Afrikaanse opvattingen over psychopathologie
Abstract
African ideas about psychopathology — It is difficult to imagine anything more precious than good health. People, all over the world, have always been concerned about their state of health. The relationship between behaviour and state of health, studied from an anthropological point of view, forms the basis of this article. The ignorance of western trained medical doctors exists alongside an awareness that traditional medicine continues to appeal to people. Instead of being motivated by this awareness to study the traditional therapeutic function and other medical techniques used by African healers, most western students prefer to resort to non-medical explanations for the survival of traditional medicine. They speak of its tenacity as if they were speaking of a deep-rooted evil and ascribe its survival to psychological, religious or „superstitious” mental conditions of the African patient and the people surrounding him. As long as African ways of practising medicine have not been studied seriously, any judgement on them, whether positive or negative, will be unfounded.
How to Cite:
Wymeersch, P., (1982) “Afrikaanse opvattingen over psychopathologie”, Tijdschrift voor Sociale Wetenschappen 27(2), 128–152. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tvsw.94818
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