Azibo Nosology

The Azibo Nosology, originally created by Daudi Ajani ya Azibo in 1989, is a psychological diagnostic tool for African Descent People (ADP). The Nosology emerged in response to perpetual misdiagnosis and over-diagnosis of ADPs in Western society based on the DSM. Through the DSM, ADPs are often diagnosed as having more severe and antisocial symptoms and disorders. Like the DSM, the Azibo Nosology is an organized system for diagnosing disorders and pathologies. It differs from the DSM by centering around an Afrocentric definition of mental health instead of relying on Western perspective and instrumentation to diagnose people of different cultures. The Nosology defines Afrocentric mental health as psychological and behavioral functioning that aligns with African life and culture.

The Azibo Nosology has three tenets. The first is to take the perspective of ADPs in making diagnoses; the second is to assume that personality has a biogenetic basis; and the third is to recognize that everything has a natural order. The Azibo Nosology I was published in 1989 and contained 18 culturally-based disorders. In 2015, an updated version, the Azibo Nosology II, was released and contains diagnostic criteria for 55 disorders.

Daudi Ajani ya Azibo

Daudi Ajani ya Azibo is the main author of the Azibo Nosology and the Azibo Nosology II. As an undergraduate student at Rider University, he pursued research investigating college drop out rates of ADPs. This study motivated him to study psychology. He continued to earn his doctoral degree from Washington University in St. Louis where he was first introduced to an African-centered perspective. In graduate school his work centered upon African-centered personality theory, which eventually inspired him to publish the first Azibo Nosology in 1989.

Since 1987, Daudi Ajani ya Azibo has taught psychology and Africana Studies at colleges and universities across the United States.

History

Misdiagnosis of African Descent Peoples

ADPs have often been misdiagnosed or harmfully diagnosed throughout the history of Eurocentric psychology. Dating back to slavery, ADPs were often diagnosed with dysaesthesia aethiopica if they resisted slavery and with drapetomania if they tried to escape. This racism, disguised as diagnosis, has persisted into the 20th and 21st centuries. ADPs are disproportionately diagnosed with more severe symptoms and disorders, often leading to worse outcomes. For example, more Black children are diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder, a stigmatized disorder associated with dangerous children, while more White children are diagnosed with attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder, even though neither disorder has a difference in prevalence between racial groups. Perpetual misdiagnosis often leads to ADPs underutilizing mental health treatment services or ending mental health treatment prematurely.

Daudi Ajani ya Azibo attributes the perpetual misdiagnosis of ADP to cross-cultural psychological approaches, like the DSM, that assume Eurocentric culture as the norm. Instead of a cross-cultural approach based on Eurocentric standards, Azibo proposed an African-centered diagnostic tool based on African-centered psychological theories, instruments, and data collection. This resulted in the first Azibo Nosology, a resource used to classify different cultural manifestations of mental disorders.

Founding Assumptions

The Azibo Nosology was developed based on the following assumptions:

1. The nature of the relationship between personality order and disorder
2. The utter criticality of the self in personality or mental order and disorder
3. The reality that values are fundamentally inherent in the diagnostic process

Classification of Disorders

Azibo Nosology I

The Azibo Nosology I, released in 1989, contains 18 Afrocentric culture-focused disorders. The culture-focused disorders are posited against Correct Orientation, which Azibo describes as a complete African personality. This means that an ADP's psychological components are congruent with its African origins. Azibo defines Correct Orientation as both genetic and psychological Blackness. Deviation from Correct Orientation results in a culture-focused diagnosis. The main diagnostic categories are: peripheral disorders, misorientation disorders, mentacide disorders, and other Black personality disorders.

Peripheral Personality Disorders

According to Azibo, peripheral disorders are individual personality differences that are non-racial, like shyness or assertiveness. It is possible for an ADP to experience a peripheral disorder and still be correctly oriented with their African origins.

• Nonracially Biogenetic Disorders - personality characteristics or behavior patterns that might present general issues.
• Neurotic States
• Disoriented States

Psychological Misorientation

According to Azibo, psychological misorientation is a term that encompasses disorders wherein ADPs operate without an Afrocentric belief system. It is genetic Blackness minus psychological Blackness.

• Negromachy - low levels of self-worth due to belief in Eurocentric stereotypes about ADPs and reliance on Eurocentric standards to measure success.
• Alien and anti-self disorders - when an ADP rejects the African part of their identity or is hostile towards African culture and actively favors Eurocentric cultures and identities.

Mentacide

According to Azibo, mentacide is the destruction of an ADP's mind, replacing it instead with either a Eurocentric orientation or a hatred of all things African. Azibo believes that mentacide is the most destructive psychological weapon.

• Alienating Mentacide - instilling a Eurocentric orientation and allegiance to White people in the mind of an ADP.
• Peripheral Mentacide - instilling a disparagement of Afrocentrism in the mind of an ADP.

Other Black Personality Disorders

In order to be diagnosed with one of the following Black Personality Disorders, an ADP must already meet criteria for Misorientation. Psychological Misorientation, either independent or in combination with Mentacide and Peripheral Disorders, is a diagnostic criteria for these disorders.

• Materialistic Depression - when money and material possessions determine an ADP's self worth.
• Organic Disorders - disorders that are often thought to have biogenetic causes, but are actually rooted in psychosocial circumstances where ADPs have moved away from Afrocentric customs in favor of more Eurocentric lifestyles.
• Personal Identity Conflict
  • Individualism - when ADPs prioritize individual interests over collective interests, a practice that strays from African communal values.
  • Sexual Misorientation - the practice of homosexuality. Azibo believes that every homosexual ADP should be treated with compassion, but that homosexuality does not align with African ethos.
  • WEUSI Anxiety - when an ADP has any amount of anxiety about their African identity.
• Reactionary Disorders
  • Psychological Brainwashing - when an ADP's African identity has been replaced with a Eurocentric belief system.
  • Burn out - when struggling for own-race maintenance in a Eurocentric society results in strong fatigue.
  • Oppression Violence Reaction - when White supremacy and racism motivate ADPs to commit unmeditated violent acts.
• Self-destructive Disorders - lifestyles and behaviors that weaken Afrocentric community ethos.
• Theological Misorientation - the practice of a theology that is incongruous with African traditions or ethos.
  • Jonestown Syndrome - the cognitive representation of God as a White male.
  • Theological Alienation - when an ADP rejects the Black Church and Afrocentric traditions, resulting in the rejection of theological doctrine.

Azibo Nosology II

The Azibo Nosology II, released in 2015, is an updated version of the Azibo Nosology I and contains 55 disorders deriving from theory about the African personality construct.

Psychological Misorientation

Similar to the Azibo Nosology I, psychological misorientation functions as a diagnostic criteria for every disorder in the Nosology. An ADP must meet criteria for misorientation in order to be diagnosed with other disorders. Four disorders are specifically categorized as different types of psychological misorientation.

• Alien Self Disorder - when an ADP rejects the African part of their identity.
• Anti-Self Disorder - when an ADP is hostile towards African culture and actively favors Eurocentric cultures and identities.
• Negativists Pejorativists Profile - diagnosis based on low levels of self esteem and fear of success, among other symptoms, due to the disparagement of ADPs in Eurocentric cultures.
• Negromachy - low levels of self-worth due to belief in Eurocentric stereotypes about ADPs and reliance on Eurocentric standards to measure success.

Mentacide

Five disorders are categorized as different types of mentacide.

• Dependency Deprivation - deprivation of emotional and physical needs, starting in infancy and continuing through adolescence.
• Eurasian Supremacy Stress - psychological distress and impairment that occurs in ADPs as a consequence of the dominance of Eurocentric culture and civilization.
• Racial Encounter Distress Disorder - stress resulting from a race-salient encounter, often with a White person, either spontaneous or planned.
• Mentacidal falling out/blacking out disorder - fainting due to untreated stress related to White supremacy.

• Nepenthe Defense Mechanism Disorder - a defense mechanism in ADPs; a disorder in which ADPs forget pain or sorrow in order to cope with White supremacy.

Remaining Disorders

Although misorientation still serves as a diagnostic criteria for the following disorders, they are not specifically categorized as types of misorientation or mentacide.

• Materialistic Depression - when money and material possessions determine an ADP's self worth.
• Mammy-ism - when an ADP makes great sacrifices (sometimes even their own life) in order to help a White person, family, or business.

• Psychological Dissemblance - a defeatist response to Eurocentric hegemony in which an ADP conceals their African identity.

• Shifting and the Sisterella Complex - Shifting is when an African woman attempts to adopt a Eurocentric voice, style, and pose while among White people, and then shifts back to her original mannerisms while in the presence of other ADPs. This often leads to the Sisterella Complex in which African women direct their anger inward instead of outward at Eurocentric hegemony.
• Personal Identity Conflict - in the Azibo Nosology II, four disorders are categorized as types of Personal Identity Conflict.
  • WEUSI anxiety - when an ADP has any amount of anxiety about their African identity.
  • Individualism - when ADPs prioritize individual interests over collective interests, a practice that strays from African communal values.
  • Hair Misorientation - conscious or unconscious fear or anxiety about embracing African identity through hair expression.
  • Sexual misorientation - the practice of homosexuality. Azibo believes that every homosexual ADP should be treated with compassion, but that homosexuality does not align with African ethos.
• Organic Disorders - disorders that are often thought to have biogenetic causes, but are actually rooted in psychosocial circumstances where ADPs have moved away from Afrocentric customs in favor of more Eurocentric lifestyles.
• Reactionary Disorders - four disorders are categorized as types of Reactionary Disorders.
  • Psychological brainwashing - when an ADP's African identity has been replaced with a Eurocentric belief system.
  • Psychological burnout - when struggling for own-race maintenance in a Eurocentric society results in strong fatigue.
  • Oppression violence reactions - when White supremacy and racism motivate ADPs to commit unmeditated violent acts.
  • Black rage disorder - when White supremacy and racism motivates ADPs to commit premeditated violent acts.
• Self-destructive disorders - Self-destructive disorders are broken into Type I and Type II disorders.
  • Type I Destructive Disorders - ADPs respond to Eurocentric oppression by destroying their connection to reality. There are eight examples of Type I Destructive Disorders.
    • Nihilated African identities disorder - belief that ADPs lives are worthless, especially in comparison to White people's lives. This belief is rooted in perpetual Eurocentric hegemony and oppression.
    • Marijuana: Mentacidal Psychological Dependence Disorder - when ADPs depend on marijuana use as a coping mechanism to deal with White supremacy and oppression.
    • Refusal to Procreate Disorder - when an African couple consciously chooses not to have children. Inclusion of this disorder is rooted in fear about the genocide of ADPs. Azibo believes that ADPs with Refusal to Procreate Disorder can still be pro-African, but this disorder demonstrates the pervasiveness of Eurocentric domination.
    • Abortion as a Lifestyle Choice Disorder - when an ADP chooses to have an abortion for non-medical reasons. Similar to Refusal to Procreate Disorder, Azibo believes Abortion as a Lifestyle Choice Disorder slows ADP's reproductive rates and enables Eurocentric hegemony.
    • Lying Psychological Misorientation Disorder - misrepresenting the truth about any topic or issue.
    • Vulgar Speech Disorder - regular use of profanities in written, verbal, or non-verbal language.
    • Sexist Personality Disorder - negative attitude toward another person based on their gender or based on perceptions of gender stereotypes. This disorder applies to both males and females.
    • African High-Tech Lynching - serious consideration of suicide by an ADP. Azibo believes that the Eurocentric social dynamics and oppression that motivate ADP suicides today are continuations of lynchings.
  • Type II Destructive Disorders - ADPs disconnect from their African identity and attempt to become a different race/ethnicity. There are six Type II Destructive Disorders.
    • Bi-Racial and Multi-Racial Identity Disorder - a bi-racial ADP who does not identify with their African culture.
    • Colorism - placing more value on ADPs who have phenotypical characteristics (nose, skin tone, hair texture, etc.) that resemble White people.
    • Skin Bleaching and Skin Lightening Behavior (SBSLB) Disorder - serious consideration by an ADP about lightening their skin tone.
    • Desire to be Other Disorder - strong motivation to appear White or to blend in with Eurocentric beauty standards.
    • Passing for White Disorder - when an ADP who is aware of their African descent intentionally pretends to be or pass as White.
    • Eurasian Fever Disorder - a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder in which an ADP constantly thinks about pursuing a romantic or sexual relationship with a White or non-African person.
    • Amalgamation/Outmarriage Disorder - when an ADP marries a non-African person so that their children and grandchildren continually appear less and less Black in order to achieve a less distinct racial population.
• Stage 5 Regression Disorder - a regression in the stages of African personality construct.
• Theological Misorientation - five disorders are categorized as types of Theological Misorientation.
  • Jonestown Syndrome - the cognitive representation of God as a White male.
  • Theological Alienation - when an ADP rejects the Black Church and Afrocentric traditions, resulting in the rejection of theological doctrine.
  • Centering on "Christ" Misorientation - when ADPs rationalize refusing to participate in Afrocentric theology by claiming that they are Christ-centered.
  • Self-Serving Spirituality - when an ADP's spirituality solely consists of an individual relationship with God and does not include responsibility to the collective African race.
  • Syncretism Misorientation - practicing a religion that contains African traditions, but is held in a Eurocentric environment and is mixed with Eurocentric practices.

Incorporation into Eurocentric Psychology

The Nosology was originally proposed as a tool to aid clinicians in more culturally guided symptom analysis and diagnosis when working with ADPs. However, despite this intention, the Azibo Nosology has been largely ignored in Eurocentric psychology and psychiatry.

Footnotes

This article "Azibo Nosology" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Azibo Nosology. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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