Don advocates indigenous methodologies for psychological challenges

A call has been made to all researchers, especially psychologists, policymakers and all change agents in Nigeria and the world over to fix the existing gap between the expected outcome and the output regarding the quality of health, security of lives and property as well as the overall psychological well-being of the people.

A don from the Department of Psychology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Ibadan, Professor Grace Adejuwon made this call while delivering the 494th inaugural lecture of the university and the sixth of its kind from the department entitled “Where Art Thou?”

She said the call was necessary at this time to tackle the challenges that are threatening the quality of health and well-being of humans.

According to her, such challenges have equally attracted global attention as they have become increasingly overwhelming, particularly to people in their adulthood stage of development.

Professor Adejuwon noted that  urbanisation, technological advancement, work-related challenges, family-work challenges; marital, insecurity, parenting and environmental issues to mention but  a few have threatened the continued existence of the human race, adding that “hence these issues caught my attention for investigation.

To effectively tackle some of these challenges, while making an inference from the scripture in Genesis Chapter 3, verses 8-9 where God asked Adam and Eve the question: ‘where art thou?, she said developmental psychologists are trained to effectively answer the question, ‘where art thou?’  in human developmental issues from conception, infancy, early childhood, middle and late childhood, early, middle and late adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood to old age.

“Developmental psychologists have been ‘called out’ and equipped with the necessary tools and skills to ensure that mankind bounces back from the myriads of challenges confronting the human race today. No wonder, developmental psychologists in Europe, Canada and the United States are actively engaged in the provision of health services in clinics and hospitals,” she said.

She stated also that Nigerians, and indeed African researchers, needed to look inward, saying “Africans have their own cultures, values and traditions which have been passed from generation to generation. However, for decades of research, we have utilised borrowed robes of the Western world which at best have resulted in complicating our indigenous problems and we have gone round in circles for too long.”

To improve the psychological health and well-being at the individual, community, state and national levels, she therefore recommended the use of indigenous participatory research methodologies in which “the participants are included from the beginning; such that they identify their problems, air their views, improve their understanding, make good decisions, and own and utilise the research.”

“These could contribute in no small measure to cognitive restructuring and enhance behavioural change at the individual, community, society and national levels. The outcome of such research has the potential to bring more political, social and economic benefits to the people as well as to the community, society and nation at large,” Adejuwon said.

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