There’s more to the psychology of programming than profit
The psychology of programming, as an established and enduring field of research, has felt lacking to me. As a fairly average programmer, the findings of its empirical studies has not often been surprising. It asks and answers questions about how human beings learn its sometimes inhumane demands; the biases in our coding, studying, and troubleshooting; the mental load and occasional boredom incurred; what tools our brains simply like or dislike; and so forth.
It is important in any scientific pursuit to form hypotheses and challenge these with data, dispassionately. However, the aim, focus, and funding of the scientific community is directed by parties monetarily invested. It is clear that the primary focus for the psychology of programming is profit-driven. The language of this field is around “productivity”, a pursuit of increasing value in the programmer-machine relationship.
Evaluation of communicating specifications to programmers and the inverse conversation to stakeholders, the mitigation of missed deadlines, what leads to writing bugs, instilling the metrics we all value in good software, ultimately at low cost — all worthy of investigation for trying to deliver value. But our scientific prowess could be spotlighting much deeper, purer subjects, not necessarily profitable.
For some, programming can be a deeply fulfilling and creative experience. It can be a form of self-expression, an everlasting provider of puzzles, and a means of personal growth. There are well-known benefits such as strengthening critical thinking and problem solving abilities. But it personally has great impact in my life as an addictive stress, a source of satisfaction, and remarkably a wealth of logical abstractions I end up applying to many aspects of life.
As with any hobby or trade, it develops a subculture around itself, seen as an affectionately honed skill and an adventure. It’s understood that people who are attracted to programming often have a certain set of personality traits, such as being detail-oriented, analytical, and logical. However, programming can also be a way for individuals to develop these traits and learn new ways of thinking.
It would be great to see more research and discussion into these experiences. Understanding the personal, humane side of programming can help us to better appreciate the field and the individuals who work in it. This would feed back into creating more supportive and understanding work environments for programmers and their personal development.
Typically those who try to understand my job and hobby miss the true depth it has in my life — its tendrils run deep, and it’s difficult to communicate even to hardcore purveyors of technology. Let’s celebrate this beautiful, modern collaboration between human and machine, and understand what’s really going on in our heads when we write code, both at and away from the keyboard.
