Guided Autobiography Snippet: The Genesis of Professional Educational Interests

When I attended Yale University from 1956-1960, I was a highly insecure and anxious person. All of a sudden, I was among the “brightest of the brightest;” a good portion of the people among members of my class were from wealthy families and who had graduated from private schools. In fact, I found myself the roommate of the son of a well-known US Ambassador and former state governor. The son, too, had graduated from a private high school.  

I felt inferior, insecure and with such a high anxiety level even had difficulties talking with my roommates. It was not long into the school year, when it was arranged that roommate changes were made, resulting in my initial roommate moving in with other “preppies,” while he was replaced with a fellow public high school graduate and with whom, as it turned out, I was much more comfortable.   

As part of the scholarship which had been awarded to me, I worked part time during each of the 4 years. The 1st year I was a “bursary boy,” waiting on tables and gathering tableware/cleaning the tables (busing) after each meal in order to clear, clean, and set tables for the next meal. The sophomore year, I had another job assignment, which I do not recall.  By that time, I was engaged in trying to formulate the direction in which I was to go academically. The pressure and impetus coming from the university requiring that a choice be made regarding one’s major served to heighten an already high level of anxiety!

Being unsure of the direction in which I was to go and being uncertain (anxious) as to choice of major, I contemplated that the field of Psychology was broad enough that I might find my way eventually. The introductory psychology course had offered a cursory overview of the various fields, and I began exploring seriously the different options. 

Social Psychology was rejected because I did not like the deceptions experimental groups were placed under when being compared to control groups. I knew for sure that statistics, including my dislike for mathematics and Experimental Psychology, were not my cup of tea.  Two weeks into Chemistry with pre-med as a major being what I was thinking about, I dropped out of the course. I knew there was no way I could pass. Similarly with Physics, it did not take long into the course to confirm I was not cut out to be pre-med or a medical doctor. What I came up with was the area of psychology as outlined in the introductory course and which was general enough so that I might find my way within that field.

With this direction in mind, I chose the Field of Psychology as my major. That choice led to my being assigned as my work obligation during Junior Year to be a research assistant to a member of the Department of Psychiatry. I hoped this work would be compatible with my beginning what would be a serious commitment, thereby allaying all my fears and uncertainties about how I was going to be exploring the development of professional interests.

As it turned out, I graduated with a major in Psychology Honors from Yale University in 1960. As part of the Honors Program, in the latter 2 of the 4 years at Yale and at my request to have the same research assistant assignment my Senior Year, I then spent the rest of the time I was earning the B.A. degree as the undergraduate research assistant to Professor George Mahl, Ph.D. who was both a clinical psychologist and a psychoanalyst. Through my exposure to his research, I developed a keen interest in his focus on gestures and body movements and which became the topic of my undergraduate thesis, just one aspect of Dr. Mahl's work.

Later, even a year before I graduated, Dr. Mahl presented a paper which acknowledged my contribution as reflected in the following reference: “Mahl, George F.; Burton Danet, and Nea Norton: 1959 -- Reflection of major personality characteristics in gestures and body movements. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Cincinnati, OH, Sept. 1959.”

Dr. Mahl also had a graduate research assistant in addition to me, but Nea Norton was the interviewer of the psychiatric patients. After studying Psychology at Yale University and working with George Mahl, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist/Psychoanalyst who stimulated my interest in observing gestures and body movements and which has lasted to this day, I subsequently studied clinical psychology and neuropsychiatry at the University of Minnesota (M.A. and Ph.D.) followed by a 5-year postdoctoral training at the William Alanson White Institute for Psychiatry, Psychology and Psychoanalysis leading to the Certificate in Psychoanalysis.

From there, the prime area of interest became psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in a private practice setting and a consultancy to a variety of clinics and agencies within the New York City Metropolitan Area. The result: It is no coincidence that I became both a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst after being exposed to Dr. Mahl’s work. Clearly he was, in effect, a strong mentor for me and undoubtedly if unwittingly served to assist me in carving out a professional career that occupied over 25 years of my work life.

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Burton Danet, Ph.D. offers a series of guided autobiographical snippets and is a Global Goodwill Ambassador (GGA), a Retired Clinical Psychologist, Psychoanalyst and Founder, ABC4All Legacy. He resides in the South Bay Area of Los Angeles, California and is the survivor of 3 non-hemorrhagic strokes and doing everything possible to avoid a fourth stroke.