Thanks for your question. Probably lots of community psychologists would have different answers to this question, so I'll share my ideas, which are partly based in what other community psychologists (like Jim Kelly, Anne Mulvey, and Julian Rappaport to name a few) have said. A community psychologist needs to have tolerance for the ambiguous, be humble, be open to new ideas and experiences, be able to persevere (especially when things are ambiguous), and let others (like community members) be in the lead. A community psychologist also needs to be reflective about her/his/hir position in the community and understand power. Also, knowing a lot of different community-based methods is also very helpful. Good luck with making your decision about going into community psychology!
