Half-Connecting Theory: Developing African Psychology Theory in a “Radical Beginnings” Direction

Abstract

In existential philosophy, “radical beginnings” refer to the task of uncovering the earliest, constitutive moments of a phenomenon’s existence. In this article, the author extends African psychology toward a radical beginnings direction by using the theory of half-connecting (HCT) to trace the origins of the African and European worldviews to the earliest stages of human development, particularly to the unconscious and physical bodies of people. The differences and tensions between the worldviews are considered traceable to their original and intimate relationship. Also African and European worldviews do not operate only in obvious instances involving race and racism but in everything humans create, including in the technologies and infrastructures in the background of everyday life. Finally, the author discusses how HCT can help therapists expand their understanding of the sources of mental and behavioral distress, which may incite new, creative thinking about how disorders are treated.