Paper short abstract:

Indigenous knowledge systems are absent from Ghanaian psychology. Witchcraft, rooted in indigenous psychology and heavily influenced by spirituality, disproportionately victimizes women. A human rights-based theoretical framework for indigenizing Ghanaian psychology will be introduced.

Paper long abstract:

Psychology's relevance is predicated on how solidly it is rooted in the cultural philosophies of the people it is intended to serve. Westernized Ghanaian psychology has failed to incorporate indigenous folk and philosophical psychologies into explanations of psychological phenomena (Oppong, 2016), and lack the integration of culturally specific philosophical influences on the causes of behavior and the overall human experience. In its denial of ethnoepistemological explanations (Yankah, 2012), indigenous cultural contextual factors are mostly absent from modern psychological models. Ghanaians possess resilient respect for traditional religious beliefs regarding ancestors, animistic spirits, and other supernatural forces. Religion scaffolds the entire indigenous social fabric and all aspects of mental and physical well-being (Adinkrah, 2011), with little distinction between spiritual and public spheres. In indigenous Ghanaian knowledge systems, spirituality is of ultimate relevance to the being; and is perhaps the pivotal point of human existence (Sarfo, 2010).

Witchcraft, a commonly held belief in Ghana, has roots in the indigenous concept of personality, which is deeply tied to spirituality (Onyinah, 2019). Further, witchcraft is inextricably linked to the psychological reactions of those suffering from ill health, misfortune, and an inability to control personal or collective destinies (Field, 1937). Accusations of witchcraft disproportionally affect women and have resulted in significant violence, gender discrimination, and human rights violations, including torture (Onyinah, 2009). Indigenizing Ghanaian psychology could help develop theories and models for understanding witchcraft victimization in culturally appropriate psychological constructs. A human rights-based theoretical framework for indigenizing Ghanaian psychology will be introduced in this paper.