Caribbean Psychology: Indigenous Contributions to a Global Discipline

The Caribbean is a vast region where members of diverse ethnic groups speak many different languages and have ancestral ties to various continents. This cultural diversity results in an array of unique psychological needs. However, these groups all share a common history of colonialism, slavery, and indentured servitude that continues to impact them to this day. Thus, researchers, practitioners, and organizations must collaborate to create a unified Caribbean psychology that meets both the shared and disparate needs of those who live in the region and in the diaspora.

This book brings together scholars from diverse fields, many of whom come from Caribbean backgrounds. Divided into five sections, the book begins with an overview of psychology in the Caribbean, arguing that psychology is biased towards the Euro-American perspective. Thus, it examines the conceptual bases for an indigenous approach to Caribbean psychology as part of a more globalized discipline.

Each subsequent section focuses on a particular field of study: Developmental psychology, health and community psychology, social psychology, and clinical psychology. Chapters within these sections cover a range of topics that will benefit not only researchers and practitioners who focus on Caribbean-specific issues, but also those who seek a more international approach to psychology.

Jaipaul L. Roopnarine, PhD, received his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin. He is Jack Reilly Professor of Child and Family Studies at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. He has taught at several universities in the United States and internationally and has conducted observational and survey studies around the world on father involvement and childhood development in India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Brazil, the United States, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Thailand.

Dr. Roopnarine was a consultant to the Roving Caregiver Program implemented in several Caribbean countries and assisted in revising the Guyanese national early childhood curriculum. He was Fulbright scholar to The University of the West Indies, was awarded a Distinguished Visiting Nehru Chair at M. S. Baroda University, Gujarat, India, is the editor of the journal Fathering, and has published extensively in the areas of family relationships, childhood development, and early childhood education across cultures.

His recent volumes include International Perspectives on Children’s Play (with Patte, Johnson, and Kuschner) and Fathers Across Cultures: The Importance, Roles, and Diverse Practices of Dads.

Derek Chadee, PhD, received his doctorate from the Department of Behavioural Sciences, The University of the West Indies (UWI). He is a professor of social psychology in the Department of Behavioural Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. He is also director of the ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre at UWI.

Dr. Chadee has edited several volumes, including Theories in Social Psychology and Social Psychological Dynamics (with Aleksandra Kostic). He has written several articles on the social psychology of fear of crime trying to bridge criminological issues with social psychological theories. His current research interests are fear of crime, HIV/AIDS stigmatization, and antecedents of emotions.

Dr. Chadee was a Fulbright scholar at Hunter College, City University of New York, and the University of Central Florida in Orlando.