Abstract
Orthodox psychological theories had made efforts in explaining the process of child development. However, these theories view child development through Western lenses and as such, child development in the African context is often neglected. Furthermore, few theories acknowledge the importance of culture in shaping and molding a child throughout their development. Such an uneven analysis can partly be explained by the existing duality of psychology and power which accompany Western and African knowledge. Through the use of an integrative literature review methodology, this study aims to review, analyse and critique existing dominant western theories of human development. This investigation is carried out through the descriptive and critical lenses of a theoretical framework that cross-fertilises critical psychology and the decolonial theory. This thesis is underpinned by four interlinked objectives. The first objectives is to review, analyse and critique existing dominant western theories of human development. The second objective is to investigate current western development theories' suitability in an African context. Lastly, this study seeks to examine the similarities and differences between dominant Western theories and the few existing African developmental theories. Consequently, this study provides the analytical and evaluative frameworks on the basis on which a robust assessment of the issue is carried out. From the review, the findings revealed that there exists a large body of knowledge pertaining to child development; however, it was also apparent that this body of knowledge is outdated and Euro-centric in nature. The collectivistic and interdependent worldview of Africans shapes the way in which the African child develops which is contrary to the Western Worldview. Consequently, the imbalance of existing knowledge of child development results in generalisations being made pertaining non-Western child development.
M.A. (Clinical Psychology)