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Visit Prof. Małgosia Fajkowska's University profile here: Prof Fajkowska at Institute of Pscyhology, Polish Academy of Sciences
Are there any researchers who are women who have influenced your work? What was it about their work that influenced you?
Prof Fajkowska: There is one woman I admire for a fire in her heart, a sheer fire for science. It is a Polish scientist, born in Warsaw, Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie, wildly known as Marie Curie. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, even twice, in two scientific fields and the first woman professor at the University of Paris. She did not influence my psychological work but influenced my con amore attitude toward doing science and being useful for scientific communities. She was known as a modest person, not corrupted by fame, awards, and money, with a talent to unite her scientific and family lives successfully. That is why she is my heroine.
Could you share a brief overview of your professional journey and your current role within the research organisation?
Prof Fajkowska: To make a lengthy story brief, I started my career by studying family relations in transsexual persons' families of origin. Obtaining a grant from the Soros Foundation allowed me to travel through the country and collect data directly from parents and their adult transsexual children. Fascinating data were gathered and published in a book in Polish. But eventually, I dropped this topic after receiving an offensive and non-substantive paper review. For example, I read that I should have posted results in stunted Poland, not in the respectful international journal. I was about to resign from science. Luckily, at the right moment, I met Professor Jan Strelau, who enthused me with the psychology of individual differences. However, I did not limit my research to temperament because I was always interested in answers to more general questions like: what personality coherence is? how do we define the dynamics of personality? or how to integrate structural and processual approaches to personality. My papers and books propose some possible answers to those questions.
Can you share a significant challenge you've overcome in your career and how you did it?
Prof Fajkowska: I have already mentioned it. It was this offensive review of my studies on transsexualism. I have changed the subject of my research. I was too insecure then, so I gave up so quickly. Now, I am much more persistent and strong-minded.
What aspects of your research are you most passionate about?
Prof Fajkowska: I want to admit that to launch any research program, I must be sure that I "love" the topic I deliberately choose. I need to have a passion to work effectively. Considering the process of doing research, my favorite part is "writing."
What are the main goals you aim to achieve in your current position, and how do they align with your personal values?
Prof Fajkowska: My current ambitions are to refer to my research plans, develop an original theory of character and mature love, and validate my theory of personality coherence.
Those plans align with my belief that people are owners, directors, and makers of themselves. They can actively forge their characters and strive for growth in love. They are not simply affected by the forces beyond their conscious choices, intentions, or free will.
With my hat of ISSID president, I do my best to pass a thriving society on to my successor and make ISSID attractive to all members. I work with a very supportive and friendly team, so that is possible.
Have you conducted any interdisciplinary research? If so, what other disciplines were involved? If not, in what ways could you imagine your research being interdisciplinary?
Prof Fajkowska: Theoretical parts of the projects on character, mature love, and personhood in personality psychology are interdisciplinary. Ancient philosophy, some scholastic principles, and phenomenological or personalistic thoughts brimmed with inspiration for building these specific psychological approaches and provided these theories with metalanguage. For example, an Aristotelian natural philosophy (Physics) explains the relationship between change and stability, which cannot be entirely operationalized within personality psychology to explain personality dynamics. However, the usefulness of Aristotelian philosophy relates to offering me a more complete picture of the analyzed phenomenon and can protect my line of reasoning from reductionism.
What strategies do you employ to secure funding and support for your research projects?
Prof Fajkowska: Nowadays, it is a daunting challenge to secure funds for research projects. However, there are a lot of possibilities offered by national or European institutions. When my projects are rejected, I do not give up. Usually, I resubmit them. Recently, I received the Fulbright Senior Award, which will support my plans for a new book.
How do you maintain motivation and enthusiasm for your work amidst challenges and setbacks?
Prof Fajkowska: The subject of my studies is enchanting by itself. In addition, my excellent Ph.D. students. Each monthly organized seminar is like an epic journey for me. I wouldn't say I like lecturing and teaching. But PhD seminars are always open books, with no repetitions of the same content and no predictable scenarios. Just contrary. It is a meeting of engaging discussions and creative questions, sometimes lasting for hours.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in your field, especially young women aspiring to enter the research community?
Prof Fajkowska: Whether or not you are a part of a research team, there are two main options for building your career: 1) on your own or 2) with the help of a supervisor or mentor. Both have their pros and cons. The first path was my choice. It gave me a lot of freedom and frustration. I learned everything by myself, which took time, and some of my workmates (younger or of the same age) overtook me in, e.g., numbers of publications or grants. It was not a big issue for me. However, my professional life could have been much easier with a supportive mentor. But at the end of the day, I do not regret it.
The second path could speed up your career, and the wise advice of the mentor might protect you against avoidable mistakes. Of course, I mean a mentor who gives you wings, not fear. However, separation from the mentor may cause difficulties for both sides.
Which option is more suitable for you depends on individual differences. If I had to choose now, I would combine them with a tad bias to option one.
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