Psychology’s role in advancing the spirit of Freedom Day

By: Professor Anthony Pillay, PsySSA Past President

It is 31 years since the dawn of democracy in South Africa and also since the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA) was established as the first democratic body representing the discipline. In fact, the year 1994 heralded freedom for both the nation and organised psychology. Both represented historic, once-in-a-lifetime events with the common goal of enhancing the wellbeing of the nation, and enabling every person to have a better life, without favour of one over another.

Psychology in South Africa has evolved greatly over the three decades but, like democratic South Africa, there is still work to be done. From its inception, PsySSA aimed to, not only right the wrongs of the past, but actively stand up for social justice, and courageously speak out against human rights abuses, regardless of whether the perpetrators are sitting governments or other organisations and individuals. In this respect, we have raised our concerns regarding various social, health and rights-based issues, without fear or favour. For example, even before the Life Esidimeni tragedy unfolded, PsySSA raised its concern with the Gauteng provincial health authorities about their discharge plans. In another example, the Society made clear its disgust at the United States’ psychologists’ involvement in the torture of detainees at Guantanamo Bay and the American Psychological Association’s handling of those atrocities. In yet another matter, the Society responded correctively, in 2018, to the racist denial of membership to Professor Josephine Naidoo, by the apartheid-era psychological association, by bestowing on her its highest honour – the PsySSA Fellowship. As South Africa’s first democratically elected representative body of psychology professionals, we value the gains of democracy and strive to uphold those principles in all contexts and interactions.

As organised psychology, PsySSA has focused on building inclusivity and worked towards proactively developing and contributing to policies and guidelines for practitioners in areas that were previously ignored. Advocating for marginalised and vulnerable members of society has been at the forefront of its work. In this respect the Society achieved greater success than any of its predecessors, and has been a trailblazer, even setting agendas that other national psychology societies have followed, in the interest of social justice.

In the years ahead, psychology needs to continue this important work, for its members and the communities that we serve. Among the priorities is the major area of advocacy. This includes promoting the discipline, while championing the rights of those with mental health problems as well as those who have been marginalised for various social reasons. The numerous training programmes, workshops, webinars and conferences organised by the Society bear testimony to its commitment to skills development and strengthening the competencies of our practitioners and researchers to deliver high quality services. Our nation still has healing to be done, and psychology’s role in this process is critical.

In celebrating Freedom Day, PsySSA aligns itself with the pursuits and ideals of equity, education and social upliftment to ensure that the nation, and especially historically disadvantaged communities, can thrive and reap the benefits of the struggle for freedom and democracy.