Career souvenirs

Abstract

[Extract] In early 1974, I had my first meeting with my future social psychology supervisor at the University of Oxford. I had recently arrived from Australia, thanks to the benefits of a valuable scholarship from the University of Adelaide. He asked me what I was interested in researching. I babbled on for a few minutes about the complexities of personality, an area where I had conducted my psychology honors thesis. Boring, he commented, what else interests you? I had taken six weeks to reach Oxford, traveling for part of the way on the cheapest of cruise ships accompanied by a cast of weird and wild compatriots. Well, I suggested, somewhat nervously, this process and experience of traveling is interesting. Yes much better, he replied, do some reading and come back with some ideas. So the interest formally began, and hopefully I am still reading and coming back with ideas.