Suprapti: An unemotional expert on emotions<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): For some academics at the School of Psychology,
\nUniversity of Indonesia, it was only fitting that Dr. Suprapti
\nSumarmo Markam chose \"experience of emotions\" as the topic for
\nher doctoral dissertation as well as her scientific oration
\nmarking her professorship.<\/p>\n
Suprapti's study, which helped her obtain her doctoral degree
\ncum laude, was on the wide range of such basic emotions as
\nsadness, happiness, anger and fear. In private life, she loves
\npaintings and theater, and is an accomplished pianist. She loves
\nChopin, especially the piece entitled Fantasy Impromptu, and had
\na hard time accepting her youngest son's choice of music, which
\nis modern jazz.<\/p>\n
And yet, she is known as an unassuming person who is very much
\nin control of her own emotions. For dozens of years of her
\nteaching career, not many people can say that they have seen her
\nangry. And not many people have seen her bantering or making
\nsmall talk, either.<\/p>\n
\"Actually, she is a person who is emotionally very rich,
\njudging from her interests,\" according to her colleague,
\nexperimental psychologist Dr. Dewi Matindas. \"But not many people
\ncan predict her because she rarely shows any display of emotion.\"<\/p>\n
Dewi described her senior colleague as someone who is very
\ngenerous with her advice and always willing to share her
\nknowledge -- and yet rather stingy with her smiles.<\/p>\n
\"Only few people who are really close with her can know how
\nunpretentious and modest she really is,\" Matindas said.<\/p>\n
Suprapti delivered her scientific oration on the occasion of
\nher installment as the school's professor last Tuesday in a
\ngentle, yet distant, manner. During the latter, acknowledgment
\npart of the speech, which often makes new professors overcome
\nwith emotions, Suprapti's tone remained controlled.<\/p>\n
Born in Medan on Feb. 19, 1938, Suprapti finished her
\nelementary and secondary education in Jakarta. She planned to go
\non to the teachers' college, because she wanted to become a
\nkindergarten teacher, but later abandoned her dream because her
\nrelatives said she was \"not funny enough\".<\/p>\n
\"I entered the School of Psychology, instead, because it was
\nmy father who founded the faculty,\" she said modestly.<\/p>\n
\"I never set targets for myself because I'm afraid of being
\ndisappointed,\" she told The Jakarta Post. \"I don't want to hitch
\nmy wagon to the stars, I just want to keep on being an ordinary
\nperson.\"<\/p>\n
Suprapti has an impeccable academic records and has been
\ninvolved in many scientific activities, including some workshops
\non emotion and culture in a number of countries.<\/p>\n
She obtained her doctoral degree in 1992 and will assume the
\nposition of dean of the School of Psychology this week, replacing
\nthe outgoing dean Prof. Dr. Jaumil Agoes Achir.<\/p>\n
At home, Suprapti is a concerned mother of five grown-up
\nchildren and grandmother of four. \"I think I'm very lucky to have
\nher as my wife,\" said her husband of 35 years, Dr. Sumarmo
\nMarkam. \"I only need to give her my monthly salary and she runs
\neverything smoothly.\"<\/p>\n
\"If I were to describe my wife in only one word, I could not
\nfind any other word except 'amazing',\" Markam said proudly. (swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/suprapti-an-unemotional-expert-on-emotions-1447893297",
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