A companion to the foundational text of Linda James Myers, Ph.D.
The Understanding an Afrocentric World View Reflective Journal walks with you through Dr. Linda James Myers' introduction to Optimal Psychology, one chapter at a time. Nine chapters of quotes, questions, and quiet space to write what the book stirs in you.
Finally, a sacred space to move through Understanding an Afrocentric World View, one chapter at a time.
Read a chapter of Understanding an Afrocentric World View by Linda James Myers, Ph.D.
Open the matching chapter of the journal and sit with the quotes that stood out.
Write what rises. Return to the pages as your understanding grows.
The journal does not assume any prior study. People come to it from many places.
You may have studied Optimal Psychology, taught the text, or practiced Belief Systems Analysis. The journal gives you, and the people you walk with, a structured way to take the work inward, chapter by chapter.
For educators and practitionersPlenty of students move through a psychology degree without hearing that Black and African psychology is a field with its own elders, scholarship, and history. This book is one of its foundations. The journal helps you read it slowly and test it against your own life.
About the original textIf you've gathered insight from many voices and still feel unsettled, this is a way to sit with a root source and listen for what you already know. Every question in the journal is yours to answer, in your own words.
See what's insideInside the journal
Each chapter opens with noteworthy quotes and a page for what stood out to you. Then come reflection questions through four lenses, guided exercises where the reading asks you to slow down, and a closing Checking In.
Part 1 · Nea Onnim
Chapters 1–3, from an introduction to the idea through Oneness: A Black Model of Psychological Functioning.
Part 2 · Bi Nka Bi
Chapters 4–6, on the transpersonal paradigm, what development really means, and moral, faith, and ethical growth.
Part 3 · Tabono
Chapters 7–9, through family, Belief Systems Analysis, and truth and the psychology of knowledge, closing with Sankofa.
The book at the center
First published in 1988, the book by Linda James Myers, Ph.D. introduced Optimal Psychology, a way of understanding human functioning drawn from the wisdom tradition of African deep thought. It examines the worldview beneath racism and other societal isms, and offers a path toward its optimal alternative. Students, scholars, and practitioners have been reading and teaching it for nearly forty years.
The journal follows the book closely without reproducing it, so you'll want your own copy.
The link opens the publisher's store, which is set up for classes, so it may look more like a textbook page than a bookshop. You'll find two formats:
Mrammuo · Paths that cross with purpose
In her first semester of graduate school, during a Safe Black Space Healing Circle, Cheyennis was introduced to Optimal Psychology and the work of Linda James Myers, Ph.D. It was the missing puzzle piece in her European-centered education. She began reading the book and writing reflection prompts as a way to take it in. After Chapter One, she stopped. The depth of the work told her she needed to be in right relationship with its source before going further.
Months later, at the 2025 Optimal Psychology Retreat in Jamaica, she found herself beside Dr. Linda James Myers at lunch. The idea surfaced again on its own. Dr. Linda James Myers listened fully, asked thoughtful questions, and named its importance. They have shaped the journal together ever since, chapter by chapter.
“Remember, Love does not lose its way home. Those led by love always end up in the right place.”
Odo Nnyew Fie Kwan, from Dr. Linda James Myers' letter in the journal
Author of the original text
Dr. Linda James Myers is an internationally recognized scholar whose work places the wisdom tradition of African deep thought at the forefront of a paradigm shift now supported by contemporary science. Her Optimal Psychology, also called Optimal Conceptual Theory, deepens our understanding of the higher stages of human development and how to reach them. Belief Systems Analysis, her psychotherapeutic approach, along with her Optimization Process and HeartFeather Strategy, supports healing by elevating consciousness toward a more holistic, integrative mindset.
She is Academy Professor Emerita at The Ohio State University, a past president of the Association of Black Psychologists, and was named its Distinguished Psychologist.
Co-author of the Reflective Journal
Cheyennis R. Doom, M.S., is an Optimal Industrial-Organizational psychologist, and lifelong student and teacher of liberation. She earned her M.S. in Applied Psychology from USC, and holds an adjunct faculty appointment in psychology at Bethune-Cookman University. Her work centers African-centered psychology, culture, racial and occupational harm, and healing. She founded CultureROOTS, a restorative and regenerative applied psychology methodology grounded in African wisdom, and serves on the board of Safe Black Space. She co-authored Understanding an Afrocentric World View: Introduction to an Optimal Psychology: Reflective Journal and Resilience & Reinvention in a Chaotic World.
The journal was designed for personal use and for community engagement.
Pair the original text with the journal so students process the reading personally as well as academically. Faculty can request a review copy of the original book.
The journal reflects the spirit of Belief Systems Analysis. Its personal inventory and belief examination pages can support work with clients, alongside a practitioner's care.
Read a chapter, journal on your own, then gather to share what came up. Each chapter's Checking In questions make a natural place to start the conversation.
Tell us what you have in mind, and we'll shape it together. Questions first? Write to info@optimalpsychologyinstitute.org.
Gather with us
We share this work in person through retreats, workshops, book circles, and talks.
Invite us to your campus, practice, congregation, or community for a talk, workshop, book circle, or retreat.
Where we’ve been
Conferences, talks, and gatherings already held — for people discovering this work.
Reflections
Sankofa · Go back and fetch
The last page invites you to tell us how the journal supported your process, how you used it, and what became clearer along the way. We read every note.
Yes. The journal follows the book chapter by chapter and includes selected quotes, but the full ideas live in the text by Linda James Myers, Ph.D. Get the original book in print or as an ebook.
Optimal Psychology, also called Optimal Conceptual Theory, is Dr. Linda James Myers' framework for understanding how the worldview we hold shapes our experience. It draws on the wisdom tradition of African deep thought, holds that all things are interrelated, and treats self-knowledge as the basis of all knowledge.
The journal is written from a Black cultural center, and many Black readers will recognize themselves in it. Dr. Linda James Myers has long held that this way of knowing belongs to everyone; in the book she writes, “my people, of African descent, are all people.” Anyone willing to examine their worldview is welcome. See where you might be starting from.
The journal is a tool for reflection and self-examination, and it does not replace care from a therapist. Some readers use it alongside therapy or with a practitioner trained in Belief Systems Analysis.
Yes. It was designed for individual use and community engagement. Groups can order copies and get a quote before anything is ordered. If you're reading together, you can invite us to visit your circle or class for one Zoom conversation, or plan a full gathering such as a talk, workshop or retreat. Other questions can go to info@optimalpsychologyinstitute.org.