Environment and Social Psychology

An Afrocentric Perspective on Social Environment and Psychosocial Well-being

Dipela Mmaphuti Percy

University of South Africa, Department of Social Work, 0003, South Africa

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v11i3.4595

Keywords: Afrocentric, Psychology, Well-being, Environment, psychosocial, ubuntu

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Abstract

Psychosocial well-being is an important construct in environmental and social psychology; however, dominant constructions are primarily rooted in Western, individualistic approaches that fail to capture the complexity of culturally situated experiences of well-being in Africa. This article seeks to reconceptualise the social environment as a relational, cultural, spiritual, and historical context that shapes psychosocial well-being through an Afrocentric lens. The research is informed by an Afrocentric theory, African-centered psychology, and person-environment approaches. The research design is qualitative and conceptual, and it involves a reflexive thematic analysis of interdisciplinary literature from environmental psychology, social psychology, social work, and African studies. The research findings reveal that psychosocial well-being is constructed as a collective concept, significantly influenced by communal relationships, cultural and spiritual practices, Ubuntu as a moral guide, and the structural legacies of colonialism and socio-economic inequality. The research contributes to theory by extending the person-environment approach through the lens of Afrocentric epistemologies. The research also contributes to practice by offering insights useful to social work and advancing an inclusive understanding of psychosocial well-being through an Afrocentric lens centered on African worldviews.

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