• Question: Which psychologist/researcher/theory had the most influence over what you decided to focus on in your working life?

    Asked by anon-216103 to Robert, Olly, Nicola, Jasmin, Dennis, Caroline on 13 Jun 2019.
    • Photo: Robert Dempsey

      Robert Dempsey answered on 13 Jun 2019:

      For me – Richard Bentall has been a major influence on my research. He doesn’t have one specific theory but he is a clinical psychologist and a researcher who has been critical of psychiatry and medication, and has written a lot of very impactful papers and conducted a lot of high impact work in my research area. I was lucky to be taught by him in my undergraduate degree and I found his ideas to be inspiring – especially the idea of mental health lying on a continuum and his criticisms of diagnostic labels (he’s argued many of these labels aren’t that meaningful)

    • Photo: Dennis Relojo-Howell

      Dennis Relojo-Howell answered on 13 Jun 2019:

      I did a research on the effects of keeping a journal – how it improves our psychological well-being. This was pioneered by James Pennebaker in the early 80s. Most of the research I have done where inspired by his works.

      I also draw inspiration from the works of Dr Jordan Peterson. He is a Canadian clinical psychologist and a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto.

      Professor Richard Wiseman from the University of Hertfordshire is another source of influence. He is Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology.

    • Photo: Oliver Clabburn

      Oliver Clabburn answered on 13 Jun 2019:

      Thinking back over various theories which have had a big influence on me, I’d probably say phenomenology. This was a big part of my PhD work and focuses on how each individual perceives/experiences/understands things. It took me ages to understand the philosophy behind it, but once I did, it’s quite transferable to a lot of daily life!

    • Photo: Jasmin Moon

      Jasmin Moon answered on 13 Jun 2019:

      For me, I had a lecturer at Plymouth University (Dr Alyson Norman) who taught some lectures about appearance psychology. I found it so interesting to hear about how people perceive theirs and other people’s physical appearance that I asked her how to get into that line of work. She told me she did her master’s in Health Psychology at UWE in Bristol and so 4 years later after working in mental health I decided to apply to that exact course. I loved the course and I’m really grateful to Alyson for telling me about it!

    • Photo: Nicola Johnstone

      Nicola Johnstone answered on 13 Jun 2019:

      There is an excellent Professor of developmental neuropsychology in the experimental psychology department at the University of Oxford called Dorothy Bishop. She is an incredible researcher constantly pushing for excellent science. I’m inspired by her approach and the way she constantly updates her skills. I’ve learnt a lot from her talks and blogs online and I’m sure will continue to do so.

    • Photo: Caroline Brett

      Caroline Brett answered on 13 Jun 2019:

      My previous boss, Prof Ian Deary, who I worked with/for for 10 years (and beyond), and was one of my lecturers while at Edinburgh University. He inspired me to be a better researcher and scientist, and encouraged me in my research interests in determinants of wellbeing.

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