ABSTRACT
John Sullivan’s influence on political psychology as a teacher and mentor comes primarily from the examples he sets. There were things that Sullivan said and did, described in this chapter as “Sullivan’s aphorisms,” or the pillars of wisdom, which really resonated with the author and his peers as young scholars at the time, affected our subsequent careers in research and teaching, and that we now pass on and instill in our own students. In this way, John Sullivan’s influence in political psychology and beyond cascades cross-nationally and down the generations. The author suggests that these aphorisms also capture Sullivan’s philosophy as a researcher and mentor. These pillars of wisdom cover multiple aspects of research, teaching, and mentoring. He stressed that “research is fun” (or should be)—but “fun” did not preclude a demand for rigor and other elements of sound research. He also displayed a consistent humbleness, often stressing the importance of not taking yourself and your research too seriously. Sullivan always stressed the importance of collaboration—treating collaborators with respect and also the importance of instilling confidence in his students by treating them as equals. He took teaching and mentoring seriously, and the fact that the author and undoubtedly countless other students remember these lessons years later, and repeat them often to our own students, spreads John Sullivan’s influence even further.
