| Description | Audio cassette sound recording, also digital version, of an interview with Phyllis Preston, applied psychologist, for the British Psychological Society's Oral History project.
The interview was conducted by Graham Richards in 2006.
The following summary is by way of introduction to the full recording held at BPS HoPC London
Performers:
Phyllis Preston (PP)
Graham Richards (GR)
Side A
c 47 mins
Topics:
PP recalls her early family history in Cairo, her health issues, the outbreak of World War II, cultural life in Egypt, American College in Cairo teachers, her scholarship and route into psychology
PP continues speaking of her early years in Egypt, her family background, gender issues at home and at College, her flight and arrival in England in 1945
PP speaks of her first arrival in England, her difficulties with the English language (administrative and cultural), her health problems and receiving Eysenck's invitation to train as a Clinical Psychologist at the Maudsley
PP returns to her time at UCL and gives her views on Burt, Philpott, Flugal, Frisby, Grace Rawlings, psychological tests and training (educational), UCL lectures, factor analysis and her research
PP speaks of her time at the Maudsley and her first appointment at Leeds University, PP then talks of Maudsley people such as Hilda Himmelweit, Aubrey Lewis Monty Shapiro, Hans Eysenck and Metcalfe
PP moves on to speak of her job at the Child Guidance Clinic in Chatham Kent (for 2 years), her teaching (part-time) Balham, and time as a child therapist in Chislehurst
PP talks of her parents coming to England in 1957 and the set-up at Leeds University, her work with Olive Sampson, her time as a clinical psychologist at Farnborough Hospital and gives her views on Kent Borough Health Service in general.
Side B
c 47 mins
Topics:
PP talks of Axline and Freudian techniques, John Bowlby, American psychologists, American Behaviourists and Neurologists
PP talks of the 1960s, Bromley Borough, main stream primary education, a survey of maladjustment, girls in secondary education, the needs of older children, secondary schools in general, England's class system, discipline in schools (at the time) and the Childrens' Court system
PP speaks of the end of her first marriage, her family, the psychiatric department at Farnborough Hospital, her opportunity classes, CPD, NFER, her locum jobs and her experiences as a psychologist in Bromley Borough
PP gives her views on Ruth Griffiths and Griffiths' mental development tests
PP talks of working on her published book 'Testing Children: A Practitioner's guide..'
the anlaysis revision required and other problems before talking of philosophical matters and her own interests
Side C
c 11 mins
Topics:
PP talks of Cyril Burt, his methods and modus operandi, Hilda Himmelweit, Frisby, Grace Rawlings and gives more of her views on Cyril Burt
ends.
Total Running time: c 105mins
Summary by Mike Maskill, BPS Archivist. |
| RunTime | On two C90 cassettes, running time c 105 minutes |
| AdminHistory | Date of Birth: 19/12/1922
Place of Birth: Heliopolis, Egypt
University Qualifications and Professional Training:
American University College, Cairo BA 1940-1944
University College London, MA Psychology 1945-1947
Maudsley Institute of Psychiatry, PG Diploma 1948-1949
Professional career:
Leeds University, Dept.Psychiatry (Clinical & Educational Psychologist), 1949-1951
Leicester 1951
Chatham, Kent Health Authority, Child Guidance Clinic, Educational Psychologist 1951-1953
Break-some Part-time teaching at a Secondary School
Chislehurst, Child Therapist 1955
Farnborough Part-time Clinical Psychologist 1957
Bromley, Senior Psychologist, Principal Psychologist, 1970-1982
Locum jobs in Sutton and Carshalton (after retirement) |