Abstract
Chapter 12 offers a four-factor theory of psychopathology intended to extend the limited model for understanding the basis for psychological disturbances in human beings propagated in the Eurocentric paradigm of mental illness. The chapter problematizes the prevailing BioPsychoSocial (BPS) theory of psychopathology that forms the canon for understanding mental illness and treatment within Western psychological literature, and demonstrates that in contrast to the Eurocentric paradigm of mental illness, the Africentric paradigm which proposes the BioPsychoSocial-Spiritual (BPS-S) theory of mental illness traces causality for misfortune beyond the visible world. This follows from the assumption in African culture and worldview that the visible and the invisible worlds are highly interconnected and do influence one another. The ultimate goal of the chapter is to enable clinicians in Africa and the global world to recognize the strength and limits of Western psychology, particularly when working with Black African clients with difficult illness presentations.
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