Re plies2

Throughout this course, I have learned a lot about different psychology and Christianity views, areas of interest, and what it is to be a thought leader. Integrating psychology and Christianity was and is an important topic for psychologists. As Johnson (2009) stated, scriptures do not always have all of the answer. Psychology and Christianity need to lean on one another.

A thought leader is someone who studies an area of interest and becomes a leader in the research in that area of interest. Reflecting on a thought leader, I believe that my area is chronic illness. Not only do I find it interesting, but I also have personal experience with having my own chronic illness. Being that I was diagnosed in late adolescence, I would like to help those who are diagnosed at that age and see how it affects them long term regarding mental health. Chronic illnesses affect many individuals at all stages of life. If not treated correctly or mentally not treated, this can lead to mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Therefore, I want to further the research to get the help people with chronic illnesses need.

Besides chronic illness, one area that I find interesting that is newer is the physical and mental health risks as well as changes in the body after having COVID-19. COVID-19 has affected many people emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically. There will be many research coming out about COVID-19 as it is something new and many people do not have experience with it.

However, I feel the Lord leading me towards chronic illnesses and mental health where I need to learn and grow more. As I work on my doctorate degree, I will keep where the Lord leads me as the most important step in the process.

Reference

Johnson, E. L. (2009). Psychology & Christianity: Five Views (2nd Edition). InterVarsity Press. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780830876617 

Reply 2. - Tanisha

As I reflect on my original submission regarding becoming a thought leader, I still feel led to pursue how dysfunctional attachments particularly during childhood are an indicator of future dysfunction in adulthood. Attachment is an innate behavior that promotes survival and gathered his observations by studying the behavior patterns among caregivers and infants; the infants that received soothing from caregivers developed a sense of safety and security while infants that were ignored by caregivers developed an insecure sense of self or an insecure attachment (Miller, 2016). Failure to provide a secure base for a child, results in the development of dysfunctional attachments negatively affecting all future relationships particularly those in adulthood.

Regarding setting, I would really like to get licensure, so I can work in a private practice. A far-reaching goal is to practice in a prison/penitentiary based setting. An area of interest is how incarcerated persons experienced insecure attachments as children and how the lack of appropriate attachment influenced their decisions in adulthood resulting in incarceration. Many incarcerated individuals have unresolved trauma and loss issues (Harris, 2018). Growing up in an environment with exposure to drinking and other familial dysfunctions is very stressful and can create long-term consequences for adulthood. Most adults admit that traumatic experiences during early stages of childhood remain with them throughout adulthood.  In the article, “Shame About Children:  A Legacy of Distress for Adults who have Grown Up with Parental Problem Drinking and Family Disharmony?” by Paddy Rafferty and Pat Harley (2006) examined whether dysfunction within one’s family increases risk of disharmony for the children of alcoholic drinkers in adulthood. A questionnaire was distributed to 39 adults all of which experienced difficulties in childhood that included parental drinkers.  The assessment consisted of associations between the remembrance of disharmony among their parents, themselves and their parents and within the family as a whole in addition to their experiences with shame (Hartley, 2006).  Shame was measured by the Experience of Shame Scale (ESS).  An assumption was made that shame vulnerability represented distress. Analyses consisted of the Mann-Whitney U and the Spearman correlation coefficient. Results indicated that disharmony was significantly associated with increased levels of shame while problem drinking had a destructive impact and the disharmony that results affects the children in the environment and their future in adulthood (Hartley, 2006).

The only thing that changed from my original post is my desire to help inmates. I would like to help incarcerated individuals with past trauma to improve their future overall well-being. I really feel as though this is an area that I can grow professionally and make a difference in their lives. Many may ask, why do you care, they are incarcerated. I’d counter with, why wouldn’t I care and want to improve their quality of life, however long or short they have to live it.  

References