Film “Leap of Faith”

The phrase “leap of faith” is not a scientific term and comes from philosophy (S. Kierkegaard and his followers). Nevertheless, psychology has studied in detail the internal processes that usually underlie this expression: trust in oneself and the world, willingness to act under conditions of uncertainty, optimism, hope, and religious or spiritual faith.

Research by Albert Bandura shows that a person’s belief in their own ability to cope with tasks (self-efficacy) is directly related to whether they will try something new, how much effort they will invest, and how long they will persist in the face of difficulties. PubMed+1
The work of C. R. Snyder and colleagues on hope theory demonstrates that the feeling “I want this and I will find a way” is associated with greater persistence, better academic and professional achievement, and higher resilience to stress. ou.edu+1

Studies of optimism (Scheier & Carver) show that a stable expectation of favourable outcomes is linked to better physical and mental health, more active coping, and a greater tendency to move forward even when there are no guarantees. ResearchGate+2PubMed+2
There are also major reviews on religious faith and spirituality as ways of coping with stress, illness, and uncertainty. They show that for many people, faith and spiritual experience help to maintain hope and meaning in difficult life situations. PubMed+2PMC+2
Thus, in scientific terms, a “leap of faith” can be described as a combination of
– high self-efficacy and hope;
– willingness to accept uncertainty and risk;
– trust in one’s own path (sometimes within a religious or spiritual framework).

1. McKinnon, A. (2013).
2. Kierkegaard and “The Leap of Faith”. In: Kierkegaardiana (journal). tidsskrift.dk
3. Velichkov, A. (2019).
4. Trembling in fear and ecstasy: Kierkegaard’s leap of faith as a sublime experience. Inscriptions. tankebanen.no
5. Bandura, A. (1977).
6. Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215. PubMed
7. Snyder, C. R. (2002).
8. Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13(4), 249–275. SHU Blogs
9. Snyder, C. R., Irving, L., & Anderson, J. R. (1991).
10. Hope and health: Measuring the will and the ways. In C. R. Snyder & D. R. Forsyth (Eds.), Handbook of Social and Clinical Psychology: The Health Perspective (pp. 285–305). New York: Pergamon Press. scirp.org
11. Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1985).
12. Optimism, coping, and health: Assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. 
13. Salsman, J. M., Pustejovsky, J. E., Jim, H. S. L., et al. (2015).
14. Religion, spirituality, and health outcomes in cancer: A case for a meta-analytic investigation. Cancer, 121(21), 3754–3759. PubMed+1

2. Let go of the outcome
The ability to let go and still take a step is not weakness; it is strength. It shows that you are willing to be vulnerable and act in spite of fear. The highest form of faith is releasing total control and allowing life to unfold as it was meant to, without constant judgement and self-criticism.
The final destination does not always depend on you. But how you show up along the way is your choice. If you are ready to trust, life will gently redirect you toward greater trust and love – for yourself and for the world.

3. Look for your own signs
Once you have set your intention and inwardly “released” the outcome, do only what resonates with that intention. Then start looking for signs of support. Metaphorically speaking, “raise the periscope” and pay attention to what is happening to you.

Choose your personal sign – the first animal or object that comes to mind. Say it out loud, and then start noticing it in your everyday life. If you maintain trust and awareness, your sign will appear more and more often.
When you see your sign, it is like a reminder: you are moving in the right direction, and your faith has not gone unnoticed.

4. Jump before you feel fully ready
It is not a leap of faith if there is no risk involved. Trying to reduce risk to zero at any cost often means being unable to let go of control and allow circumstances to play their part in shaping your path.
Prepare as well as you can. Lay the groundwork, do your “homework”. But do it from a state of inner abundance – with the feeling “I have enough resources within me”, not from a mindset of scarcity: “I’ll never manage this anyway”.
In reality, there is almost never “too early”. More often there is “too late”. If you lean on faith and take action, the puzzle will come together over time. The only question is time and perseverance.

5. Trust and believe
Where there is no trust, there is no faith. Distrust and the lack of an inner foundation almost always grow out of fear. And fear and genuine faith cannot live in the same place. The only way to let life guide you is to loosen the grip of fear and choose trust instead.

There will be moments when you doubt whether everything that is happening is really for the best. That is normal. What matters is how quickly you return to inner reverence and respect for your path after these doubts. This is about the ability to remain steady when everything outside is unstable. This is about hope.

Faith can “hold your hand” in the dark and lead you back into the light. But first you need to release your fear. Only then can you truly rely on your inner course and allow life to bring you to the outcome that is genuinely right for you.