The psychological aspect
of supervision
Andrew Chesterman
(Report from the Lisbon
Congress round table on supervision, September 2004. Convenor: Andrew Chesterman)
I
discussed some of the psychological aspects of supervision,
based on a Finnish book I had read when I started supervising, and which I
found very helpful. The book is
Juha T. Hakala 1996. Opinnäyte ja sen ohjaaminen ('The thesis and its supervision').
Hakala places his analysis of
the supervision relationship in the context of three historical cases.
(a) Socrates, who
relied on conversation, forced his “students” to justify their claims and
positions, offered no ready answers, and aimed to stimulate thought.
(b)
Verrocchio and Leonardo da
Vinci: master and apprentice. Verrocchio
maintained a strict discipline (> time managament,
targets), taught by example, and encouraged teamwork and cooperation between
master and apprentice.
(c)
Freud and Jung: not a model relationship! Freud’s authoritarian attitude led to
conflict and eventually to Jung’s rebellion.
Hakala’s own analysis of the
supervision relation is based on three role models, which somehow need to be
combined. These models are partly the result of his own
empirical work and questionnaire studies, and partly adapted from other
research in organization psychology.
Counsellor.
This role requires sensitivity to the emotional dimension, to the student's
life situation, encouragement; trust; a counsellor is a good listener. He/she
creates a positive atmosphere and positive attitudes. But a counsellor is not a
therapist.
Instructor.
An instructor gives practical advice, help with
formal requirements, style, problem-solving, evident weaknesses. He/she aims at
a balance between convergent (> explanatory) and divergent (creative, fresh)
thinking, which may be needed at different stages in the research process.. A key notion is critical thinking.
Evaluator.
This role may clash with the others, but the supervisor has to give both
positive and negative feedback. This role may arouse fear, because the
supervisor obviously uses power in this role. A good evaluator underlines the
objectives of the thesis.
Supervision
can be difficult in situations where these roles seem to clash.
Hakala’s own research indicated
that supervisors themselves thought that their main weaknesses concerned their
ability to advise on methodology issues (the
instructor role). Students, on the other hand, complained mainly about their
supervisors’ lack of psychological and communication skills (the counsellor
role).