Understanding Essentialism As Fundamental: The Centered African Perspective on the Nature of Prototypical Human Nature: Cosmological Ka (Spirit) (Report‪)‬

Psychology has been described as a truly Western enterprise (Murphy and Kovach, 1972). Western psychology, in turn, has been accused of attending only to its own view myopically (Azibo, 2006a) suggesting an academic narcissism (Hilliard, 1991). This "eliminate[s] from consideration avenues of knowing not necessarily consistent with [the West's]" (Finch, 1998, 261). Western philosophy has been criticized similarly (Ani, 1994; Asante, 1987; Caruthers, 1995; Diop, 1991; Karenga, 1984; Keita, 1993; Kudadjie, 1997; Osei, 1970). Regarding the nature of human nature (NOHN) subject, centered African perspectives seem to be almost nonexistent in Western-based periodicals and even more so in textbooks. It is not sufficient for multicultural competence to approach and write about African descent people with sensitivity with only Western models of what it is to be human. It is also not the best practice to engage studying Caucasian living without something of a non-Western knowledge base, especially where the NOHN is a central concern. Paradoxically, culture-focusing would seem requisite for multi-cultural competence in today's global village. This seems to be the case in psychology (Azibo, 2003), especially post-modern (Benjafield, 1996, chap. 15) and critical (Fox and Prilleltensky, 1997) psychology.