Abstract:
In South Africa, a traditional African and Western healing system exist side by side and
the basic tenets of these systems appear to differ. The coexistence of these different
healing systems raises the question of the interrelationship between them and the
healers associated with them. Against this backdrop, there is a relatively new and
fascinating phenomenon of a small grouping of clinical psychologists who have crossed
professional boundaries to become sangomas and have adopted dual identity. The five
psychologist-sangomas interviewed for this qualitative study represent a microcosm of
the interaction of Western and African healing paradigms. The study aims to develop an
understanding of how the five participants perceive and construct their professional
identities, how they see themselves in relation to these healing systems and how their
understanding of professional identity and choice of healing system affects their practice.
To this end a psychoanalytic interpretive method of analysis, that combines both a social
discursive psychological and psychoanalytic interpretive dimension, has been chosen.
The method involves conducting detailed identity position analyses for all five
participants with the aim of bringing to light tensions, contradictions and conflicts in the
way in which participants position themselves professionally. It also allows for
hypotheses to be made about hidden anxieties and defences that underlie the positions
adopted. Researcher subjectivity such as countertransference and intersubjective
interactions between participants and researcher has been engaged in order to ground
and support interpretations made. The research indicates that while all participants have
experienced some degree of conflict in holding dual identity, each one has found a
different way of resolving the conscious and unconscious conflicts related to their
professional identity.
