Grit and resilience are innate traits, but the level of grit and resilience a person is born with can vary (Miller, 2020). Grit can be described as having an intense passion for as well as a sustained and consistent effort towards a goal (Miller, 2020). Resilience involves optimism and is the ability to keep going after we've been knocked down (Miller, 2020). Grit moves us to our goal and resilience is the oil that keeps us moving (Miller, 2020). Grit and resilience can both be developed if a person lacks amounts of either one (Miller, 2020). When someone has an intense passion for a goal, an ability to keep going through obstacles standing in their way, and established coping mechanism for when the burden of advocacy feels too heavy, their advocacy efforts will become immensely more successful.

Emotional intelligence allows an individual to use the knowledge of nuances in emotional reactions to influence others (Coronado-Maldonado & Benitez-Marquez, 2023). It involves controlling and regulating emotions and is a crucial element for both effective leadership and teamwork performance (Coronado-Maldonado & Benitez-Marquez, 2023). When an individual is embarking on an advocacy mission, they'll have to become both a leader and a team player at times. In order to advocate for a cause, they have to collaborate with others to further advance their cause. Using the principles of Ei for collaboration efforts can help significantly in advocacy efforts.

The psychology subdisciplines of developmental psychology, social psychology, and cognitive psychology are most relevant to the interdisciplinary nature of my advocacy efforts. Advocacy efforts require looking at the entire picture rather than specialized areas to assess a situation. Understanding how the issue has developed, how people react to it, and how people adapt to it can help in understanding your advocacy efforts on a fundamental level. Developmental psychology focuses on changes that people go through during various stages of development and can help explain how cognitive, social, personality, etc. perspectives can change over a lifespan (APA, n.d.). Social psychology is interested in the ways our interactions and group involvement influence our behaviors, which can help us understand how attitudes and perceptions are formed (APA, n.d.). Cognitive psychology explores the ways in which we think, learn, and remember things, which allows us to understand how cognition and emotion affect one another (APA, n.d.). Taking a holistic approach to advocacy efforts means seeing the cause from all sides. The interdisciplinary nature is best accompanied by a comprehensive few from various subdisciplines within psychology that show how we develop, how we interact, and how we react.

My education has helped me improve so much as a human and as an agent of social change. My knowledge of psychology has now prepared me to execute my social change initiative. By understanding the nuances and the similarities in the ways people think and behave, I can better connect with them on levels that mean something to them. This level of connection can allow me to address real problems humanity is facing without seeming detached from the people I'm communicating with. I understand that I have to sell my why before selling my how and I understand that emotional intelligence will help me immensely in my journey. Because of my psychological knowledge, I'm better prepared to execute my social change initiative.    

References

APA. (n.d.). Cognitive Psychology Explores Our Mental Processes. https://www.apa.org/education-career/guide/subfields/social

APA. (n.d.). Developmental Psychology Studies Humans Across the Lifespan. https://www.apa.org/education-career/guide/subfields/developmental#:~:text=Developmental%20Psychology%20Studies%20Humans%20Across,perceptual%2C%20personality%20and%20emotional%20growth

APA. (n.d.). Social Psychology Studies Human Interactions. https://www.apa.org/education-career/guide/subfields/social

Coronado-Maldonado, I & Benitez-Marquez, M-D. (2023, October). Emotional Intelligence, Leadership, and Work Teams: A Hybrid Literature Review. Heliyon, 9(10). https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.heliyon.2023.e20356

Miller, K.D. (2020, January 30). 5+ Ways to Develop a Growth Mindset Using Grit & Resilience. Positive Psychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/5-ways-develop-grit-resilience/