Sumaya Laher

South African Muslim Faith Healers perceptions of mental illness: understanding, aetiology and treatment.

The important role that religious beliefs may have on perceptions of mental illness cannot be ignored. Many religions including Islam advocate witchcraft and spirit possession—all of which are thought to influence the behaviour of a person so as to resemble that of a mentally ill individual. Thus this research explored Muslim Faith Healers perceptions of mental and spiritual illness in terms of their understanding of the distinctions between the two, the aetiologies and the treatments thereof. Six Muslim Healers in the Johannesburg community were interviewed and thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data. From the results it is clear that the faith healers were aware of the distinction between mental and spiritual illnesses. It was also apparent that Islam has a clear taxonomy that distinguishes illness and the causes thereof. Treatments are then advised accordingly. Thus this paper argues that the predominant Western view of the aetiology and understanding of mental illness needs to acknowledge the various culturally inclined taxonomies of mental illness so as to better understand and aid clients.

Personality Reconceptualised: A Millonian Approach?

The field of personality theory and assessment is often criticised for two reasons. The first is the lack of an integrated theory of personality that considers the intrapsychic, interpersonal, environmental, and biological aspects involved in personality development. The second is the Eurocentric nature of most theories. This article critically explores Millons model of personality as a possible stepping stone towards a more holistic and integrated approach to personality and its assessment. Particular consideration is given to the cross-cultural aspects of personality theory and assessment internationally and in the South African context. In this regard, it is demonstrated that while Millons model might provide some potential directions to follow in terms of creating a holistic and cross-culturally applicable model of personality, it is still lacking. The link to evolutionary psychology, and hence to biological aspects of personality, as well as the environmental or cross-cultural aspects of personality, needs more development. As with other personality theories, the Millonian approach is largely Eurocentric.

South African Hindu psychologists' perceptions of mental illness.

Conceptualisations of mental illness are not universally applicable, as culture shapes the expression, perceptions and treatment preferences thereof. By focusing on the perceptions of Hindu psychologists regarding mental illness, this study aimed to provide a deeper understanding of the impact that religious beliefs have on such conceptualisations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six Hindu psychologists around the Johannesburg area, South Africa. Responses were analysed using thematic content analysis. From the findings, it was evident that religion plays a critical role in the understanding and treatment of mental illness. Hindu beliefs around psychological disturbances were salient. Additionally, it was found that a tension existed between psychologists’ awareness of the influential function of religion, particularly amongst collectivistic communities such as the Hindu community, and their occupational understandings and practices, which are deeply rooted in Western thought. Furthermore, it was suggested that the fear of stigma prevented Hindu clients from reaping the benefits of seeking help from culturally competent psychologists.

An overview of illness conceptualizations in African, Hindu, and Islamic traditions: towards cultural competence:

Increasingly, research, teaching, and practice emphasize the need for cultural competency among healthcare practitioners. Most training programmes include modules on cultural competency based on a knowledge, skills, and awareness model. In line with the knowledge and awareness objectives of cultural competency, this article focuses on the conceptualization of illness from an Islamic, Hindu, and African perspective. It discusses spiritual illness, a category of illness recognized in all three traditions but marginalized in mainstream literature. This marginalization has given rise to debates as to whether a separate Islamic psychology, a Hindu psychology, African psychology (or other Psychology) should exist. This article explores these areas briefly concluding with arguments on the need for current teaching, research, and practice to take more cognizance of cultural views of illness.

Understanding the Five-Factor Model and Five-Factor Theory through a South African cultural lens

Despite the vast body of evidence accumulated for the Five-Factor Model worldwide, it is often criticised for being atheoretical, too descriptive, and lacking reference to personality development across the lifespan. In response to these critiques, McCrae and Costa proposed the Five-Factor Theory. This article introduces the reader briefly to the Five-Factor Model and Five-Factor Theory. The Five-Factor Theory refers to the five factors of the Five-Factor Model as Basic Tendencies and postulates that the five factors of the Five-Factor Model are innate, heritable, and universal structures. This article debates whether the Five-Factor Theory is correct in arguing for five Basic Tendencies by providing local and international literature that suggests that five factors do not form the topmost hierarchy in personality. In African and Asian cultures, specifically, it has been argued that the collectivist dimension in particular is not captured in the Five-Factor Model and Five-Factor Theory. This article explores these arguments with particular reference to the Individualism\Collectivism dimensions and concludes by suggesting that both Five-Factor Theory and the Five-Factor Model take more cognisance of other cultural perspectives on personality at both the theoretical and empirical levels.

Psychological assessment in post-apartheid South Africa: the way forward

In 2014, South Africa is into its 20th year since the 1994 elections which ushered in a democratic government and marked the official end of apartheid. The discipline of Psychology has in this time attained many milestones, several of which relate to the sub-discipline of psychological assessment. Prior to, during, and post-apartheid, psychological assessment featured as one of the most contentious areas in the history of the country, as well as the history of Psychology. In this article, we provide some critical insights into those aspects in the history of psychological assessment in South Africa that have led it to be the provocative field it is today. We also identify the positive contributions of psychological assessment that have facilitated South Africa’s movement towards a more just and equitable society. The article concludes with suggestions for the future development of psychological assessment and how it can serve to enhance the discipline of Psychology and the wellbeing of South Africans.

Exploring the Role of Spirituality in the Context of the Five Factor Model of Personality in a South African Sample

The study explored the relationship between the Five Factor Model of personality and spirituality by using the NEO PI-R (Costa & McCrae, 1992) and the Spiritual Transcendence Scale (STS) (Piedmont, 1999) respectively. Participants were 94 psychology undergraduate students at a large South African university (mean age = 19.1 years; SD =1.43, males =19, females=75). Data were analyzed using both correlations as well as principal components analysis with varimax rotation. Evidence from both correlations and factor analysis suggest separate domains within the FFM as well as a separate factor for spirituality. These results provide support for claims that aspects of spirituality are not accounted for by the FFM as operationalised by the NEO-PI-R and by implication the FFM may not be a complete taxonomy of personality.

Reflections on Teaching Undergraduate Psychology to Part-Time Adult Students

Teaching the part-time adult student provides numerous challenges not encountered in full-time undergraduate teaching. This short report presents these differing characteristics and the steps taken to cater for them in the Discipline of Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand using an autoethnographic approach (Ellis & Bochner, 2003). These reflections are discussed within the context of andragogy (Knowles, 1980), transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 1997), and situated cognition theory (Caffarella & Merriam, 1999).

Teaching Research and Statistics at Undergraduate Level: The RDA Tutorial Programme

Students enter university with huge variances in terms of research and mathematical background, resulting in difficulty in levels at which a research and statistics module can be taught. This is further compounded by the fact that most students registering for the psychology course in research design and analysis (RDA) at the University of the Witwatersrand have little or no mathematical background and quite often experience a high level of anxiety in relation to statistics. It is within this context that the RDA tutorial programme was conceptualised and developed. Since its inception in 1994, the programme has been used effectively to support students on the RDA course. This short report presents the rationale and structure of the programme as well as data evaluating its effectiveness.

The relationship between religious orientation and pressure in Psychology I students at the University of the Witwatersrand

This study considers the relationship between religious orientation and pressure in 494 first-year Psychology students at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Religious orientation is defined according to Allports concepts of intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation and was measured using the Allport-Ross Religious Orientation Scale-Revised. Pressure is a concept used by Weiten to define the everyday life stress experienced by individuals and was measured in this study using Weitens Pressure Inventory. The influence of religious affiliation on religious orientation and pressure was also explored. Results revealed few significant differences between intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation and the types of pressure experienced. Religious affiliation significantly affected religious orientation but had no influence on pressure. These results are discussed in relation to the literature on religion and mental health and well-being.