Supervisor and Research Student
On the whole, I see the relationship between the supervisor and the researcher as an important relationship vital to the growth of both individuals. For the supervisor, research mentorship is a key process by which our ideas are disseminated, are deepened further (through the work of the student) and by which successors to our work might be identified. From my point of view, the goal of the student is not necessarily to gain a qualification (although this is important too), but rather for them to go through the, at times, strenuous experiences to emerge as an independent thinker, a vital and alive presence in the world. As doctoral research, particularly, concerns the creation of new knowledge (something no one else has ever thought of before), this means one has to become independent in their thinking – learning from past masters and teachers, but ultimately coming up with something new that transcends yet is born of all that is already known.