The Psychology of Pair Programming
Dr. Sallyann Freudenberg is a software engineer and psychologist who has spent some serious time observing the behaviours of high performing software teams. Her blogs contain a wealth of information for any software professional looking to sharpen their skills.
As an engineer with no psychology background whatsoever, I couldn’t help but think — this is some really, really good stuff. It’s accessible, easy to understand and clear. I thought… perhaps I’ve picked up the wrong career? Maybe I’m a psychologist! So I read a little Freud and oh my god the horror, so I’m definitely still an engineer and have no interest in psychology any more. Also I can’t look my mother in the eye.
Anyway, after many hours of repetitive strain injury-inducing labour, here is what I have produced. A collection of tips, based on the work of Dr. Freudenberg. My hope is that you’ll use this as a primer, an appetiser if you will, before diving into Dr. Freudenberg’s work and developing a more full understanding. Let’s get started.
Easy one to open up with. I know I sound like your mother when you were young. She warned you against square eyes. Well she was wrong about the square eyes thing but she was right about taking a damn break once in a while.
