PSY502 Lectures 41-42

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE THIRD WORLD

🔹 What does “Third World” mean in psychology?

Third World countries are those nations that:

Gained independence after World War II

Were previously colonies of European or American powers

Examples:

Pakistan, India

Most of Africa

Vietnam, Indonesia

China (the largest)

Important clarification:

“Third World” does NOT mean poor or inferior. It is a historical and political term, referring to colonial history, not intelligence or potential.

🧠 Why does psychology matter here?

Psychologists began asking an important question after World War II: ❓ Does being colonized change the way people think, feel, and see themselves?

This question gave rise to Third World Psychology and Post-Colonial Psychology.

👤 FRANTZ FANON (1925–1961)

Who was Fanon?

A psychiatrist (doctor of mental illness)

A psychologist · A revolutionary thinker · A post-colonial theorist · Background:

Born in Martinique (a French colony) Educated in France Worked as a psychiatrist in Algeria (a French colony in North Africa, not South America – note: the text has a geographical error)

📘 Fanon’s Famous Books · 1️⃣ Black Skin, White Masks (1952) · Focus: Psychological effects of racism

Subtitle: “An Essay for the Disalienation of Blacks”

🔑 Disalienation

👉 Removing feelings of inferiority and self-hatred caused by oppression

2️⃣ The Wretched of the Earth (1961)

Focus: Psychology of colonization and revolution

Explains how colonial rule damages mental health

🧠 Fanon’s Core Psychological Idea · Colonization creates TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE · 1️⃣ The Colonizer

The oppressor Sees himself as: Superior Civilized Intelligent Imposes: His language His culture His values

2️⃣ The Colonized

The oppressed Becomes: Meek (quiet, submissive) Obedient Psychologically dependent Starts believing: “We are backward” “Their ways are better”

🔹 Psychological Term: Psyche

Psyche = the human mind, including: Thoughts Emotions Identity