Abstract
How people of a culture conceive of human nature is informed by the worldview of that culture. Within each culture are knowledge systems regarding human nature including how humans respond to their environment and to diseases and restoring health. The chapter describes African cultural worldview, with its two most important aspects of Collectivism and Spiritualism as these relate to human nature. From Africa perspectives, human nature is socially constructed, the self is considered as a product emerging from relational experiences. Health is also socially constructed and considered multidimensional incorporating physical, social, psychological, spiritual, career and familial aspects of life. Healthcare delivery is holistic involving biomedical and psycho-social treatments. The chapter concludes with drawing parallels between African traditional healing practices and existential counselling intervention.
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Bojuwoye, O., Moletsane-Kekae, M. (2018). African Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Healing Traditions. In: Fernando, S., Moodley, R. (eds) Global Psychologies. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95816-0_5
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