From a young age I’ve been interested in the deeper questions of life and have
therefore been drawn to religion, spiritualism, and eventually drawn to psychology.
I genuinely enjoy time with people, feel energized by emotional exchanges, and
am interested in people’s backgrounds. Psychology synthesizes both my religious
side and my inquisitive nature. “Psychology uses scientific methods to understand
and explain how thoughts, feelings, and behavior of individuals are influenced by
the presence of other human beings where it be actual, imagined, or implied
presence” (Feeney, 2020).
Competent psychologists must also be competent leaders in their own right. A
thought leader is one who gains expertise in their perspective field, capable of
formulating new ideas, as well as someone who is able to influence others
regarding these new ideas. A true leader is a visionary who can see how things
can be improved, and also someone with the ability to rally people around the
better vision. Furthermore, a true leader is someone who lives the life of God and
inspires others to follow suit. I must be a thought leader as I enter the psychology
area of substance abuse and addiction amongst adolescents. I must be up to
date on the current advances in the field to gain and maintain expertise in the
field. “Advances in positive psychology have grown exponentially over the past
decade. The addictions field has experienced its own growth in a positive
direction, embodied by the recovery movement” (Krentzman, 2013).
Leadership begins with God, first and foremost. The Bible its scriptures are the
foundation for true leadership. The following are quotes from the Bible that act as
a foundation for my leadership:
Seek God’s will before your personal desires or ambition. Matthew 6:33 a a a a a a a a a a a a a
a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Be Humble. 1 Peter 5:6 a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a
a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Serve others. Matthew 23:11 a a a
a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Walk
by faith. Hebrews 11:6 a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a
a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Practice Patience. Romans 8:25 a a a a a a a a a a a a a Consider the interest of
others even above your own . Philippians 2:4 a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a
Submit to authority. Ephesians 5:21 a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Be
Teachable — seek wisdom from others. Proverbs 4:7 a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a
a a a a Believe the impossible can happen. Luke 18:27 a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a
a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Empower others to do what they can do. Ephesians 4:12
God prepares those He calls. I feel that this degree program is part of my calling,
so I must follow. As a perspective thought leader, I must remember that God and
psychology are not separate. “Psychology, then, in the Christian framework, is not
an independent activity that operates apart from God; it is dependent upon God’s
mercy to illuminate human understanding and reveal things about human nature
through human reflection, research, and creative insight.” (Johnson, 2007).
Feeney, M. G. (2020). Gordon Allport. The Wiley Encyclopedia of Personality and
Individual Differences: Models and Theories, 1-9.
Johnson, E. L. (2007). Christ, the Lord of psychology. In Psychology and
Christianity Integration: Seminal Works that Shaped the Movement. (Batavia, IL:
Christian Association for Psychological Studies, 2007) 45
Krentzman A. R. (2013). Review of the application of positive psychology to
substance use, addiction, and recovery research. Psychology of addictive behaviors
: journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 27(1), 151–165.
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029897
