(1) is (only) your personal viewpoint - i certainly never felt that.
(3) can apply to any interesting job, if you let it.
only (2) is an impartial criticism of research.
(3) can apply to any interesting job, if you let it.
only (2) is an impartial criticism of research.
Every single person I know that did a PhD (including myself) has mentioned feeling frustrated/isolated/depressed/etc at different stages in their PhDs. It is interesting to see that some people are actually not affected that much.
I'd actually say it's the opposite: the process of getting my PhD has been one of the more wonderful experiences of my life thus far. Although, I tend to believe that at least part of this is due in large part to one particularly awesome professor that I've worked closely with (and isn't my advisor).