Adelbert Jenkins
Adelbert H. Jenkins is an African American clinical psychologist who is known for his humanistic approach to Black psychology at the start of the field in the early 1970s. Jenkins was also one of the 28 founding members of the National Association of Black Psychologists, along with other notable psychologists such as Robert V. Guthrie and Joseph White. He is currently an associate professor of psychology at New York University. Early life and family Jenkins grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. His parents were both social workers and were raised in the North. At a young age, Jenkins and his family moved to a predominantly White, Jewish neighborhood so that he could attend better public schools; however, he still maintained contact with the African American community through his mother's extended family. His parents were the ones who first suggested that he pursue psychology in college. Jenkins married in 1969 and he has one son with his wife. His humanistic philosophy has influenced his personal life as well, inspiring him and his wife to become more active churchgoers to provide their son with a spiritual, religious education. Education Jenkins attended Antioch College for his undergraduate education where he majored in psychology and minored in philosophy. He was inspired by the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and was particularly interested in his philosophy on human potential and independent thinking. In his graduate years, Jenkins became interested in ego psychology, which held that humans are born with basic mental capabilities that are inherently functional before trying to adapt to reality. He was drawn to its emphasis on how humans cope with reality and achieve ego autonomy. He received his Master's in psychology and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from University of Michigan. He received his post-doctoral clinical training from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Career Jenkins is currently an associate professor of psychology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at New York University. His primary area of research focuses on multicultural clinical psychology and its philosophical underpinnings. Influenced by Joseph Rychlak's "logical learning theory," Jenkins is best known for his humanistic philosophy which emphasizes the agency and cultural integrity of ethnic minorities, particularly that of African Americans. His teleological approach challenges the idea that humans are passive, powerless actors whose behavior solely depend on external forces. Instead, he argues that humans are proactive agents with intentionality and purpose, who consequently, can impact their environments. His model of self-agency can be compared to Wade Noble's extended self model, both of which seek to affirm Black racial identity. In Noble's extended self model, individual Black identity is inextricably tied to a collective Black racial identity. However, these collective characteristics of Black behavior and values are misinterpreted when analyzed through a Euro-American perspective. Jenkin's research has been especially influential for clinical psychology in understanding African American styles of communication as consequences of understanding those in higher positions of power. In counseling relationships, exhibiting this kind of cultural competency and understanding the power dynamic when seeing an