Nigerian Journal of Social Psychology

Understanding Leadership Dysfunction in Sub-Saharan Africa

Akeem A Kenku — 2026-06-15

This review examines leadership dysfunction through the lens of organizational and social psychology, integrating insights from transformational leadership theory, social identity theory, institutional theory, and moral psychology. Using a narrative review approach, the study synthesizes empirical and theoretical literature published between 2000 and 2025. The findings reveal that leadership dysfunction is a multidimensional phenomenon driven by individual traits such as narcissism and moral disengagement, socio-cultural dynamics such as ethnicity and power distance, and institutional weaknesses including lack of accountability and transparency. The study further highlights psychological mechanisms such as cognitive biases, groupthink, and social dominance that reinforce dysfunctional leadership practices. The consequences include reduced economic development, low organizational performance, erosion of public trust, and increased insecurity. The study concludes by proposing a multi-level intervention framework that integrates leadership development, institutional reforms, and behavioral change strategies. The paper contributes to the growing literature by offering a psychologically grounded explanation of leadership failures in Sub-Saharan Africa and providing actionable recommendations for policy and practice.

UNDERSTANDING MISCONCEPTIONS, CHALLENGES ON MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT OF ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER AMONG STUDENT NURSES IN NAUTH

Afam Ndu — 2026-06-15

This study assessed the knowledge, misconceptions, and attitudes toward the management and treatment of ASPD among student nurses at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH). A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and data were collected using structured questionnaires administered to 67 student nurses. Findings revealed that respondents demonstrated a moderate level of knowledge of ASPD, with a majority recognizing that the disorder involves disregard for others (71.7%) and is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors (64.2%). However, gaps existed in detailed clinical knowledge, particularly regarding symptoms and diagnosis. Misconceptions were prevalent, as many respondents believed that ASPD is synonymous with psychopathy (59.7%) and that individuals with the disorder lack all forms of emotion (56.7%). The study highlights the need for Improved psychiatric education, targeted training, and enhanced clinical exposure to address misconceptions and strengthen the competence of student nurses. It also emphasizes the importance of reducing stigma and providing adequate institutional support to improve the management of ASPD in clinical settings.

Teacher-Student Relationship and Social Comparison as Predictors of Academic Motivation among In-School Adolescents in Ibadan North-East

Aderonke Adebola Akintola — 2026-06-15

This study examined the interactive influence of Teacher-Student Relationship and Social Comparison on Academic Motivation among In-School Adolescents in Ibadan North-East. A cross-sectional research design was employed with a multistage sampling technique. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the local government area because of its diverse population of in-school adolescents. A simple random sampling technique by balloting was adopted to select six co-educational secondary schools across the public and private strata, and a convenience sampling technique was utilized to select 383 respondents, 181 males (47.3%) and 202 females (52.7%). Participants responded to self-measures of the Inventory of Teacher-Student Relationships (ITSR), Social Comparison Scale-Revised (ASCS-R), and Academic Motivation Scale-High School Version (AMS-HS 28). Four hypotheses were generated and tested using hierarchical multiple regression. Results revealed teacher-student relationship (β= .32, t= 6.53, p < .01) and social comparison (β= .35, t= 7.37, p < .01) significantly predicted academic motivation. Student academic level (β= -11.62, t= -6.40, p < .01) was also a significant statistical predictor, with the variables F(5, 377) = 23.05, p < .001 jointly explaining 22% of the total variance in academic motivation. Based on these findings, it is recommended that the social relations of students should be one of the top priorities of school administrators.

SILENT STRUGGLES, SHARED VOICES

Cecilia Chinwendu Nduaguba — 2026-06-15

Children experience more and talk less, yet the effects of social learning and adverse events in their lives impact psychological distress and their mental well-being far into adulthood. The purpose of this study was to hear the voices of children living in an orphanage setting and to understand the psychological distress emanating from their lived experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 7 children living in an orphanage to explore their experiences and perception of trauma, depression, somatization, and prosocial behaviour within and outside the institution, and how these have shaped them in relation to self and others. A phenomenological methodology was used to reveal the lived experiences of these children. Results: The emerged themes showed trauma as fear and pain, aggression as defensive coping, somatization as embodied stress, discipline as care and control, ambivalence in prosocial behaviour, safety within discipline and pre-institution trauma unarticulated. Recommendations suggest a reduction in punitive discipline, psycho-education on emotion regulation and non-aggressive coping and routine care training for caregivers.

PSYCHOLOGY OF MORAL EDUCATION

G O Madubuike — 2026-06-15

Psychology of moral education, which part of Christian seeks to develop students and citizens spiritually, morally, and intellectually in the light of biblical truth. The psychology of Christian education serves as a bridge between the spiritual mission of education and the human mechanisms through which learning occurs. It is rooted in the understanding that humans are created in the image of God (imago Dei) and are called to grow not only in knowledge but in Christ like character. While secular psychology offers tools for understanding development and learning processes, Christian education reframes these within the context of Scripture, relying on divine truth as the panacea for electoral malpractices in developing countries like Nigeria. This paper therefore explores the psychological theories, principles and techniques as well as well articulated civic education that will help in controlling various and varieties of electoral malpractices in Nigeria. This is only possible through psychology of moral education that are inculcate value orientation o the citizenry in all levels of education in education

Legacies of Master Musicians, Tradition Bearers and Custodians of Culture

Dora Ifeanyi Okunbor — 2026-06-18

This is maintained in Nigeria by the living archives of master musicians, tradition bearers, cultural custodians who carry out their own repertoire, technique, memories, instruments, ritual, and pedagogies as their living archive of community. This is a positional paper, which proposes that the conservation of heritage in Nigeria should be expanded to include the identification and support of individuals who embody, interpret, teach and continue indigenous music. The article draws upon recent literature in the field of Nigerian traditional music, African indigenous knowledge systems, de-colonial music education, oral transmission, intangible cultural heritage, and digital preservation, as well as cultural tourism, to consider the role of master artists as cultural educators, historical sources, performers, innovators, and the custodians of memory. It also examines the challenges to cultural continuity such as older custodians, urbanization, religious shifts, westernized education, commercial dilution, poor documentation, and poor cultural policies. The author recommends a Living Heritage Transmission Framework for Indigenous Musical Knowledge in Nigeria, a model that is based on ethical relationships between knowledge bearers, communities and educational institutions; cultural agencies and digital platforms, current and younger generations.

From Policing to Pedagogy

John Oji — 2026-06-18

The explosion of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and its effect on homework and assessment is fundamentally changing the role and integrity of homework and assessments in education today. Traditional approaches that are based on prohibition and detection have been proven to be insufficient and often fail to consider the underlying pedagogical conditions that allow for misuse. This is an article that proposes a teacher-centered conceptual framework (the TEACH model) that reframes the problem of academic integrity as a problem in instructional design and not compliance. Grounded in social constructivism, self-determination theory, and formative assessment, the model incorporates five interconnected domains of task redesign, explicit AI literacy, assessment shift, classroom culture, and human-centered pedagogy. The article draws on recent literature about AI in education and goes further, also by making teachers a key agent in the design of learning ecosystems that foster genuine engagement. Particular attention is paid towards implementation in a resource constrained context. The article offers a theoretically grounded model, a practitioner-oriented guide and a policy brief making recommendations on the enabling conditions for a systemic adoption.

Drug Demand Reduction through Collaborative Intervention in Delta State Universities

James Ochuko URIEN — 2026-06-18

The study focused on drug demand reduction through collaborative intervention in Delta State universities. Two research questions were raised and two null hypotheses were formulated in the study. A mixed-methods design was adopted in the study. It combines qualitative and quantitative research approaches to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the research problem. The population comprises 126,350 undergraduate students from universities in Delta State. A multistage and snowball sampling technique was used in this survey. The first stage involves selecting three universities (Delta State University, Abraka, Southern Delta University, Orerokpe campus and University of Delta, Agbor) from the study area. The second stage involves selecting two departments, each from the selected faculties, so that each faculty will be represented. The next stage involves selecting 100, 200, 300 and 400 Level students from each selected department (Psychology & Political Science, Delta State University, Abraka; Electrical Electronics & Civil Engineering, Southern Delta University, Orerokpe campus; English Education & Religious Studies Education, University of Delta, Agbor). Due to the sensitive nature of the study, we used a snowball sampling technique to select a sample of 450 participants. The instrument used for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire titled “Drug Demand Reduction through Collaborative Intervention Questionnaire (DDRCIQ) with psychometric value of validity and reliability. The instruments were duly validated, and reliability was tested using Cronbach's Alpha, which yielded a coefficient of 0.74 and above (coefficient of determination; a benchmark of 2.50 and above is considered agreed, and 2.49 and below is considered disagreed). The process used to generate the questionnaire items is called Scale Development. The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Statistic was used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance, while Thematic analysis was used to interpret responses. In conclusion, collaborative approaches to drug demand reduction in Nigerian universities are crucial for addressing the growing substance abuse problem.