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Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008. Most psychometric instruments used in South Africa are based on Western theory. Questions have arisen on the suitability and validity of these instruments in this context. Usually tests are imported from foreign countries and then applied with the same confidence in terms of the accuracy and prediction that these tests have in those foreign countries. However, studies in recent times have found that there exist numerous problems with these assessments in the South African context. In South Africa personality assessment instruments are used for the purpose of recruitment, placement, to identify training and development and for performance appraisal of workers. Currently none of the available personality questionnaires have been found to be reliable and valid for all cultural groups. This presents a particular predicament seeing as the Labour Relations Act (66 of 1995), which regulates the use of these assessments, states that these tests are prohibited unless they are shown to be scientifically valid, reliable and can be fairly applied over all without any discrimination. The objectives of this study were to investigate how personality is conceptualised in literature, to identify problems with personality measurement in South Africa, to explore how personality perspectives could be determined and to investigate the personality descriptive terms of the Ndebele people. A qualitative research design was used with an interview as data-gathering instrument. isiNdebele-speaking fieldworkers were recruited to interview 107 isiNdebele-speaking South Africans from the Mpumalanga Province. A total of 4165 responses were obtained from the respondents and translated into English. Content analysis was used to analyse, interpret and reduce these descriptors to a total of 151 personality facets. The personality characteristics were divided into nine categories, namely: Agreeable, Tough-minded, Gregarious, Emotional Stability, Conscientious, Self-absorbed, Intellect/Open, Influential and Relationship Harmony. These findings were compared to the Five Factor Model and evidence was found for all of its dimensions. Recommendations for future research were made. Masters

Australian Psychologist is seeking contributions to a special issue on the broad theme of Indigenous Psychology.The Editors are seeking to increase literature in the field of Australian Indigenous ...

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007. Cross-cultural assessment in South Africa has become more prominent since the first democratic elections held in April 1994, and stronger demands for the cultural appropriateness of psychological tests have arisen. The use of psychometric testing, including personality assessment in the workplace, is now strictly controlled by legislation, among others the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996), the Labour Relations Act (66 of 1995), and the Employment Equity Act (55 of 1998), and the Health Professions Act (56 of 1974). Much controversy has arisen regarding the relevance and applicability of assessment instruments in South Africa. The majority of assessment procedures still make use of imported instruments that are either used in their original or adapted form. Psychological assessment instruments imported from abroad have an insufficient suitability in the multicultural South African context. There are various perspectives regarding the appropriate measurement of personality across cultures. In this research study implicit perspectives of personality, the lexical approach, indigenous psychology and the emic approach were used to determine the personality perspectives of the Tsonga culture in South Africa. The objectives of this study were to investigate how personality is conceptualised in literature, to identify the problems surrounding personality measurement for the South African context, to explore how personality perspectives could be determined and to investigate the personality descriptive terms in the Tsonga language group. A qualitative research design was used to collect the data of this research. A total of 5 502 personality descriptors were obtained through the 10-item interview questionnaires. Content analysis was used to analyse, reduce and interpret the data obtained from the participants. The personality descriptors obtained were reduced by removing superfluous words. These personality descriptors were then interpreted and categorised into a total of 109 personality dimensions. These characteristics were categorised into nine clusters, namely Optimism, Agreeableness, Emotional Stability, Narrow-mindedness, Intelligence, Conscientiousness, Aggressiveness, Dominance and Sociability. The following personality dimensions had the highest frequency: Emotional Stability, Caring, Helpful, Hard working, Advising, Generous, Traditional, Aggression, Recreational, Substance use, Religious, Sociable and Loving. Recommendations for future research were made. Masters

Anthony Marsella is a pioneer in the area of cross-cultural psychology, psychopathology, and counseling, as well as a prolific writer. He is also an advocate for peace, justice, human rights, and local and global stability, and served as president of Psychologists for Social Responsibility. Keywords: human rights; indigenous psychology; international psychology; mental health

Austin Timothy Church is an American psychologist, acknowledged as one of the leading scholars in cross-cultural and indigenous psychology, especially in the area of culture and personality. Born in Illinois on November 1, 1948, he is the second child of Ralph Edwin Church Jr. and Janet Richardson. Church finished his primary education at Grant School, middle school education at Urban Middle School, and secondary education at North High School, all in Wisconsin. He earned his B.Sc. degree in mathematics at Lafayette College in 1970 and M.Sc. degree in computer science, with minor emphasis in psychology, at the University of Wisconsin in 1976. He then served as research assistant in the Psychometric Methods Program at the University of Minnesota, where he later worked as instructor in the department of psychology and subsequently received the Ph.D. in psychology in 1985. Keywords: cross-cultural psychology; cultural psychology; personality ; indigenous psychology

T. S. Saraswathi is a senior professor emeritus of human development at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India and a renowned contributor to the field of cross-cultural developmental psychology. Author of many books and journal articles, Saraswathi has paved the way for new investigative and informative directions in family studies and human development as they are applicable to cross-cultural psychology. Drawing on her Indian heritage, Saraswathi has illuminated the dearth of Indian philosophy and theoretical insights, instigated clearly defined developmental theories grounded in Hindu worldviews, advocated for an increase in research that promotes social policies for children, and endorsed the need for more integrated approaches to developmental, cross-cultural research in the field. Keywords: lifespan and development psychology; indigenous psychology

Peter B. Smith is emeritus professor of social psychology at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, where he has been a faculty member for more than 40 years. Following his Ph.D. (Cambridge University, 1963), he became an acute observer and analyst of group processes, writing extensively on this topic. Inspired by conversations on cultural issues with his colleague Neil Warren, Smith developed an interest in variations across nations in leadership activities and task group interactions. Keywords: cross-cultural psychology; leadership; indigenous psychology

Lutz H. Eckensberger is Professor Emeritus at the University of Frankfurt and the German Institute for International Educational Research. At the German Institute he served as director (1998–2004) and as head of the Department of Culture and Education (until 2007). He completed work for the doctorate in 1970 and his Habilitation in 1973 at Saarland University, and for 20 years was a professor of developmental psychology at the same institution. Eckensberger moved to Frankfurt in 1996. He is a cultural psychologist with interests in environmental psychology, culture and development, cross-cultural psychology, education, and morality. Keywords: cross-cultural psychology; cultural psychology; indigenous psychology; Kohlberg, Lawrence

Louise Jilek-Aall was born on April 21, 1931 in Oslo, Norway. She studied philosophy at the University of Oslo and pursued medical studies at the University of Tubingen and University of Saarland in Germany and at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, where she defended her dissertation on epilepsy in East Africa under Professor Manfred Bleuler and received the degree of Doctor of Medicine. She holds diplomas in tropical medicine from the Swiss Institute of Tropical Medicine in Basle and in psychiatry from McGill University in Montreal, and a Master of Arts degree in anthropology from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Keywords: health; indigenous psychology; psychotherapies

Cross-cultural psychology encompasses three broad goals: understanding behavior that is universal regardless of culture, understanding how culture shapes behavior, and understanding psychological commonalities across cultures. Overall, the underlying theme of cross-cultural psychology is the examination of behavior across culture, and how these behaviors may be manifested as a function of culture. In any given study, researchers may examine participants from different cultures, and then compare their behavior with respect to a particular criterion or outcome. Culture may be considered an independent variable, such that manipulation of cultural variables allows researchers to determine how culture impacts specific behavior. Although the emphasis is on cultural comparisons, cross-cultural psychology research utilizes methodology and experimental designs based primarily on traditional Western psychology. Keywords: cross-cultural psychology; cultural psychology; internationalization; indigenous psychology; international psychology

Rogelio Diaz-Guerrero was born on August 3, 1918 in Guadalajara, Mexico. He died on December 8, 2004 in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Interested in the mainsprings of human behavior and conduct since adolescence, he became a medical student and obtained his M.D. degree at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 1943. Concurrently, he embarked upon the study of psychology, pursuing graduate studies at the University of Iowa where he received a master's degree and a Ph.D. in 1944 and 1947, respectively. Research-oriented and steeped in experimental, developmental, and social psychology, Diaz-Guerrero was involved in pioneering the development of academic and professional programs in psychology in Mexico. Throughout his career, he held a succession of appointments at UNAM. In recognition of his lifetime contribution, Diaz-Guerrero was appointed National Emeritus Investigator of the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico. He was one of the founders of the Interamerican Society of Psychology and the Mexican Society of Psychology, both of which he served as President. Keywords: cultural psychology; indigenous psychology

William Gabrenya is Professor of Psychology at Florida Institute of Technology. Following completion of the B.A. in psychology at Ohio University (1974) he earned the M.A. (1977) and Ph.D. (1979) in social psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He then spent two years as a postdoctoral research associate at Ohio State University before joining the faculty of Florida Tech in 1981, where he has remained since that time. Keywords: cross-cultural psychology; cultural psychology; indigenous psychology

In a career spanning more than half a century, Jai B. P. Sinha has been a leading voice for indigenous psychology and in particular for Indian psychology. Born June 1, 1936, Sinha completed the B.A. (1956) and M.A. (1958) at Bihar University. After teaching for a few years at Ranchi University, he pursued doctoral studies at the Ohio State University, where he received the Ph.D. in 1965. He then joined the A. N. Sinha Institute of Social Studies in Patna, India, where he developed a dynamic program of research with emphasis on social and organizational issues. Sinha is currently professor of psychology and management at the ASSERT Institute of Management in Patna. Keywords: cultural psychology; organizational change; indigenous psychology

A. Bame Nsamenang is associate professor of psychology and learning sciences at the Advanced School of Education of Yaounde University in Cameroon. He is also director of the Human Development Resource Centre (HDRC), which he co-founded, in Bamenda, Cameroon. Following receipt of the Ph.D. in clinical child psychology from the University of Ibadan in 1984, he was a Fogarty Fellow at the National Institute of Child Health and Development in the United States (1987−1990), Nehru Chair Visiting Professor at Baroda University in India, and resident scholar at the Stanford University Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (2002−2003). Keywords: children; child development; indigenous psychology

First and foremost, this writer comments on the German and Nigerian Psychology. Then some reflections are made on the sociocultural and historical background of the two countries. It is important to do this because of their effects on the contents of empirical and theoretical topics. The differences between Nigerian and German psychology with regard to the contents are of interest. Finally after the critique of a lack of an indigenous African psychology, an attempt is made to discuss what can be called indigenous psychology in Nigeria. IFE Psychologia (2002) 10(1), 144-155

Development refers to the sequence of changes in the characteristics of humans as they grow older. Among West Africans, multiple caregivers promote this process by integrating children gradually but actively into the family and community through socializing intelligence and responsibility at different stations of life, beginning from an early age. The characterization of ontogeny as a cumulative social process differs in theoretical focus from the individualistic perspectives of mainstream theorists. As a framework in proximity to developmental phenomena, social ontogeny constitutes an alternative to the extant approaches that trivialize or ignore patterns of development in non-Euro-American peoples. It can thread together as biocultural phenomena, domains of psychological development that have hitherto been separated too artificially. The approach compels a paradigm shift that requires culturization of theory and method to address development in context. The heart of research is collaborative interdisciplinary networking that permits several disciplines to cross-fertilize and enrich theory, method, and practice. A learning posture can foster the creativity needed to attend to all versions of developmental knowledge. Indigenous psychology is not cultural essentialism; it is the product of the discourse between mentalities and the factors that shape them, whether in postmodern or modernizing societies.

Cross-cultural psychology is the scientific study of human behavior across cultural or national boundaries (Adler & Gielen, 2002). It is based on the two premises that (1) our culture deeply impacts all aspects of our psyche, including perception, cognition, development, personality, abnormality, and social behavior; and (2) for scientific psychology to be accurate, it must study these cultural variations rather than overlook them. Keywords: multi-cultural psychology; international psychology; cultural psychology; indigenous psychology

This article provides an Indigenous perspective of psychology in Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand) by examining bicultural developments in the fields of teaching, research, theory, and practice. The key issue for Maori (the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa) as psychology has evolved from early British to later American influences, is the relevance of western based psychological theory and practice. This raised questions about the need to develop Indigenous paradigms in Aotearoa. The Treaty of Waitangi provided a unique basis for a cultural framework and model to be developed. Maori frameworks and initiatives have played a significant role in psychology training programs. In particular, the development of Maori initiated psychological programs, demonstrate an increased acceptance of cultural models and frameworks in psychology.

North American Indigenous Psychology (NAIP) is the study and practice of the distinctive aspects of mind and behavior among North American indigenous peoples. Keywords: indigenous psychology; social influence

We all have a self-concept that we have learned from our parents, teachers, and society. This important mental software defines our experience of consciousness, our abilities, and our potential for happiness. It is so basic to our being that it is hard for us to imagine just how different the experience of consciousness is to other people in other places and other times.

The critique of psychology which claims that the discipline supports the ideology of individualism has floundered on two contestable notions, that of ideology and that of individualism. Sorting out various versions of the critique is useful but does not, in the end, point far beyond itself in resolving the alleged problem. Refusing to be an individualist might even be considered ludicrous in those cultures where psychology as an academic discipline and professional practice is taken seriously, if only because its existence is premised on some version of the thesis that the individual is the basic unit of analysis. The problem then is not to overcome individualism (whatever that might mean) but to see its productions in the ordinary world of psychological events. I draw an analogy with racism by examining selected portions of the American history of slavery and argue that, like racism, individualism had to be invented to gloss certain profound contradictions in modern life.

Applied Cross-Cultural Psychology - Richard W Brislin An Introduction Theoretical Concepts that are Applicable to the Analysis of Ethnocentrism - Harry C Triandis An Overview of Cross-Cultural Testing and Assessment - Walter J Lonner Interventions for Development Out of Poverty - Durganand Sinha Cross-Cultural Psychology and the Formal Classroom - Kenneth Cushner Family and Home-Based Intervention - Cigdem Kagitcibasi Indigenous Psychology - Uichol Kim Science and Applications International Students - R Michael Paige Cross-Cultural Psychological Perspectives Work Attitudes, Leadership Styles, and Managerial Behaviors in Different Cultures - C Harry Hui Dispute Processing - Kwonk Leung and Pei-Guan Wu A Cross-Cultural Analysis Psychology of Acculturation - John W Berry Understanding Individuals Moving Between Cultures The Environment, Culture, and Behavior - Janek Pandey Culture and Health - Lisa Marie Ilola Applications of Cross-Cultural Psychology in the Field of Mental Health - Juris G Draguns Cross-Cultural Orientation Programs - D P S Bhawuk

Barrington Moore's formulation: “why people so often put up with being the victim of their societies and why at other times they become very angry and try with passion and forcefulness to do something about their situation,” provides the general problematic. Attention is paid to two societies, the Chewong and Semai Senoi of peninsular Malaysia, where putative (and negative) experiences of injustice are (arguably) transformed by culturally provided beliefs. The outcome is that emotional responses become part of the order of how things should be. Rather than expressing anger and attempting to restore the just order (where the bad are punished), those who have been “wronged” by being neglected in the sharing process are exposed to the threat of punishment. Fear (an aspect of the justified order), not anger, is the order of the day. Analysis draws on both Western psychological theory and indigenous emotion talk, and concludes with some broader, comparative issues.

Psychology has many applications including psychological testing. In this paper, an attempt is made to identify the types of tests used in Ghana and discuss the problems associated with the current state of psychological testing in Ghana. It was concluded that the current state of psychological testing has been too Eurocentric and Westernized. As a result, it limits the applicability and usefulness of the tests in the Ghanaian setting. After this critical evaluation, suggestions were then made for the improving psychological testing in terms of construction of Ghana-centric tests and validation of imported tests. Though this paper focuses on Ghana, it is expected that the discussions and recommendations would equally be relevant for other non-European and non-American populations of world.

Both geographically and historically, schizophrenia may have emerged from a psychosis that was more florid, affective, labile, shorter lived and with a better prognosis. It is conjectured that this has occurred with a reflexive self-consciousness in Western and globalising societies, a development whose roots lie in Christianity. Every theology also presents a psychology. Six novel aspects of Christianity may be significant for the emergence of schizophrenia—an omniscient deity, a decontexualised self, ambiguous agency, a downplaying of immediate sensory data, and a scrutiny of the self and its reconstitution in conversion.

The artistic aspects of the first half of Limba weddings are examined in the context of their relationships to ritual. Artistic qualities encourage unexpressed thoughts and feelings towards marriage, as well as culturally recognised, publicly expressed ones. These two aspects are contrasted and the psychological importance of this duality is indicated. It is shown that the Limba employ indigenous psychology in the wedding to deal with the stresses of physically and socially immature girls marrying older, mature men. Similar indigenous psychologies probably exist in other cultures.