Toward an Applied Aboriginal Psychology

Abstract

This essay discusses some impediments to, and prospects for, the development of applied Aboriginal psychologies from the perspectives of cross-cultural and cultural psychology. Aboriginal psychologies are said to differ from mainstream scientific psychology in terms of their research priorities, world views, problems to be addressed, methodologies, ideological commitments, and perceived usefulness. Aboriginal and nonaboriginal people's perceptions of mainstream psychology and psychologists and of priority community needs are reported to provide evidence for such differences.