5th Southern African Students’ Psychology Conference

Iron sharpens iron man sharpens the countenance of man

The 5th psychology conference followed from the 4th psychology conference, which was held in Limpopo province in 2015. It was hosted by University of South Africa (UNISA) this year after University of Zimbabwe indicated that it could not do so following austerity measures within the university, it is also of note to mention that Women University of Africa in Zimbabwe had supported that the event be held in Zimbabwe. It is at this juncture that Zimbabwean   universities are called on to reflect on their current stances especially in regard with research funding, which has not been forthcoming and we trail behind our neighbors South Africa and Kenya amongst other nations, and in this regards Zimbabwean Universities need to put their priorities right in terms of research support and findings to avoid a situation whereby universities are collegized. On this view I aver to state that what should characterize our universities especially in Zimbabwe and across the whole spectrum if we are to achieve a working psychology is research and research calls for funding and support especially from the respective universities. I stand guided that such an academic intercourse such as this should not only be responsibility of South Africans. Zimbabwean Universities who offer psychology programs should include the Psychology conferences within their calendars and also participate with their resources so that it becomes a bigger event to warrant international recognition for the growth of its students and future students. 

Psychology Conferences

The 5th student conference of psychology fell on days when there were conferences on psychology all over the globe. There was a 7th AISA International Interdisciplinary Conference, Nairobi, Kenya from 27-30 June.  2017 IAJS (International Association for Jungian Studies) conference Cape Town, South Africa27-28 June. 8th World conference for psychology, Paris, France 24-28 June.  50th International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) congress, Buenos Aires, Argentina 25-29 June. It is my wish that the Southern African Students Psychology Conference do not coincide with international conferences so that we would know that people studying psychology are not engaged in other conferences world over.

Involvement of Zimbabwean Universities

The student conference within its pros managed to harness students from Ethiopia, Ghana, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and the host South Africa with its students from UNISA, University of Johannesburg (UJ), Wits, University of Limpopo, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan  University (NMMU), North West University, University of Capetowm (UCT), and University of KwaZulu Natal. The most interesting aspect is that students from undergraduate to PhD level students attended the conference. In Zimbabwe, Great Zimbabwe University (GZU), Midlands State University (MSU), University of Zimbabwe (UZ), Women University of Africa (WUA) were represented and those with the most notable presence in numbers were students from Women University of Africa. Lecturers mainly from some Zimbabwean universities presented their papers and notable amongst them was E. Maziti from GZU and Sibungilizwe Maphosa MSU. It is from the level of presentations that one could easily notice potential and excellence in some papers presented. The presence of postgraduate students ensured that there is quality in terms of level of debates which were held. It is my wish that the conference ensures that we have more of postgraduate students at the conference and also those who have graduated and were not students in strict sense of the term should be welcomed, it is to my understanding that such stance will call upon a drop of the term students on the conference so that the event is not only limited to students only.

Promising promises

From the conference panelists promised to help upcoming academic researchers opportunities to get their works published in research journals which are peer reviewed. This is a very important aspect in academic life as there is the popular talk in academics that you either publish or perish. The conference has a journal called New Voices in Psychology which has in the past published some articles. It is the wish of this paper that some of the papers will get published especially from first time publishers.

Conference Theme

The main theme of the conference psychologies in dialogue which a round table discussion was done, of critical reflections on psychologies in dialogue: strengthening our African connections. The panelists included Professor Brendon Barnes who lucidly stated the need of developing psychologies which are relevant to our context and also Professor Kitty Dumont amongst others. The panelists raised an issue of the low number of psychologist in South Africa as compared to South Africa‘s mental health issues. The discussion managed to open up two views from the floor namely Kudakwashe Mudewu (PhD candidate NMMU) and Kudakwashe Chasahwa (UZ) psychology Honours Graduate. I felt that the few minutes given to the floor did not allow the issues concerning the main theme and topic to be thoroughly discussed. Its my wish that the upcoming conferences that topic themes be discussed thoroughly and allow the whole house to participate and speak also to the theme. I at this juncture also concur with one of the panelists that there is also need for inclusion of panelists who are not resident in South Africa, because the conference is not a South Africa conference, rather it is for Southern Africa. It follows therefore that other psychology persons from other Southern African nations should be visible as panelists, facilitators and or chairs of various panels giving a picture of Southern Africa.

Psychology in Africa

It is a true that psychology has been criticized for importation of western ideologies in the African context, yet it is not true that psychology in Africa has been unreflective, I will cite few examples from South Africa and Zimbabwe and few studies done in parts of Zambia to show that psychology has been reflective and reforming. In as early as 1916 in South Africa Leidpolt and A.L. Moll standardized their version of the Binet – Simon Scale which was made in France in 1904-1905. This was done for use by the Education Department of The Orange Free State. Partly informed by the Army Alpha/Beta Tests, Wilcocks from the psychology department Stellenbosch University developed the South African Group Test (SAGT) in 1928 and was used to assess large groups of people in industry and educational settings. In 1945 University of Stellenbosch developed psychophysiological instruments. SAWA (South Africa Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale 1969) was developed in South Africa. The refuting of M.L Fick 1939 madness by Simon Biesheuvel (1943). ATS (Aptitude Test Section) recognized that culture, education, poverty and language play a large role in the score difference between Black and white South Africans. General Adaptability Battery (GAB), General Scholastic Aptitude Test (GSAT) 1980, South Africa Personality Questioner (SAPQ). In Zimbabwe iconoclastic views about psychometric tests by Zindi F; and Mpofu E ‘s studies in parts of Zambia about how cultures view intelligence are few examples which attest that psychology in Africa has not been wholly unreflective in its importation of western approaches. Hence views that psychology has been unreflective in such a background of activities is based on mendacity.

Likely betrayals          

In view of Africanizing psychology, I view it as a move by South African psychologies to South Africanize psychology. In the current times and viewing psychology structures, South Africa is more established in terms of resources and has proper structure in its psychology institutions both academic and professional settings than most if not all African nations, if psychologist agree that we divorce ourselves from western psychologies, South Africa becomes the headquarters of African psychology  by default because it has the resources, so this approach is likely to change and share psychological power from western psychologies to South African psychologies.

 

Myths

To say that we can have an African psychology is a mirage, psychology was derived from a Greek word psyche which means mind or soul. We can never have one mind as Africa from Cape to Cairo and we can never have the same soul, especially in the background view of globalization and technology. The idea of us having an African psychology in a globalized world becomes faint and illusive each and every passing day.

Stupidity consists in wanting to reach conclusions (Gustave Flaubert), so on this paper I will not conclude.

Proper K Mushauri

Bssc Honours Psychology

Bssc in Psychology