The Social Construction of Professional Mentorship

Abstract

The transmission of knowledge, values, methods of inquiry, and goals from one generation to the next is crucial to any scientific field for the discipline to continue (Kennedy, 1997), let alone flourish. Thus, professional mentoring processes have been considered among the more critical tasks that scholars are called to perform (Forehand, 2008). It is through mentoring that more established professionals in a field can have, perhaps, their most profound impact on emerging professionals, and indirectly, on the future of the field. The Martin P. Levin Award was established in 2000 by Dr Wendy Newby to recognize the outstanding professional and educational mentorship that she received from Dr Ronald T. Brown, and to honor her father, Martin P. Levin—teacher, publisher, attorney, philanthropist, and author of All I Know about Management, I Learned from My Dog (Skyhorse Publishing, 2011) and Letters from Angel: A True Story in her Own Words (Skyhorse Publishing, 2012). Dr Newby said that her goal for this award was ‘‘to encourage excellence in mentoring of preand postdoctoral students in psychology and recognize the commitment of faculty who serve as mentors.’’ Mr Levin was born in Philadelphia in 1918, the son of second-generation immigrants. After 10 years of service in the state and federal governments (including military service), he began what was to be a 37-year career in book publishing, retiring as the president of the Time Mirror Book Group, a large multidisciplinary publishing corporation. At the age of 65 years, Mr Levin graduated from the New York Law School, sat for the bar, and started his second career with a prominent law firm in New York City, where (at the time of this writing) he is still actively employed (at age 94 years). A full recounting of Mr Levin’s lifetime achievements is beyond the scope of this article, but suffice it to say that he has led a remarkable life, has touched many people, and I suspect from what I have learned, was and is an outstanding mentor himself. First, I want to thank the Levin family for making this award possible. Occasions like this not only are important for the individuals involved, but they also serve as a mirror on the field that allows us to consider what lessons have been learned, and what we (collectively) aspire to accomplish in our scholarly pursuits. Second, I thank the SPP Awards Committee for selecting me for this recognition. I am appreciative of the honor, and for the opportunity to reflect on my experiences as a mentor and as a protege, and to see how I can improve in each of those roles. Third, I thank those who nominated me for this award. The nomination alone is humbling; I appreciate that you can see past my weaknesses and failings to my intentions and aspirations. Finally, I thank the people who have served as my professional and personal mentors over the years. There have been many in different roles and at several stages of my life. I want to especially recognize my graduate mentor, Dr Rex Forehand, for his profound influence on how I try to mentor my own students, and my colleague Dr Michael Roberts, for his mentorship during my transition from trainee to faculty member.