PSYCHOSOMATIC ILLNESS CONCEPT AND PSYCHOTHERAPY AMONG THE AKAN OF GHANA

The example of the Akan in Ghana shows that western medicine has no psychotherapeutic alternative to offer the so-called 'developing countries'. The traditional healing methods existing in such countries must be preserved and researched in order to maintain them at least at their present standard. This task, as well as that of developing these methods over the coming decades to keep pace with the cultural development process, is one that devolves upon the young scientists and doctors of such countries. This in turn requires further study of socialization values and norms, the potential resultant conflicts, the psychotherapeutic conflict-solving processes designed to obviate them and the forces at work in such psychotherapy.