Mary O'Neill

Stress and the Scientist

In scientific research most of the major stresses are outside our control; we cannot influence factors such as referee opinions, funding applications or difficult experiments, so really there is no point in worrying about them (seriously there isn't). I want to suggest that a major cause of stress in our lives is the people we work with. In most labs there are people who misuse equipment and others who take the last tube of reagent and don't reorder. As for our bosses - enough said! They are either locked in an office writing grant applications or they are peering over our shoulders asking stupid questions like "have you got any results to show me?"

 

This article illustrates the kind of scientist you might encounter

in a lab. Understanding how your colleagues think and behave is

useful, and in observing their Achilles heel you know what to

expect when things get stressful. There is also a strong possibility

you may recognise yourself too, so beware!

 

1. Weird and Whacky

Consider the "mad scientist" of popular fiction, someone

so obsessed with their subject that they forget to dress and show

up to the lab in their pyjamas. Without wishing to indulge in stereotypes

there are scientists who are highly creative and imaginative, it's

just that you do wonder when the Mother Ship is going to come and

collect them. On a good day they are self sufficient, enjoy thinking

laterally and are great at finding ingenious ways of tackling a

difficult piece of research. On a bad day they are withdrawn, uncommunicative

and wearing their corduroy bellbottoms for the 400th consecutive

day. They hate small talk and that includes a cheery "Good

Morning" so they normally end up working the grave yard shift

simply to avoid people. It is quite common for their group leaders

to think these scientists have left and gone to work elsewhere.

2. The Charm Offensive

These scientists are wonderfully charming, very dynamic and successful;

and they'll never tire of telling you so. They form collaborations

easily and will network with all the major research minds in the

field until they have got themselves noticed. We may think they

are smarmy and lacking scientific rigour but these guys can work

a conference like a politician at a convention. Charm Offensive

scientists become stressed by the threat of being "pipped at

the post" by the perceived competition. Under competitive circumstances

they really turn up the pressure and while they imagine they are

being motivating and encouraging, others in the group who are in

the unfortunate position of working for them may wonder if galley

slaves really did have it this good!

3. Pride and Prejudice

Here we have a brilliant scientist with a sharp analytical mind,

a born sceptic who will think through every experiment to the n'th

detail. They test every parameter and always include controls! They

have a tendency to think they are the best but in reality they are

tedious spooks who trust nobody. Unlike Dr. Charm, they don't collaborate

mainly because they don't actually trust people and are scared they

might be cheated. Bearing in mind that the average collaboration

is going to be instigated by a Dr. Charm this may not be a bad strategy.

If they feel that someone is trying to get one over on them or undermine

them then this heightens the mistrust. They become very controlling

and secretive and start building a secret store of their own reagents:

so that's where they go - in case you're wondering.

4. Moaning Minnie

Every lab has one of these guys, a great sense of humour and a biting

wit. Actually, make that raging sarcasm; they loathe everybody but

are just far too passive to say or do anything directly. They are

very good at trouble shooting and their insight makes them very

good at spotting the mistake that needs to be rectified. In other

words, since they won't point out your faults, they spot the flaws

in your work and deliver their verdict under the guise of "constructive

criticism". Of course they never clear up after themselves

but will throw a hissy fit if they find equipment in a "dirty"

state until they realise they were the last people to use it. They

will tolerate an unpleasant job or a vicious boss and whinge for

years but they will not change their situation. It's taken

them years to get this miserable and they'll be dammed if they are

going to try and be happy.

5 Perfectly Serious

This is another scientist with really high exacting standards and

for whom the words "good enough" are an insult. They expect

nothing less than perfection from you or themselves. They produce

high quality work and pay meticulous attention to detail and will

work long hours with very little time for fun and enjoyment. You

may actually hear them say "my job is my hobby." Yes these

are the sad souls who work late in the lab, have few friends and

no social life. Their bench will be spotless; every tube labelled

accurately in minute writing and their lab books will be properly

catalogued with an index.

6 The Social Scientist

These people probably don't last too long in the lab since the insular

environment and lack of social life is a big downer for these guys.

They are "Party People", they love social interaction,

and the Friday night trip to the pub for two pints of "Old

Peculiar" and an informal lab meeting is not their idea of

a good time. In the lab they will talk to everybody and know everybody's

business. They are great listeners and know all the relevant and

juicy gossip, and with a Dr Charm there will be gossip! They are

helpful to the point of their own inconvenience. In fact months

can go by before they get round to doing their own work. They hate

to be ignored or criticised - if this happens they then become even

more emotional and get very excitable. They are prone to tantrums

and sulks and will throw things about the room so those safety goggles

will be useful after all!

Mixing and Matching.

So who gets on with whom? In theory the Charm Offensive scientist

will be able to schmooze his way round everybody, he is charming

and will effortlessly mix and mingle. The reality is most people

think he is an egotistical Casanova with a scant grasp of morality.

Dr Pride will loathe him, she doesn't trust all that smooth talking

baloney. Moaning Minnie is secretly envious of his success. She

knows his flaws and can't wait to see him fall on his face. She

and Dr Pride spend countless hours planning a vicious end to Dr

Charm, normally something involving the Phenol waste. However the

sociable social scientist thinks he is great fun and they will probably

spend many a happy hour drinking and gossiping in the bar. In reality

he is filching her ideas and getting her to do his research for

him! Dr. Perfect and Dr Weird will get on well together. They are

going to be working late anyway and will toil harmoniously in the

quiet solitude of the lab conversing in their native Klingon.

Research Heaven and Research Hell

Every one of the scientists mentioned will bring richness to a research

group. You need the ingenious ideas of Dr. Weird, and the razor

sharp mind of Dr Pride. Dr. Charm knows how to get the best from

people. Dr. Moan is essential for trouble shooting problems. The

helpful cheeriness of Dr. Sociable will keep the group happy and

the high standards of Dr. Perfect will ensure that the lab is committed

to excellence...

OK, that was the Fairytale research group. The reality goes something

like this:

It is time to apply for a major grant; it is a time for focus and

hard work, so stress levels are up. Dr Perfect becomes even more

obsessed than usual, and starts doing ritualistic things like switching

off all the electrical equipment since he has a fear of fire. As

a result he switches off a critical gel of Moaning Minnie's (well

she didn't leave a laminated "please leave on" note on

the apparatus). This "catastrophe" according to Minnie,

sets her work back 6 weeks (2 days actually) and causes whinging

on a scale of Wagnerian proportions, behind Dr. Perfect's back of

course. Dr Pride gets suspicious of Dr. Perfect and his strange

"switching off" behaviour and Dr. Moan is just a bit too

jittery; she figures they could sabotage her work. So she starts

locking her lab book in the drawer, hides away the enzyme stocks

and relabels all her solutions in a secret code only she will understand.

Dr Sociable senses the disquiet, tries to calm everyone down and

organises a trip to the pub. No one shows up. This she sees as a

rejection and after everything she has done for this group she bursts

into tears and starts throwing beakers. Dr. Weird stopped talking

three days ago; he is now secured in the dark room and is refusing

to come out. Things finally hit the buffers when the police arrive

looking for Dr Charm; seemingly he has absconded to the Bahamas

with the Head of Section's wife and a large sum of money siphoned

off from the research grant! Welcome to Research Group Hell!

 

- March 2006

About the Author

Mary O'Neill has previously worked as a molecular biologist in Leeds and Edinburgh. She is now training as a psychotherapist and is teaching at a further education college in Edinburgh.