brain pick for TIPSTERS

[Scott Lilienfeld]

Dear TIPSTERS: I'm writing with a "brain pick" for all of you dealing 
with graduate education in psychology (I hope that questions regarding 
graduate education are acceptable on this listserv; if not, I 
apologize). My question was prompted by a recent talk in our clinical 
psychology program in which a non-tenure track faculty member, assisted 
by a beginning graduate student, presented the preliminary results of 
some psychotherapy outcome research. The faculty and students 
(unexpectedly) encountered a large number of difficult and challenging 
questions from other faculty, none of which (in my view or that of 
virtually all of my clinical psychology colleagues) were in any way 
inappropriate or unprofessional. Nevertheless, a sizeable number 
(apparently a minority, but a nontrivial minority) of our graduate 
students were extremely upset by the nature of the questions, believing 
that it was somehow cruel for faculty to ask numerous tough questions of 
one of their fellow colleagues (and of one of the beginning graduate 
students). A few of them even took the steady line of questions as an 
"attack" or "assault" on the speakers, even though none of the questions 
was even remotely ad hominem in any respect. In reality, most of the 
questions were no tougher than one might encounter at a typical 
high-level professional conference.

In reflecting on this incident, it occurred to me that some of the fault 
probably lies with us as faculty members. Specifically, I don't believe 
that we've done as good a job as we could of socializing our graduate 
students, and in particular of helping them to recognize the crucial 
difference between tough substantive questions and personal attacks.

So here's my (perhaps naively broad) question...can any of you recommend 
good readings on the role of constructive criticism (including 
challenging but respectful questioning) in graduate education in 
psychology, or in graduate education in general? Either full list or 
backchannel responses (to me at [EMAIL PROTECTED]) would be greatly 
appreciated. Thanks very much in advance....Scott

 

--
Scott O. Lilienfeld, Ph.D.
Associate Professor 
Department of Psychology, Room 206 
Emory University
532 N. Kilgo Circle 
Atlanta, Georgia 30322

(404) 727-1125 (phone)
(404) 727-0372 (FAX)
Home Page: http://www.emory.edu/PSYCH/Faculty/lilienfeld.html
The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice:
www.srmhp.org
The Master in the Art of Living makes little distinction between his work and his 
play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his 
recreation, his love and his intellectual passions.  He hardly knows which is which.  
He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to 
decide whether he is working or playing.  To him – he is always doing both.
- Zen Buddhist text 
 (slightly modified) 



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