An Afrocentric Perspective on Social Environment and Psychosocial Well-being

Psychosocial well-being is an important construct in environmental and social psychology; however, dominant constructions are primarily rooted in Western, individualistic approaches that fail to capture the complexity of culturally situated experiences of well-being in Africa. This article seeks to reconceptualise the social environment as a relational, cultural, spiritual, and historical context that shapes psychosocial well-being through an Afrocentric lens. The research is informed by an Afrocentric theory, African-centered psychology, and person-environment approaches. The research design is qualitative and conceptual, and it involves a reflexive thematic analysis of interdisciplinary literature from environmental psychology, social psychology, social work, and African studies. The research findings reveal that psychosocial well-being is constructed as a collective concept, significantly influenced by communal relationships, cultural and spiritual practices, Ubuntu as a moral guide, and the structural legacies of colonialism and socio-economic inequality. The research contributes to theory by extending the person-environment approach through the lens of Afrocentric epistemologies. The research also contributes to practice by offering insights useful to social work and advancing an inclusive understanding of psychosocial well-being through an Afrocentric lens centered on African worldviews.