Introduction
It is no secret that spiritual identity is a big and meaningful part of an individual’s personality. It affects the nature of human behaviors and actions both in their ordinary life and during their professional activities. The statement is particularly relevant for sportspersons since emotions and morality directly affect their performance and, therefore, their entire career (Egli & Fisher, 2017). Various psychological specialists help athletes cope with daily hardships and improve their morals (Egli & Fisher, 2017). However, the relationship of spirituality, especially the Christian one, to psychological practices such as counseling is still poorly studied, and their integration has yet to be done. Egli and Fisher (2017) took an academic approach to explore this novel topic in their article. This work is a detailed review and critical analysis of their work.
Summary of Egli and Fisher’s Work
An important mention is that the scholarly article explored here is “Christianity and Sport Psychology: One Aspect of Cultural Competence” by Egli and Fisher. The authors begin their paper by describing how one of the researchers, Trevor Egli, came up with the idea of integrating Christian spirituality into sports psychology practices through Bible verses (Egli & Fisher, 2017). The first non-professional practical implementation caused various reactions from his classmates (Egli & Fisher, 2017). One of them became the ultimate driver for the study. The authors further briefly explain the different roles of sports psychologists and provide a literature review.
The second part of the original content of the article comes after the analysis of existing knowledge about the relationship of Christian identity, psychological counseling, and sports psychology. There, the researchers provide recommendations on how professionals can integrate aspects of Christian spirituality into psychological techniques. These include developing cultural knowledge, getting educated on a humanistic perspective and faith development theory, practicing intake interviews more frequently, integrating Christian conceptual elements into mental skill training, and cooperating with sports chaplains (Egli & Fisher, 2017). The article ends with a standard short conclusion where the authors hope that their paper will boost discussion on the subject in academic circles.
Strengths of Egli and Fisher’s Work
Analysis of the scholarly article by Egli and Fisher showed that they have several strong points. The researchers understand that some readers may have little knowledge of sports psychology and counseling, so they concisely explain who sports psychologists are and their job responsibilities (Egli & Fisher, 2017). The authors also review and examine similar thematically related studies conducted over two decades (Egli & Fisher, 2017). They do it to show the current state of affairs and progress in research on integrating Christian spiritual identity into psychology. Egli and Fisher (2017) conclude that “the field of sport psychology as failed to provide much guidance to sport psychology professionals who might encounter a Christian sportsperson” (p. 23). Another good thing about this academic work is that researchers discuss the taboo status of Christianity in sports psychology and consultancy.
Weaknesses of Egli and Fischer’s Work
The main weakness of Egli and Fisher’s article is the lack of any tables and concept maps, simply put, visual materials. Authors often refer to qualitative and quantitative data developed by other researchers and describe them in textual form (Egli & Fisher, 2017). Although this information belongs to other scholars, they could ask for permission and include the necessary visuals. Their descriptions make up a significant section of the article and are directly related to the original inferences. Theology and psychology are humanitarian disciplines that provide a variety of qualitative techniques for presenting information conveniently and effectively.
Critique of Egli and Fisher’s Research Model
No scholarly work is ideal, and Egli and Fisher’s one is no exception. Writers claim their paramount goal is to “provide practical suggestions for sport psychology practitioners” in the abstract section (Egli & Fisher, 2017, p. 19). However, their article does not include any original experiment or intervention. Their assumptions, findings, and outcomes are mainly based on already developed data from related academic papers written by other scholars. One can safely say that their advice to sports psychologists would only work in theory. Consequently, their primary research intentions and the actual results partially contradict each other on a conceptual level, undermining the research model’s integrity.
Conclusion
This paper reviews a scientific article that is thematically connected with the topic of integration of Christian spirituality with psychological consultancy. A short summary describes the first two-thirds of Egli and Fisher’s work in two paragraphs, where they share personal experiences and introduce the audience to modern sports psychology. The critical review includes a description of its strong and weak points and an analysis of the big conceptual contradiction in the research model. Their work is very friendly to newcomers of psychology and discusses its relevant issues related to Christian identity. However, a lack of original content and academic approach and flaws in research design diminish its scientific value. The authors claim that their recommendations are practical, basing their inferences almost only on theoretical knowledge.
References
Egli, T. J., & Fisher, L. A. (2017). Christianity and sport psychology: One aspect of cultural competence. Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies, 4(1), 19-27. Web.