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Steve S. has generated a vibrant discussion with his CR4 post, Psychology of Engineers. My email box has filled with a constant stream of replies to his request for information and I have a hunch that all who subscribe will enjoy an enlightening discussion that will continue for some time.
Steve S. has asked engineers and technical professionals to answer a short survey regarding their life experiences. And, he states, "I am interested to see if the experience (of) engineers, scientists, or technical people deviate from the psychological models that Erikson has proposed (see this link erikson for more info), assuming that a tendency toward logic and reason might make the way we deal with midlife different than the general population."
Please help him in his study! Lest you think this is some psychobabble exercise, it is not. Erik Erikson undertook seminal work of great value. While Steve. S.'s link to a summary of Erikson's work is good, it is a bit lengthy but I believe you will appreciate Erikson's pragmatic and more readable style than, say, Freud, Jung, Skinner or others with a more academic penchant.
Two Thoughts:
- As you will see in the responses to Steve S. post, many have contributed but it is difficult to read the scrolling text or assess any patterns. Is there some other means we can use to answer such a survey and post our answers in a more readable format? If anyone has experience with Google's online spreadsheets or similar resource, we might help this project and others to come.
Any takers to help Steve S.? Any ideas on an approach to collect and present such information in a public format?
PS: I eagerly await the publication of Steve S.'s results. I have my own thoughts as to what he may conclude. And, certainly, I have my own input to provide him. As with many endeavors, though, it isn't so much the conclusion he reaches but what we will learn along the way as participants with eyes wide open.
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