LevelItem
Ref NoAUD/002/OHP 06
TitleEppel, May - Recording
SiteEppel's home in Brighton.
Date15 June 2005
Extent1-Audio Cassette
DescriptionAudio cassette, DVD and MP3 copy of a sound recording of an interview with Dr. May Eppel (1920-2012) for the British Psychological Society 's Oral History project.

The interview was conducted by Barbara Lloyd in 2005.

The following summary is by way of introduction to the full recording held at British Psychological Society HoPC London.

Performers:
May Eppel (ME)
Barbara Lloyd (BL)

Topics:

Side A
c 38mins

BL begins by asking ME what helped her on the path of choosing a psychological career

ME mentions family relationships, family responsibilities (looking after her brothers and sisters from the age of five), how she won a scholarship to LSE, her course on sociology at LSE, which included social psychology, taking her higher degree in psychology, her tutors undergraduate Morris Ginsberg Psychology of Society and Julian Blackburn - Framework of Society - became friends, did lab work at Cambridge, development of sentiments and values interested her - Manheim - delinquency, McDougall and Burt, and her PhD supervisor

ME talks of her time at Cambridge Child Guidance Clinic (Bannister asked her sort files and she became interested in the cases - broken homes), the influence of Emmanuel Miller (who started first clinic in the East End) LSE evacuated to Cambridge,. Miller and Ginsberg lived next door to eachother. How she helped Susan Isaacs on the Cambridge Evacuation Survey, her first publication "the Importance of the Family" on evacuees away from their families, the influence of Susan Isaacs and Freud, her research, and an early publication under her maiden name of May Ravden

ME talks of her move to Portsmouth Training College for 2 years, completing her PhD and subsequent return to LSE as an assistant lecturer (ME mentions her colleague Judith Hart) and her interest in emotional and social development

ME speaks of her move to Langside College Glasgow, marriage and her research at the College leading to a publication in the Brit.Journal of Psychology ( Young People at the County College), her ideas on County Colleges for adolescents, adolescent ambition, baby unit with Trevor Mann, her work at University of London extra-mural department, her research study of adolescents, funding by the Van Leer Foundation, Kings College and working with Professor James

ME talks of her links with professional groups such as the Association of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, D Winnicott and John Bowlby, International Conference on Family Relationships and Childhood in Jerusalem and her views on Association for Child and Mental Health

ME speaks of the positive influence of Morris Ginsberg ( 1889-1970) and her interest in experimental psychology

ME talks of her supportive colleagues, family life and family members

ME speaks of her PhD in psychology, her continual learning and names her proudest achievement as being asked to lecture at a Royal Society of Medicine Conference

ends

Side B
c 11mins

Topics

ME speaks of changes in psychology, how it is more wide-spread, increased [Member Networks] sub-sections in the BPS, psychology courses at schools and colleges and publications

ME talks of the importance for BPS to keep standards and her regret at not being computer literate

ME mentions her main contribution to psychology is her work in the field of understanding family relationships, particularly adolescent development and divided families

ME speaks of her professional allegiances to Susan Isaacs and John Bowlby

ME speaks of ethical issues such as medical ethics, confidentiality and the mentally ill, intrusion in private lives, the increasing numbers of counselling courses, false beliefs and her fear of the commercialisation of psychology

ME when asked by BL to name her most important published research cites 'Adolescents and Morality' and various papers on family background and young adolescents

ME closes the interview by adding a few thoughts on anthropologists and psychologists and historical fields still to be mined

ends

Total Running time: c 49mins

Summary by Mike Maskill, BPS Archivist.
RunTimeOn one C90 cassette, running time c 49 minutes.
FormatCassette Tapes and text
NotesThe History of Psychology Centre is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our users. Be aware that our catalogue contains historic terminology relating to mental health which could be considered offensive. The terminology exists within the original record and has been retained to inform users on viewpoints at the time. It in no way reflects the attitudes of the cataloguers or the British Psychological Society.
LanguageEnglish
Related MaterialManny Eppel Oral History Interview AUD/002/OHP 05
RelatedRecordAUD/002/OHP 05
AccessConditionsAuthorised Users. View by Appointment
AccessStatusOpen
Location13: BPS History of Psychology Centre, London
TermChild psychology
Social psychology
Counselling
AdminHistoryDate of Birth: 08/08/1920
Place of Birth: Bournemouth UK

University Qualifications and Professional Training:
London School of Economics (LSE), BA Sociology, 1939-1942
London School of Economics (LSE), PhD Psychology, 1947

Honours and Awards:
Hobhouse Memorial Prize, 1942
Metcalfe Scholarsip for PhD

Professional Career:
Portsmouth Training College, 1943-1945
London School of Economics, Lecturer in Sociology (Social Psychology), 1945-1949
Part-time Lecturer in Langside College Glasgow (nd)
Kings College London, Research Fellow for Youth Studies, 1949-1951
University of London, Extra Mural Dept, Staff Tutor in Psychology, 1951-1955
University of Sussex, Lecturer in Developmental Psychology, 1964-1982

Involvement with BPS and/or other societies and organisations:
BPS member since 1940s
British Sociological Association
Association of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Youth Studies and Research Foundation, Founder Member.
RulesDescription compiled in line with the following: ISAD (G) General International Standard Archival Description MAD3 Third Edition 2000
ArchNoteCompiled by Mike Maskill BPS Archivist for the History of Psychology Centre.

Show related Persons records.

Persons
CodePersonNameDates
BPS/GB/154Eppel; May (1920-2012); Dr1920-2012
BPS/GB/01Burt; Sir; Cyril Lodowic (1883-1971); Professor1883-1971
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