different conceptions of ‘relevance’

Question 9

Defining ‘relevance’

Answer 9

• Social relevance
  The discipline must contribute to human welfare

Cultural relevance
Afrocentrism and accessibility

Market relevance
The international benchmarking of disciplinary outputs

Question 10

Essentially…

Answer 10

….’Relevance’ refers to the benefits psychology is thought to offer to society

Question 11

CONCLUSIONS

Answer 11

An evident clash between a market discourse and discourses of social responsibility:

• Financial reward, global competitiveness and international recognition Vs.
• A traumatized nation and a consequent duty to serve

Question 12

Mental health services in South Africa:

Answer 12

• SA has a black majority of 90%
• 40% speak isiXhosa or isiZulu as HL
• 80-90% of registered psychologists speak exclusively English and/or Afrikaans
• 25% of psychologists are black

Question 13

Demographics of Masters students:

Answer 13

• 26% are black African
• 9% are coloured
• 8% Indian
• > 50% white

Question 14

Increasing access to mental health services:

Answer 14

Post-apartheid government policies
* Integrate services for SERIOUS mental disorders at PHC level

Criticisms

• Common mental health problems need to be addressed too
• The prevalence rate for anxiety and depression is 24% in SA
• What about scholastic problems/ intellectual disabilities?
• PHC nurses don’t have the time or the expertise

The solution

• The registered counsellor
• design preventative programmes
• offer supportive counselling
• provide basic psychometric services

Question 15

Registered counselling selection criteria…

Answer 15

• Intra- and interpersonal skills
• Potential to learn necessary skills of a registered counsellor
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to work in a team
• Ability to work in a community
• Psychosocial wellness