Optimal Theory’s Contributions to Understanding and Surmounting Global Challenges to Humanity

Abstract

In this article, we discuss challenges to and the triumphs of the production of psychological knowledge pertinent to human health and sustainable well-being, particularly as it relates to persons acknowledging African ancestry in hostile sociohistorical contexts. Primary attention will be paid to the advancement of the theory of optimal psychology, also known as optimal conceptual theory (OCT), a theory of human development culturally grounded in the wisdom tradition of African deep thought, identifiable from ancient civilization to contemporary times. The intention is to accomplish four aims: (a) present an overview based on one theoretical framework and practice of progress achieved in fulfillment of the Association of Black Psychologists mission, (b) provide an example of great successes employing OCT and belief systems analysis in a clinical practice for over 20 years, (c) share a small sampling of areas in the psychological and broader literature illustrating how OCT has been utilized, and (d) highlight areas of advancement in OCT and its expansion in the understanding of human functioning and development.

Community Healing and Resistance Through Storytelling: A Framework to Address Racial Trauma in Africana Communities

“…Both family and community-oriented scholarship that focus on racial trauma recognize not only the importance of personal healing strategies but also advocate for collective healing processes (Anderson et al, 2018; Chavez-Dueñas et al, 2019; French et al, 2019). Taking community-oriented scholarship a step further, we recommend partnering with communities in ways that focus on community strengths and address community challenges to restore a healthy balance within persons and among individuals (Grills et al, 2018; Myers et al, 2018; Somé, 1993). Thus, we propose a culturally syntonic community healing framework pertaining to racial trauma that highlights justice-informed outcomes demonstrated in psychology and health literatures.…”

Introduction: Building for Eternity

“…Cokley and Garba (2018) suggest that African psychology should be accorded the status of a discipline and delineate the four criteria, which a discipline exhibits, all of which, they contend, are met by the proponents of African/ Black psychology. Myers, Anderson, Lodge, Speight, and Queener (2018) examine an Africentric perspective through the optimal conceptual theory (Myers, 1993), also grounded in African-centered principles and concepts. These authors opt for a focus on deep cultural and ancestral wisdom as shared and expressed in a variety of cultures, where African cultures are highlighted as optimal, in contrast to the suboptimal worldview on which Western, Eurocentric psychology is based.…”

“…These authors opt for a focus on deep cultural and ancestral wisdom as shared and expressed in a variety of cultures, where African cultures are highlighted as optimal, in contrast to the suboptimal worldview on which Western, Eurocentric psychology is based. Bringing culture and worldview to bear on the intersectionalities of race, gender, and class, Myers et al (2018) offer a path to the manifestation of our purpose and the divinity within us. Grills et al (2018) discuss the merits of Pan-African psychology, an emerging domain within African psychology.…”

“…Much more success has been experienced by those who have applied African-centered thinking to the development and implementation of interventions with less dependence on mainstream funding and support, such as the Community Healing Network's collaboration with the ABPsi in the development of Emotional Emancipation Circles SM . The work of Linda James Myers et al (2018) highlights the institutionalization and application of the Belief Systems Analysis through the establishment of a community mental health center, Minority Behavioral Health Group. This application exemplifies the importance of creating our own autonomous institutions, much like what ABPsi undertook with the formation of the association.…”

“…Cokley and Garba (2018) urge the next generation of Black psychologists to continue the legacy of African-centered research, theory development, and practice in order to advance the discipline. From the work of Myers et al (2018), we gain one prolific example of a theory that has demonstrated its value in the area of both research and practice. Woodyard and Gadson (2018), remind us that without our students and youth, there is no future for ABPsi or the discipline of African/ Black psychology.…”