The Spiritual Core of African-Centered Psychology

Wholeness in deference to an obsession to weakness and pathology; and a ten- dency to cloud discussions of “spirit” with discussions of religious and spiritual beliefs. The first point about rigid adherence to outdated beliefs that all psycho- logical constructs must be measured to rate relevance is a curious one in that there is so much discussion about the affective and intuitive nature of the indi- vidual psyche. Psychological and counselor educators spend countless hours training students to rely on clinical instincts when attempting to empathize with clients whom they are treating. Yet, attempting to measure the instincts or intu- itions that often inform decisions about which questions to query clients about or which directions to pursue in therapy would prove a difficult task, even for the most seasoned clinicians. The failure to embrace the full spectrum of psy- chological health and wholeness is a tendency many psychologists and coun- selors are beginning to question, partly because of the movement of “positive psychology.” This movement is beginning to gain some traction within the dis- cipline but has yet to be fully embraced in a way that the majority of those counselors and clinicians doing therapeutic work incorporate such perspectives into their client conceptualizations. In part, the conceptualization issue is fueled by the reliance on psychological instruments that continue to be pathology- oriented, even in their revised forms (e.g., MMPI-II). The tendency to cloud dis- cussions of “spirit” with discussions on religious and spiritual beliefs is problem- atic as well. The fact that people chose to align their lifestyles with a particular religion simply implies that they are believers in GOD, and support the doc- trines of that denomination. In recognizing that people’s faith is a strong anchor in one’s life and can be a major support system in times of trouble and adver- sity, many psychological service providers do ask about religious affiliation as a standard part of an intake interview. They also refer to a client’s religious affili- ation and adherence to doctrines of theology as a way of gaining insights into past behaviors, as well as perspectives into how an individual client might rely on that body of ideas as a support in navigating their way through certain life challenges.