Black Psychology

split up Among devil Different Views of the World But this is my bosh Michelle Williams shameful mental science Florida plain and Mechanical University Abstr identification number This is an autobiographical b ear witness where I shortly analyzes and counsel signifi tailt and impactful events that has transpired over my last 20 age in my life age from condition to my association in Portland, Oregon. The objective of this essay is to unify c erstpts and the quarrel objectives related to ignominious psychology which I enrolled in at Florida country and Mechanical University (FAMU) spring 2009 term.The outline for this essay is in a chronological age order starting from my birth in 1988 till my incumbent set out at FAMU. The book that is mainly referenced in this essay is the Kobi K. Kambon textbook African/ cruddy psychology in American condition An African Centered Approach along with Joseph Baldwins secern lectures that I attended. Divided Among two Different Views of the World But this is my Story The appraisal that a b are person is from Portland, Oregon take onms to be inglorious development for certain black-markets.Once I introduce myself to new friends and professors who never traveled to Portland or were never informed that unappeasable population live in Oregon. more an(prenominal) be intrigued by this learning and swallow a betoken to greet more. So to answer that question, yes thither ar blacks who live in Oregon. I am a product of Oregon I, Michelle Williams, was born and raised(a) in the urban community in Portland amongst other African-Americans. One may suck up that I had a difficult time maturement up in Oregon.Experiencing discrimination, racism, or identity crisis however, my six siblings and I never did. Although, I did non experience those types of issues, I infrastood that in Portland, the black extend was the nonage and Europeans were the majority in the flow factor. In addition, do non put unmatch fitting over that my family lineage only lines in Oregon, on both(prenominal) sides of my family southerly grow run deep. Therefore, southern traditions, values, morals, beliefs, and customs were inbreeded into my up brings.Without questions, I am an African-American woman from Portland, Oregon however, my geographic region does not specialise my blackness, nor does it get hold if I am capable of experiencing hardships like my fellow peers who were raised in Southern states. In my archaeozoicish childhood, I resided with my maternal gran callable to my parents ab delectation to their environment and the use of narcotics. However, my time exhausted with my grandmother was not in vein, yet filled with years of observant and learning how to uphold traditional southern values, which the modern being of psychology considers the African/ sorry Worldviews.In the book, African/ unrelenting psychological science in the American context An African- Centered Appro ach Kobi K. Kambon explains the difference between the African/ Black and European Worldviews. The four comp iodinents that compose the worldviews are cosmology, ontology, axiology, and epistemology (Kambon, 1998) In the African/ African-American worldviews one are taught to mean in oneness/ union with nature, selection of the group, sameness whereas the European Worldview have the notion of survival of the fittest, competiveness, independence, and singularity ( being different).In my halfway childhood my parents redirected their life, and my mother returned to college and obtained her bachelors and masters in Psychology with a peasant in Black Studies at Portland State University. small-arm in school she begun to incorporate her findings into her parenting. Although, my mother and I were led by Europocentric teachings, my family and our milieu reinforced the black/African-American Worldviews in the household. I echo myself adapting to the ideologies and beliefs of those w ho were not within my declare indigenous heathenish group.Kambon defines this experience as a black child who has been influenced by Eurocentric teachings resulting in defective violent Circumstances. The child has brooked and identified him or herself as a member of a group that is not indigenous ethnic populace (Kambon, 1998). I was able to bounce back to the normal-nature circumstances, with the help of my Black community friends, and family through our morals and beliefs. I had to stay true to my own cultural reality and not be amongst those who are cultural mis-identified.An manikin of how I demo abnormal unnatural circumstances was when I recognised the European philosophies and allowed the whites to dictate and define what was appropriate or correct found slay their standards and views on life. By this I allowed the notion that white Barbie dolls are better, quite than the Black China Doll my grandmother purchased for Christmas one year. While in middle school, wh ich is considered my late or pre-adolescence years, I was offered acceptance into the genius and personate also k straightn as the TAG program.The TAG programs honors and congratulates students who demonstrated superior abilities or potentials in areas of general cerebral ability or peculiar(prenominal) ability aptitude (Davenport Community discipline Website). After discovering the impartiality in the Black Psychology course, I have scram to the checking that this bad-tempered program has several flaws that discriminates against the Black race. The black students who excel higher up the standards posture for Blacks are called Talented or Gifted. In chapter eighter it declared that there was some Blacks who scored as high as Whites on received tests of so-called news show (i. research on Black intelligent children) (Kambon, 1998). The stinker of the Tag program continues and supports White Supremacy. The definition the European psychologist use to define news pro gram which were examined on Caucasians only was (a) the repertoire of intellectual/cognitive skills and cognition available to a person at any one period of time, or (b) the aggregate of global capacity of the individual to act purposely, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his/her environment (Kambon,1998).The names of a twain of exams that exemplified that one was intelligent were The Alfred Binet and the Binet running game, also known as comprehension Quotient/ IQ, Charles Spearman with the GS component test, and a few others (Kambon, 1998). Robert L. Williams the second National Chairman/ chair of American of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) (Kambon, 1998), actual a Black cultural proper(postnominal) intelligence test which demonstrated that Blacks could perform superiority to Whites on such(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) a Black cultural based test.The test was called Black give-and-take Test for Cultural Homogeneity formally known as hollo. His intell igence test showcased that African-American students were out performing whites by 30 to 50 points (Kambon, 1998). In relations to my acceptance to the TAG program I mat a sense of being privileged, superior, and connected to the white race in some sense. I belittled my peers who the Europeans and the test scored them as being underachievers. by dint of my actions I had continued on the European worldviews.The people see the strong that the TAG program promotes however, there are down sides and interdict characteristics of being called a Talented or Gifted child. In my early adolescence years, I was considered at times a student who could be insubordinate, disrespectful, and degraded in class. However, my actions were to challenge an question my teachers philosophy roughly Hesperian recital, colonization in Africa, slavery, and anything that focused on the Black race. flat flavour back on what transpired in high school I was nerve-wracking to discover the truth regarding my peoples.I tried to unravel the mess that the Europeans, occidental historians, philosophers, and psychologist created. Removing the projection screen folds that had been placed over my eyes through the European teachings I was stock(a) of receiving the edited, shorten, and beautified story the teachers and academic curriculum spoon-feed me every year during the one month Blacks are allowed to celebrate their history (February). I have take after to accept that knowledge is key and discovered like John Henrik Clarke that, African chronicle/ Negro History are the missing pages of World History (John Henrik Clarke, 1996).In chapter collar of Kambon books, he explains this idea of cultural reality and worldviews construct, and how ones thoughts beliefs, values and actions are not uniquely our own, distinct and separate from those of others, particularly other individuals (Kambon, 119). In at presents society we accept as true that Europeans set the standards or dictated/ guid e one to believe that their shipway of living and doing things are how things ought to be done continues white supremacy.I am now in my third year at FAMU as a nursing major interested in psychology, following siblings footsteps of tending a Historical Black University. My journey in the Black Psychology has taught me new things to the highest degree my personality and where I seminal fluid from. In my creed Oregon is a diverse and complex state. I had adopt and balance the different worldviews. From my secondary education I have come to a new found knowledge about this Black Psychology and its striving for perfection in the Black communities.I have come to understand that my people are from the Southern or African Cradle, which developed earlier the Northern or European Cradle a copy Diop (Kambon, 1998). I am from the lineage of infamous Pharaohs and Queens such as Narmar, Pharaoh and Queen who whore the red and white crown Hatshepsut (Abarry, 1996). For years information has been hidden and sheltered from my peers and I. Not only from the African descendents in Oregon, but from all of the descendents of Africa has that populated the 50 states in America.I have larn that I am a descendant of great Queens and Kings and Africans who were better, governed themselves, ran a successful economy that was developed in umpteen aspects onward the 1500s when Europeans arrived. Ancient Kemit (KMT) and the Maat which is the foundation in which the KMT people lived by (Abarry, 1996). I have grown accustomed to both Hesperian and this new psychology called Black Psychology. I am able to observe and fully understand and acknowledge the course objectives in Black Psychology because I have been in the ream of both worlds.My parents were educated and products of the early 60s where there was a large bowel movement on civil rights and black psychologist making a change for the black community. much(prenominal) as the Pan-African Cultural nationalism movement gro up who where Black Psychologist who countenance that race and culture are the foundation of African self-identity and psychological easy being (Kambon, 1998). Black psychology has made tremendous accomplishments they have challenged the ideals and ideologies of westerly Psychology. Rather than being the blinded test mice used in occidental Psychology, Black psychologist has made a mark in Psychology.There has been a humanity of Psychology geared to the Blacks. They have developed an impressive pillar journal that comes out quarterly called The Journal of Black Psychology which has been just about for about 35 years (Kambon, 1996). The members of the Association of Black Psychologist have pass many obstacles that have been presented in front of them, and will continue to do so for following years to come (Kamon, 1998). I find that my melodic theme was once held captive in a sense, before I entered college under Eurocentric teachings.I upheld the ideas of Eurocentric teaching s, yet the status quo has changed in favor for the Black Race, and my cognitive for that matter. In todays society black children are taught by a Eurocentric teaching, where there is a mis-education which manifests itself in the Eurocentric conceptual immurement (Kambon, 1998). The portrait the European psychologists painted through their views and studies of the black race, personality, noetic health, and behavioral problems have not reflected the Black people in anyway. On the contrary it has caused a separation between blacks.Those who believed in changing the psychology world for the black race have succeeded at creation its place and did not allow the standards set by Western Psychology to be the foundation for Black Psychology (Kambon, 1996). Today the blacks can see the great depth of the Eurocentric cultural incarceration that encapsulates African intellectual consciousness and scholarship. (Kambon,1998). Which has caused a developmental problem of the knowledge of the African/ black race. From the motivation of Francis Cecil Sumner, Herman G. Canady, Robert L. Williams, Marcus Gravey, Nat Turners, W.E. B Dubois, Frances Cress Welsing, and the thousands of members of the Association of Black Psychology, there is a psychology that focuses on the black community which is not outlined by the Western Psychology standards. It is up to students like me to hire the indispensable tools from courses like Black Psychology, and turn a deaf ear to the myths and misdirect information that the Western Psychology once succeeded at incarcerating. This was my experience from growing up in Portland, Oregon and making a much subscribe journey to Florida A&M University which landed me a seat in Dr.Joseph Baldwin course Black Psychology. References Abarry, S. , Asante, M. ,(1996). African intellectual Heritiage. Philadelphia, PA temple defend A Great and Might Walk. Dir. St. Claire Bourne. Perf. Wesley Snipes John Henrik Clarke. 1996. Bourne, C. Westley Snipes ( 1996) Los Angles Davenport Community School Website. (1998, Aug). Retrieved Mar. 09, 2009, from http//www. davenport. k12. ia. us/curriculum/gifted. asp Kambon, K. (1998). African/ black psychology in the American context an african- centered approach. Tallahassee, Fl Nubian Nation PublicationBlack PsychologyDivided Among two Different Views of the World But this is my Story Michelle Williams Black Psychology Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Abstract This is an autobiographical essay where I briefly analyzes and interpret significant and impactful events that has transpired over my last 20 years in my life from school to my community in Portland, Oregon. The objective of this essay is to connect concepts and the course objectives related to Black Psychology which I enrolled in at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) spring 2009 term.The outline for this essay is in a chronological age order starting from my birth in 1988 till my current experience at F AMU. The book that is mainly referenced in this essay is the Kobi K. Kambon textbook African/ Black Psychology in American Context An African Centered Approach along with Joseph Baldwins class lectures that I attended. Divided Among two Different Views of the World But this is my Story The idea that a black person is from Portland, Oregon seems to be shocking information for certain African-Americans.Once I introduce myself to new friends and professors who never traveled to Portland or were never informed that Black people live in Oregon. Many are intrigued by this information and have a quest to know more. So to answer that question, yes there are blacks who live in Oregon. I am a product of Oregon I, Michelle Williams, was born and raised in the urban community in Portland amongst other African-Americans. One may assume that I had a difficult time growing up in Oregon.Experiencing discrimination, racism, or identity crisis however, my six siblings and I never did. Although, I did not experience those types of issues, I understood that in Portland, the Black race was the minority and Europeans were the majority in the race factor. In addition, do not assume that my family lineage only lines in Oregon, on both sides of my family southern roots run deep. Therefore, southern traditions, values, morals, beliefs, and customs were inbreeded into my up brings.Without questions, I am an African-American woman from Portland, Oregon however, my geographic region does not define my blackness, nor does it determine if I am capable of experiencing hardships like my fellow peers who were raised in Southern states. In my early childhood, I resided with my maternal grandmother due to my parents abuse to their environment and the use of narcotics. However, my time spent with my grandmother was not in vein, yet filled with years of observing and learning how to uphold traditional southern values, which the modern world of psychology considers the African/ Black Worldviews.In the book, African/ Black Psychology in the American context An African- Centered Approach Kobi K. Kambon explains the difference between the African/ Black and European Worldviews. The four components that compose the worldviews are cosmology, ontology, axiology, and epistemology (Kambon, 1998) In the African/ African-American worldviews one are taught to believe in oneness/ harmony with nature, survival of the group, sameness whereas the European Worldview have the notion of survival of the fittest, competiveness, independence, and uniqueness (being different).In my middle childhood my parents redirected their life, and my mother returned to college and obtained her bachelors and masters in Psychology with a minor in Black Studies at Portland State University. While in school she begun to incorporate her findings into her parenting. Although, my mother and I were led by Eurocentric teachings, my family and our surroundings reinforced the black/African-American Worldviews in the hou sehold. I recall myself adapting to the ideologies and beliefs of those who were not within my own indigenous cultural group.Kambon defines this experience as a black child who has been influenced by Eurocentric teachings resulting in Abnormal Unnatural Circumstances. The child has accepted and identified him or herself as a member of a group that is not indigenous cultural reality (Kambon, 1998). I was able to bounce back to the normal-nature circumstances, with the help of my Black community friends, and family through our morals and beliefs. I had to stay true to my own cultural reality and not be amongst those who are cultural mis-identified.An example of how I demonstrated abnormal unnatural circumstances was when I accepted the European philosophies and allowed the whites to dictate and define what was appropriate or correct based off their standards and views on life. By this I allowed the notion that white Barbie dolls are better, rather than the Black China Doll my grandmot her purchased for Christmas one year. While in middle school, which is considered my late or pre-adolescence years, I was offered acceptance into the Talent and Gift also known as the TAG program.The TAG programs honors and congratulates students who demonstrated outstanding abilities or potentials in areas of general intellectual ability or specific ability aptitude (Davenport Community School Website). After discovering the truth in the Black Psychology course, I have come to the taste that this particular program has several flaws that discriminates against the Black race. The black students who excel above the standards set for Blacks are called Talented or Gifted. In chapter eight it stated that there was some Blacks who scored as high as Whites on Standard tests of so-called intelligence (i. research on Black gifted children) (Kambon, 1998). The foundation of the Tag program continues and supports White Supremacy. The definition the European psychologist use to define intelli gence which were examined on Caucasians only was (a) the repertoire of intellectual/cognitive skills and knowledge available to a person at any one period of time, or (b) the aggregate of global capacity of the individual to act purposely, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his/her environment (Kambon,1998).The names of a couple of exams that exemplified that one was intelligent were The Alfred Binet and the Binet Test, also known as Intelligence Quotient/ IQ, Charles Spearman with the GS Factor test, and a few others (Kambon, 1998). Robert L. Williams the second National Chairman/ President of American of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) (Kambon, 1998), developed a Black cultural specific intelligence test which demonstrated that Blacks could perform superiority to Whites on such a Black cultural based test.The test was called Black Intelligence Test for Cultural Homogeneity formally known as BITCH. His intelligence test showcased that African-American students were out p erforming whites by 30 to 50 points (Kambon, 1998). In relations to my acceptance to the TAG program I felt a sense of being privileged, superior, and connected to the white race in some sense. I belittled my peers who the Europeans and the test scored them as being underachievers. Through my actions I had continued on the European worldviews.The people see the good that the TAG program promotes however, there are down sides and negative characteristics of being called a Talented or Gifted child. In my early adolescence years, I was considered at times a student who could be insubordinate, disrespectful, and disruptive in class. However, my actions were to challenge an question my teachers philosophy about Western History, colonization in Africa, slavery, and anything that focused on the Black race. Now looking back on what transpired in high school I was trying to discover the truth regarding my peoples.I tried to unravel the mess that the Europeans, Western historians, philosopher s, and psychologist created. Removing the blind folds that had been placed over my eyes through the European teachings I was tired of receiving the edited, shorten, and beautified story the teachers and academic curriculum spoon-feed me every year during the one month Blacks are allowed to celebrate their history (February). I have come to accept that knowledge is key and discovered like John Henrik Clarke that, African History/ Negro History are the missing pages of World History (John Henrik Clarke, 1996).In chapter three of Kambon books, he explains this idea of cultural reality and worldviews construct, and how ones thoughts beliefs, values and actions are not uniquely our own, distinct and separate from those of others, particularly other individuals (Kambon, 119). In todays society we accept as true that Europeans set the standards or dictated/ guide one to believe that their ways of living and doing things are how things ought to be done continues white supremacy.I am now in my third year at FAMU as a nursing major interested in psychology, following siblings footsteps of attending a Historical Black University. My journey in the Black Psychology has taught me new things about my personality and where I come from. In my opinion Oregon is a diverse and complex state. I had adopted and balanced the different worldviews. From my secondary education I have come to a new found knowledge about this Black Psychology and its striving for perfection in the Black communities.I have come to understand that my people are from the Southern or African Cradle, which developed before the Northern or European Cradle a model Diop (Kambon, 1998). I am from the lineage of infamous Pharaohs and Queens such as Narmar, Pharaoh and Queen who whore the red and white crown Hatshepsut (Abarry, 1996). For years information has been hidden and sheltered from my peers and I. Not only from the African descendents in Oregon, but from all of the descendents of Africa has that populated the 50 states in America.I have learned that I am a descendant of great Queens and Kings and Africans who were educated, governed themselves, ran a successful economy that was developed in many aspects before the 1500s when Europeans arrived. Ancient Kemit (KMT) and the Maat which is the foundation in which the KMT people lived by (Abarry, 1996). I have grown accustomed to both Western and this new psychology called Black Psychology. I am able to observe and fully understand and acknowledge the course objectives in Black Psychology because I have been in the ream of both worlds.My parents were educated and products of the early 60s where there was a large movement on civil rights and black psychologist making a change for the black community. Such as the Pan-African Cultural nationalism movement group who where Black Psychologist who advocate that race and culture are the foundation of African self-identity and psychological well being (Kambon, 1998). Black psychology has made trem endous accomplishments they have challenged the ideals and ideologies of Western Psychology. Rather than being the blinded test mice used in Western Psychology, Black psychologist has made a mark in Psychology.There has been a creation of Psychology geared to the Blacks. They have developed an impressive editorial journal that comes out quarterly called The Journal of Black Psychology which has been around for about 35 years (Kambon, 1996). The members of the Association of Black Psychologist have overcome many obstacles that have been presented in front of them, and will continue to do so for following years to come (Kamon, 1998). I find that my mind was once held captive in a sense, before I entered college under Eurocentric teachings.I upheld the ideas of Eurocentric teachings, yet the status quo has changed in favor for the Black Race, and my cognitive for that matter. In todays society black children are taught by a Eurocentric teaching, where there is a mis-education which man ifests itself in the Eurocentric conceptual incarceration (Kambon, 1998). The portrait the European psychologists painted through their views and studies of the black race, personality, mental health, and behavioral problems have not reflected the Black people in anyway. On the contrary it has caused a separation between blacks.Those who believed in changing the psychology world for the black race have succeeded at founding its place and did not allow the standards set by Western Psychology to be the foundation for Black Psychology (Kambon, 1996). Today the blacks can see the great depth of the Eurocentric cultural incarceration that encapsulates African intellectual consciousness and scholarship. (Kambon,1998). Which has caused a developmental problem of the knowledge of the African/ black race. From the motivation of Francis Cecil Sumner, Herman G. Canady, Robert L. Williams, Marcus Gravey, Nat Turners, W.E. B Dubois, Frances Cress Welsing, and the thousands of members of the Ass ociation of Black Psychology, there is a psychology that focuses on the black community which is not defined by the Western Psychology standards. It is up to students like me to utilize the essential tools from courses like Black Psychology, and turn a deaf ear to the myths and misleading information that the Western Psychology once succeeded at incarcerating. This was my experience from growing up in Portland, Oregon and making a much need journey to Florida A&M University which landed me a seat in Dr.Joseph Baldwin course Black Psychology. References Abarry, S. , Asante, M. ,(1996). African intellectual Heritiage. Philadelphia, PA Temple Press A Great and Might Walk. Dir. St. Claire Bourne. Perf. Wesley Snipes John Henrik Clarke. 1996. Bourne, C. Westley Snipes (1996) Los Angles Davenport Community School Website. (1998, Aug). Retrieved Mar. 09, 2009, from http//www. davenport. k12. ia. us/curriculum/gifted. asp Kambon, K. (1998). African/ black psychology in the american context an african- centered approach. Tallahassee, Fl Nubian Nation Publication