John Carroll was apprenticed to the Department of Navy in 1959 at the age of 15 'to learn and exercise the art and occupation of Shipwright.' In 1962 he volunteered for service in the RANR, transferring to full-time service in the RAN in 1966.

He then served as a naval shipwright in HMAS Sydney 1967, posted by helicopter to HMAS Yarra 1967–68, returning to Sydney 1972-73. Both ships were deployed on operational service in Vietnamese waters during these periods.

He was admitted as an Associate of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects in 1971, and then as an Associate Member in 1989. He is a graduate of Hawthorn Institute of Education (Melbourne University), and Monash University.

He was admitted to the Australian Psychological Society as a Member in September 1993, and was also admitted as a Member of the North American Society of Adlerian Psychology. This book is based on his third doctoral dissertation.