19th Annual Peace, Safety and Human Rights Memorial Lecture

Psychology disrupted by a social justice call for psychologists to promote agency and empowerment of disadvantaged and vulnerable people

The aim of this paper is to argue the disruption of psychology from a Western and Eurocentric viewpoint to a psychology that addresses the needs and aspirations of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. From a social justice perspective psychology cannot be business as usual preparing psychologists to think only about lucrative private practices. This negatively impacts on the role of psychologists to contribute to the agency and empowerment of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Building on this premise I begin with a global conceptualisation of social justice and then zoom into the nature of social justice in South Africa. This is followed by an exploration of social justice within the discipline of psychology and how it would apply to the contexts of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Then attention is drawn to a specific psychology category demonstrating systemic challenges that inhibit social justice practices in South Africa. Next, I discuss core psychology principles that must be embedded in the preparation of psychologists to make them advocates of social justice to empower disadvantaged and vulnerable people in local communities contributing to a better society. The paper encourages psychologists to think globally and act locally in addressing common problems across the globe.

Prof Jace Pillay

Prof Jace Pillay is a registered educational and counselling psychologist and the South African Research Chair in Education and Care in Childhood in the Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg. In February 2024 he was appointed a UNESCO Chair in Mental Health and Psychological Support for Teachers and Learners in SA. His previous positions at UJ were the Head of the Department of Educational Psychology and Vice Dean in the Faculty of Education. Currently, he heads a research team focusing on the mental health of learners and teachers as well as psychosocial support in schools.  As an academic he has published more than 100 journal articles, book chapters and conference proceedings both nationally and internationally. Also, he has supervised numerous postgraduate students and Postdoctoral Research Fellows. Prof Pillay is a keynote and invited speaker in numerous international conferences and has several international research collaborations. In addition to his academic stature, he serves on the Professional Board for Psychology. Also, he serves on the National Steering Committee for Care and Support for Teaching and Learning and chairs the CETA Programme for the Department of Education.