My aunt - the first female professor of Psychology

Writing about my beloved teacher is difficult because among the countless things to share and express gratitude, I do not know where to start and how to start. After nearly 10 years of working with her, I have gone from admiration and affection to conscious and unconscious absorption in many aspects of her life and work that she revealed through her daily stories.

One autumn many years ago, my teacher and I were preparing lectures for a training program. Due to time constraints, my aunt asked me to come to her house to work on a weekend afternoon. The night before, I stayed up late, plus a morning of running around taking care of personal matters. By the time I arrived at her house, I was exhausted. The two of us sat in front of the computer. While my aunt explained why we needed to do this and that, while talking, she kept pressing the computer, and I… nodded off. About 15 minutes later, when my drowsiness had passed, I woke up with a start and saw my aunt still diligently working on the pile of documents in front of me. I was shocked, she didn't know I had nodded off like that while she was engrossed in her work. Her mental and physical endurance, flexibility, and high concentration, I believe that no one in the department, young lecturers, can keep up with her. Sometimes when we were together, I would humorously tell her that the psychological term that best suited her was “Behavioral Disorder” – meaning that she could work so hard that she forgot to eat, sleep, or time. What was admirable was that her passion for her professional work was always as persistent as an instinct in her.

Professor, Dr. Tran Thi Minh Duc - the first female professor of Psychology/Photo: Thanh Long

In the stories she told about her father, I learned that she was the second daughter of the late writer Tran Thanh Dich. I happened to read the articleTran Thanh Dich and four brothers crossed the borderby writer Nguyen Quynh, in which he wrote about writer Tran Thanh Dich, who was always respected by artists and writers for his "honest, generous, not picky in relationships, not boastful, very adult in behavior”. Her father named all four of her sisters Duc, with the wish that his children would always respect and maintain the word Duc in their lives and in building family traditions. Being close to her, I understood that my aunt inherited from her father the kindness, tolerance, acceptance of others, and a sense of humor and optimism. Through the childhood days of sitting and helping her father read the manuscript pages for her father to copy down with “many errors” that he had edited from the authors sent to the publisher, she also learned from him the neatness, rigor in sentences, scientific writing style, passion and serious work spirit.

As a teacher, my aunt belongs to the generation of pioneer teachers who apply new teaching methods, enthusiastically impart knowledge and love for the profession to students. Every generation of students who have studied with my aunt has a strong impression of a teacher who is dedicated to each lesson, with innovative and easy-to-understand teaching methods, with a warm and friendly style and a bright smile on her face.

In scientific research, my aunt is sensitive in discovering new things, outstanding issues in society and in the field of psychology. The monographs she wrote are always topical, have profound theoretical and practical significance. Among them, it is impossible not to mention books such as:Gender stereotypes and discrimination. Theory and practice(2006);Aggressive behavior - analyses from a social psychological perspective(2010);Violent games with teenagers - analysis from social psychology perspective(2013);Social networks with Vietnamese students(2015). She also contributed to the industry with highly scientific and applicable professional training programs such as:Recognizing children's psychology through drawings(2009),Counseling skills for juvenile offenders(2010),Psychological counseling course(2012), etc…

Having embarked on a career in science, my aunt worked diligently and continuously studied to improve her expertise. Even after being awarded the title of Associate Professor (in 2001), she still applied for a one-year post-doctoral internship in France (2005) to further deepen her skills and expertise in the field of helping people with psychological disorders. With her diligence in work and important contributions to the industry, in 2010, my aunt was awarded the title of Professor of Psychology. She became the first female Professor in the field of Psychology and up to now, she is still the only female Professor in the field. One thing that she never shared, but I believe it is a source of pride for anyone who has taken on the career of being a Teacher, is: among the 7 young PhDs working in the department, my aunt is the main supervisor or co-supervisor for 5 PhDs, including me. Up to now, my aunt has successfully guided or co-supervised 15 PhDs (including students at outside training institutions) and is guiding 5 graduate students. Because of this and with all the love and respect for her, I want everyone to call me “Ms. Minh Duc’s student” even though every time we are together, my aunt always introduces me as “colleague”. Deep down, I feel that I am not worthy of the word “colleague”. Until forever, I will always consider myself her “student”, I love and am proud of that.

Photo: Jackie Chan

Fully aware that the nature of the psychology profession is not only research and teaching, but it is also necessary for teachers to cultivate practical skills to be able to guide students in their profession. For many years, my aunt has continuously researched and improved her practical skills by providing free consultation/therapy to many people who are truly in psychological difficulty, mainly young people with depression or suicidal thoughts. Not only that, for community projects of non-governmental organizations, such as Plan, UNICEF, etc., she participates in training for support workers on many different topics such as: Skills for working with children in violation of the law, children who are sexually abused, children with school violence, people with HIV/AIDS, women who are abused and trafficked, etc. As an expert in the field of practice and practical training, my aunt is invited by many international and domestic organizations to work as a professional supervisor, helping to improve the skills of young people who are new to the psychological support profession, such as projects to improve skills and supervise consultation for staff working with children in violation of the law in reform schools nationwide, projects to improve skills and supervise consultation for staff of the national child support and counseling hotline 18001567, etc.

Being close to her for so many years, I have noticed her modesty and respect when talking about her senior colleagues, her harmony with her peers and her dedication in helping her younger colleagues. She always guides us from writing scientific articles, doing scientific research topics, to teaching and guiding students in doing scientific research...

As an intellectual who spent many years of her youth living and studying in Europe, my aunt loves beauty. She has delicate eyes and soul, easily perceptive and moved by beauty. She once confided to me that she respects a woman who is good at her profession, but she admires a woman who is both good at her profession and knows how to be beautiful and virtuous. And to me, my aunt is a beautiful woman! Beauty radiates from her demeanor, from her intelligence, from her soul and even from her appearance. If anyone believes that women who work in science and succeed on that arduous path will certainly lack family love, then my aunt is proof of success in her career and happiness in her personal life. I love listening to her stories about her two children and the years she spent with her children during their childhood. With a mother who is a capable Hue woman, my aunt inherited all her mother's advantages such as resourcefulness and meticulousness in family life. I love the image of her sitting and fixing her clothes. Moments like that have left their mark in her family!

Every time my teacher and I go together, I am always happy and feel self-conscious when someone comments that I resemble her like mother and daughter. I am happy because people see me as similar to the teacher whom I always respect and cherish. I am self-conscious because I feel small in terms of science, morality and compassion for life that is always present in my teacher. Her lessons follow me like a baggage for my maturity in life. There are times when I am tired, lonely, skeptical, and buried in tears, I remember her words: “Her father always taught her that whenever she encountered difficulties in life, she should tell herself that this was not the biggest difficulty in her life. There were many bigger difficulties waiting for her. A few years later, she would look back and laugh at these small difficulties and be proud that she had overcome them."At those times, I feel mentally shocked, have more motivation and self-confidence to calmly overcome difficulties.

Having been with her for nearly 10 years, I silently thank fate for bringing me closer to her. From someone who had no clear direction for her career, especially in teaching psychology, I pursued a career in teaching and research with passion, enthusiasm and a sense of responsibility that she fostered. In my heart, I took her image as a model to strive for and secretly wished to become a second Ms. Minh Duc, both in the field of science and in life.

Hanoi, October 29, 2015.