“Hybrid psychology agent”: Overcoming the about/for dichotomy from praxis

I draw on my experience in community development with “othered” groups to present the idea of the “hybrid psychology agent.” This, I contend, is a key figure in overcoming the dichotomies alleged by Indigenous psychologists and confronted by Held (2020). On the one hand, the concept is rooted in hands-on work in multicultural settings. It is also supported by Cultural-Historical research through projects such as Service Learning that connect higher education students with disenfranchised Roma children. On the other hand, the concept follows a critical theory framework where, as implied by Held, a paradigm shift in science is needed. The issue at point is not whether folk Indigenous knowledge should replace so-called objective knowledge, but how the latter should embrace the experience of a more diverse psychological object and subject, mainly through the participation of “othered” people as psychology scientists and practitioners.

Racial Hybridity

This paper explores some possible contributions analytical psychology may make to theorising racial hybridity. Already a ‘hybrid psychology’, Lu suggests that analytical psychology is particularly well-positioned to speak to the specific experiences and challenges posed by multiraciality. In particular, Lu critically reflects on his hopes, fears, and fantasies that have arisen with the birth of his multiracial children, which may in turn act as a springboard to greater depth psychological reflections on the unique and equally ‘typical’ experience of raising mixed-raced children. Such concerns have been articulated by others such as Bruce Lee, who faced the challenge of raising multiracial children amidst a backdrop of racism in the Unites States. This paper critically assesses possible ways in which racial hybridity may be theorised from a Jungian perspective and argues that a Post-Jungian approach must reflect the flexibility and fluidity of hybridity itself.