Murder Cases: Psychology Association worried about wealth perception and acquisition in Ghana

• The Ghana Psychology Association says it is worried about the recent surge in murder cases

• The association says it is equally worried about some possible influencing factors including how people perceive wealth and its acquisition

• Several murder cases have been recorded across the country over the last few months

The Ghana Psychology Association (GPA) says

Read full articleit is among other things worried about how Ghanaians perceive wealth and the means of acquisition in relation to the recent surge in murder cases across the country.

There have been several recorded cases of murder in Ghana over the last few months with usually gruesome stories behind them.

While some of the cases involved victims and culprits with no relation, murder cases involving spouses, siblings and other forms of relations have also been recorded.

In a press release signed by its National Public Relations Officer, Mrs Joy Anima Debrah, the Ghana Psychology Association said the recent development has awakened its worry on various grounds.

“In recent times, Ghana has witnessed numerous killings in our communities of which victims have close ties with their perpetrators. Spousal killing is on the increase, children are not spared and even siblings are at risk. The ‘Abesim’ gory incident of a man suspected to have killed three persons and kept their body parts in a refrigerator amongst others is unthinkable. These
societal issues are of great concern to the Ghana Psychological Association (GPA) as to what means individuals, relatives, couples, families and the general society find appropriate in resolving their everyday challenges. Our worry extends to how people perceive wealth and the means of acquiring them,” the statement said.

According to the Association, the youth in Ghana, out of a general phenomenon of a blatant disregard for societal respect and regard for affluence irrespective of means, have turned to employing dubious ways to get rich at all cost.

The association in its statement dated September 6, 2021, said managing the upsurge in murder cases does not require penal actions alone as it does not always serve as a deterrent.

“Societal respect and regard for affluence with total disregard for the avenues by which it is acquired has plunged the youth especially, to employ every dubious way possible to “get rich quick”. The rampant reportage of serial killings in our media space is not providing a healthy example for our youth in dealing with issues; and this must be interrogated. Killers may have
varied reasons for their behaviours. Whilst some are explicit and overt," many more are ulterior and unsuspected.

"The heinous crimes committed by men, women and even children against fellow humankind cannot be addressed only by sanctions and punishment, that do not always serve as a deterrent. GPA recommends that the nation goes beyond penal actions when dealing with such crimes that are gruesome. It is important to unveil the underlying issues to avert future occurrences,” it stated.

The Ghana Psychology Association has thus called for “a recourse to proper psychological assessment of individuals and groups that exhibit criminal propensities” as this will “aid in understanding the motives and behaviours of criminals and especially serial killers.”

While calling for extensive investment on citizens' psychological wellbeing, GPA said Ghana, despite being a highly religious nation should not be overly dependent on religion and speculation at the expense of scientific knowledge.

“This notwithstanding, the current picture is not pleasant and policy makers should swiftly change the trajectory to incorporate psychologists in all endeavours. For example, at home, educational institutions, communities and workplaces. As a nation, we need to invest in children. We should move beyond physical development to the development of the mind and behaviour from prenatal to adolescence. We should bother about the mental, emotional, social, cultural and socio-economic development of citizens. In this age where the social pressures are enormous, we should be mindful of the impact of social media and how it bears down hard on
our young people,” the statement added.