Facilitating the Transition to Democratic Living in South Africa

Abstract

South Africa is experiencing a process of political and social transformation unprecedented in its history. Underpinning this process is the tension inherent in grappling with radically different definitions of reality, not least of which is the formulation of democratic principles for a new constitutional framework in South Africa. Given the legacy of apartheid and its concomitant damage to the fabric of South African society, the position of mental health workers and educationalists is central to this transformation. Based upon the contention that the creation of a functional democratic society must be embedded in the development of democratic values and attitudes, this paper, through refiectingupon a workshop on democratic living, raises some thoughts and issues pertaining to the role of the educational psychologist in facilitating the transition to democratic living in South Africa. (A 30-minute videotape was produced and is available for purchase.)

The Educational Psychologist and School Organization Development in the Reconstruction of Education in South Africa: Issues and Challenges

“…Brownell, de Jager and Madlala (1987) challenge psychological service delivery in South Africa to take cognisance of the holistic nature of the African worldview and assert, as do Donald and Hlongwane (1989), that the integration of traditional African healing and Western healing approaches is a way of optimizing the service. De Jong and van der Hoorn (1993) emphasize the systemic nature of the transformative potential of educational psychology in facilitating democracy in South Africa. The need for a more contextually relevant and systemically sensitive approach to the practice of educational psychology is raised by Engelbrecht (1994) and Sharratt (1994), and van der Hoorn (1994) argues for locating educational psychology firmly within an ecosystemic worldview.…”