PSYCHOLOGISTS FOR AN ETHICAL APA |
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Psychologists for an Ethical APA Steering Committee issues
Memorandum on Revising APA Ethics Code 1.02
Memorandum on Revising APA Ethics Code 1.02
We welcome and encourage all members or interested visitors to read the memorandum, available here in .pdf
form:
PEAPA Memorandum on Revising 1.02
We encourage all APA members, and certainly all members of Psychologists for an Ethical APA and Withhold
APA Dues, to learn about this issue, and to view the "public comments" solicited by the APA as part of their
review of 1.02.
http://apaoutside.apa.org/EthicsCSS/Public/
The APA's background page on 1.02 provides some further resources on this topic, as well as the APA's official
position, and is accessible here:
http://www.apa.org/ethics/standard-102/
Also, we welcome and encourage any comments or suggestions you might have about the Memorandum, as well
as questions about this issue and its relationship to psychologists' involvement in coercive interrogations and
detentions at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere.
An excellent forum for exploring this issue in more depth is our Withhold APA Dues listserv, accessible here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/withholdapadues/
form:
PEAPA Memorandum on Revising 1.02
We encourage all APA members, and certainly all members of Psychologists for an Ethical APA and Withhold
APA Dues, to learn about this issue, and to view the "public comments" solicited by the APA as part of their
review of 1.02.
http://apaoutside.apa.org/EthicsCSS/Public/
The APA's background page on 1.02 provides some further resources on this topic, as well as the APA's official
position, and is accessible here:
http://www.apa.org/ethics/standard-102/
Also, we welcome and encourage any comments or suggestions you might have about the Memorandum, as well
as questions about this issue and its relationship to psychologists' involvement in coercive interrogations and
detentions at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere.
An excellent forum for exploring this issue in more depth is our Withhold APA Dues listserv, accessible here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/withholdapadues/
Psychologists for an Ethical APA Steering Committee Issues
Letter to APA Calling for Inquiry and Accountability --
PsySR and PHR also call for Investigation of APA
Letter to APA Calling for Inquiry and Accountability --
PsySR and PHR also call for Investigation of APA
On May 1, 2009, the Steering Committee of Psychologists for an Ethical APA (PEAPA) issued a letter to the
President of the APA, Dr. James Bray, and its CEO, Dr. Norman Anderson detailing a list of actions we wish the
APA to take in response to the torture and interrogation scandal. PEAPA's letter is among a growing number of
calls for investigations, inquiry, and accountability within the APA in the wake of the recent release of the
Yoo/Bybee Torture Memos. For instance, see the statement issued on April 23 by Psychologists for Social
Responsibility (PsySR), as well the call by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) for an investigation of APA and
its long-standing and close ties to the Pentagon.
For its part, the APA made yet another lame and belated attempt at spin and damage control by issuing a
statement from President James Bray on April 22 entitled "Saying it Again: Psychologists May Never Participate
in Torture." Perhaps the APA hopes that if they "say it again" enough times that psychologists "may not" torture,
then all of the pesky questions as to what psychologists actually did to enable torture, with APA's overt or covert
blessing, can finally be swept under the rug once and for all...
President of the APA, Dr. James Bray, and its CEO, Dr. Norman Anderson detailing a list of actions we wish the
APA to take in response to the torture and interrogation scandal. PEAPA's letter is among a growing number of
calls for investigations, inquiry, and accountability within the APA in the wake of the recent release of the
Yoo/Bybee Torture Memos. For instance, see the statement issued on April 23 by Psychologists for Social
Responsibility (PsySR), as well the call by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) for an investigation of APA and
its long-standing and close ties to the Pentagon.
For its part, the APA made yet another lame and belated attempt at spin and damage control by issuing a
statement from President James Bray on April 22 entitled "Saying it Again: Psychologists May Never Participate
in Torture." Perhaps the APA hopes that if they "say it again" enough times that psychologists "may not" torture,
then all of the pesky questions as to what psychologists actually did to enable torture, with APA's overt or covert
blessing, can finally be swept under the rug once and for all...
Hit Counter:
Martha Davis Launches New Website: "Doctors and Detainees"
Psychologist and PEAPA Steering Committee member Martha Davis has just launched a new website, Doctors
and Detainees. The centerpiece of this site is her excellent documentary entitled "Interrogation Psychologists:
The Making of a Professional Crisis."
Please check out the trailer on YouTube, as the more hits it gets, the more people in the general public will be
exposed to this important issue and will be drawn to her site to learn more and take action.
Also, while you're at Martha's site, be sure to check out the pages of useful links and further video footage
pertaining to her documentary.
Thanks Martha!
and Detainees. The centerpiece of this site is her excellent documentary entitled "Interrogation Psychologists:
The Making of a Professional Crisis."
Please check out the trailer on YouTube, as the more hits it gets, the more people in the general public will be
exposed to this important issue and will be drawn to her site to learn more and take action.
Also, while you're at Martha's site, be sure to check out the pages of useful links and further video footage
pertaining to her documentary.
Thanks Martha!
Stephen Soldz Conducts His Own "Harsh Interrogation" of PENS
Alumnus Bryce Lefever's "Open Letter to Military Psychology"
Alumnus Bryce Lefever's "Open Letter to Military Psychology"
In a May 17 entry on his blog, also published as an article in OpEd News, Stephen Soldz, co-founder of the
Coalition for an Ethical Psychology, critiques Bryce Lefever's recent "Open Letter to Military Psychology." It
seems that Dr. Lefever came in for some criticism among his military psych peers after his recent NPR interview
in which he defended military psychologists' involvement in interrogations in CIA-run prisons. In his letter, Dr.
Lefever claims the status of a victim, blindsided by the attacks NPR journalist Alix Spiegel: "I had no particular
reason to suspect that she would lie, twist and manipulate so egregiously."
When not busy defending himself from Alix or from his Military Psychology cronies' push-back after the
interview, Lefever dropped gems like the following, regarding his appointment to the PENS Task Force: "I was
given a voice in this important debate. This occurred by my appointment to the PENS Taskforce in 2005. This
appointment was officially requested by my Specialty Leader. It was sanctioned by the Navy."
Oh yeah, and he also accused those who crafted, advocated for, and voted for the recent APA Referendum
banning psychologists' participation in torture (a sizeable percentage of the overall APA membership) of having
the "breathtaking arrogance of suggesting how my military colleagues should and should not practice in settings
that they have decided are or have been abusive to our Detainees."
And then he capped it all off with the following ode to learned helplessness: "In a world of terror, the peaceful,
moral, productive citizen must be protected by those who would deprive his rights by force, terror and deceit.
This is what I swore to do when I took my oath. Our enemies are both foreign and domestic." Perhaps it's up to
us to decide whether this last statement should be interpreted as an admonition or a threat.
In either case, having people like Dr. Lefever charged with keeping "us" safe from "them," (while he
simultaneously acknowledges the slipperiness of these categories) is altogether too strong an argument for ours
being a "world of terror."
Coalition for an Ethical Psychology, critiques Bryce Lefever's recent "Open Letter to Military Psychology." It
seems that Dr. Lefever came in for some criticism among his military psych peers after his recent NPR interview
in which he defended military psychologists' involvement in interrogations in CIA-run prisons. In his letter, Dr.
Lefever claims the status of a victim, blindsided by the attacks NPR journalist Alix Spiegel: "I had no particular
reason to suspect that she would lie, twist and manipulate so egregiously."
When not busy defending himself from Alix or from his Military Psychology cronies' push-back after the
interview, Lefever dropped gems like the following, regarding his appointment to the PENS Task Force: "I was
given a voice in this important debate. This occurred by my appointment to the PENS Taskforce in 2005. This
appointment was officially requested by my Specialty Leader. It was sanctioned by the Navy."
Oh yeah, and he also accused those who crafted, advocated for, and voted for the recent APA Referendum
banning psychologists' participation in torture (a sizeable percentage of the overall APA membership) of having
the "breathtaking arrogance of suggesting how my military colleagues should and should not practice in settings
that they have decided are or have been abusive to our Detainees."
And then he capped it all off with the following ode to learned helplessness: "In a world of terror, the peaceful,
moral, productive citizen must be protected by those who would deprive his rights by force, terror and deceit.
This is what I swore to do when I took my oath. Our enemies are both foreign and domestic." Perhaps it's up to
us to decide whether this last statement should be interpreted as an admonition or a threat.
In either case, having people like Dr. Lefever charged with keeping "us" safe from "them," (while he
simultaneously acknowledges the slipperiness of these categories) is altogether too strong an argument for ours
being a "world of terror."
Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) Launches New Website: "When Healers Harm,"
Focused on Holding Accountable Health Professionals Complicit in U.S. Torture
Focused on Holding Accountable Health Professionals Complicit in U.S. Torture
The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), a non-profit legal and educational organization, brought the first
Guantánamo case to court more than five years ago. Since then, they have continued to be active on this issue,
and maintain a page on their site devoted to illegal detentions and Guantánamo. CCR just launched a new
campaign called "When Healers Harm." The goal of this new campaign is both to raise awareness of health
professionals' involvement in torture in Gitmo and other sites, and also to provide a clearinghouse for information
on this topic, as well as a platform for and a catalyst for citizen direct action.
CCR notes (as we here at PEAPA have long noted also with regard to the APA) that "in the face of mounting
evidence, government officials, licensing boards and professional associations defend their failure to act by
saying 'We do not have enough information.' CCR disagrees...It is time to hold accountable the healers who have
harmed. Accountability is vital to survivors of medical torture and to health professionals, most of whom take
seriously their commitment to do no harm."
To this end, they are collecting information and evidence about health professionals are or have been complicit in
torture--professionals such as psychologist John Leso. We here at PEAPA, who very much share their
concerns, wholeheartedly support their efforts and encourage anyone with relevant information to provide, or
who wishes to take other direct action, to visit their site and get involved!
Guantánamo case to court more than five years ago. Since then, they have continued to be active on this issue,
and maintain a page on their site devoted to illegal detentions and Guantánamo. CCR just launched a new
campaign called "When Healers Harm." The goal of this new campaign is both to raise awareness of health
professionals' involvement in torture in Gitmo and other sites, and also to provide a clearinghouse for information
on this topic, as well as a platform for and a catalyst for citizen direct action.
CCR notes (as we here at PEAPA have long noted also with regard to the APA) that "in the face of mounting
evidence, government officials, licensing boards and professional associations defend their failure to act by
saying 'We do not have enough information.' CCR disagrees...It is time to hold accountable the healers who have
harmed. Accountability is vital to survivors of medical torture and to health professionals, most of whom take
seriously their commitment to do no harm."
To this end, they are collecting information and evidence about health professionals are or have been complicit in
torture--professionals such as psychologist John Leso. We here at PEAPA, who very much share their
concerns, wholeheartedly support their efforts and encourage anyone with relevant information to provide, or
who wishes to take other direct action, to visit their site and get involved!
Science Journal Nature Publishes Irresponsible Editorial Entitled "Responsible Interrogation."
PEAPA Members Respond with Letter-Writing Campaign
PEAPA Members Respond with Letter-Writing Campaign
In its May 21, 2009 edition, the international, interdisciplinary journal of sicence, Nature, published an editorial
entitled "Responsible Interrogation." Among other things, the editorial sought to downplay the significance of the
extensive military and interrogation involvements of the majority of PENS Task Force members, and it carefully
omitted any mention of the September, 2008 APA Referendum banning members' participation in chains of
command in extralegal U.S. prisons such as Guantanamo Bay. The net result was a profoundly misleading
document that utterly misrepresents current APA policy regarding its members' participation in such settings.
Kim Mills, the APA's Associate Executive Director for Public and Member Communications, noted that "APA
staff worked with one of the editors to provide detailed history and background, which led to what we think is a
fair and balanced piece." Indeed!
Members of Psychologists for an Ethical APA (PEAPA) promptly mobilized, writing nine letters to the editor of
Nature, which included, along with scathing criticism of the editorial itself and its misrepresentation of APA's
policy, demands for a retraction of the editorial and an accompanying clarification of APA's current policy which
bars its members from working within the military chain of command in such sites.
PEAPA encourages all interested persons, psychologists or not, to write their own letters to the editor of nature,
or to send an email voicing your displeasure over this deliberate misrepresentation of APA policy to Kim Mills.
entitled "Responsible Interrogation." Among other things, the editorial sought to downplay the significance of the
extensive military and interrogation involvements of the majority of PENS Task Force members, and it carefully
omitted any mention of the September, 2008 APA Referendum banning members' participation in chains of
command in extralegal U.S. prisons such as Guantanamo Bay. The net result was a profoundly misleading
document that utterly misrepresents current APA policy regarding its members' participation in such settings.
Kim Mills, the APA's Associate Executive Director for Public and Member Communications, noted that "APA
staff worked with one of the editors to provide detailed history and background, which led to what we think is a
fair and balanced piece." Indeed!
Members of Psychologists for an Ethical APA (PEAPA) promptly mobilized, writing nine letters to the editor of
Nature, which included, along with scathing criticism of the editorial itself and its misrepresentation of APA's
policy, demands for a retraction of the editorial and an accompanying clarification of APA's current policy which
bars its members from working within the military chain of command in such sites.
PEAPA encourages all interested persons, psychologists or not, to write their own letters to the editor of nature,
or to send an email voicing your displeasure over this deliberate misrepresentation of APA policy to Kim Mills.
Activist Psychologists Keep up the Fight: Two New Articles from Dissident Psychologists
Continue to Probe the APA's Ties to the Military, and to Build the Case for Investigations
Continue to Probe the APA's Ties to the Military, and to Build the Case for Investigations
Despite President Obama's repeated calls to "move forward," his abrupt reversal in seeking to block the release of
important new photographic evidence of torture, and recent polls showing apparent deep divisions in the
American public over the issue of torture, within U.S. psychology, at least, the pressure for accountability and
investigations continues to build. Witness two recent articles calling for investigations and probing the history of
APA's collusion with the U.S. Military and its torture policies. The first is by psychologist and lawyer Dr. Bryant
Welch, writing in Huffington Post, who paints a longer-term portrait of profound changes within the APA during
the 1990's that paved the way for the current scandal. The second is by our own PEAPA Steering Committee
member Dr. Ghislaine Boulanger, who draws together some of the most recent documents and revelations to
continue to build and strengthen the case for investigations of the APA. Here are links to the two pieces:
Bryant Welch: "Torture, Psychology, and Daniel Inouye: The True Story Behind Psychology's Role in Torture"
Ghislaine Boulanger: "American Psychological Association Sees No Evil"
important new photographic evidence of torture, and recent polls showing apparent deep divisions in the
American public over the issue of torture, within U.S. psychology, at least, the pressure for accountability and
investigations continues to build. Witness two recent articles calling for investigations and probing the history of
APA's collusion with the U.S. Military and its torture policies. The first is by psychologist and lawyer Dr. Bryant
Welch, writing in Huffington Post, who paints a longer-term portrait of profound changes within the APA during
the 1990's that paved the way for the current scandal. The second is by our own PEAPA Steering Committee
member Dr. Ghislaine Boulanger, who draws together some of the most recent documents and revelations to
continue to build and strengthen the case for investigations of the APA. Here are links to the two pieces:
Bryant Welch: "Torture, Psychology, and Daniel Inouye: The True Story Behind Psychology's Role in Torture"
Ghislaine Boulanger: "American Psychological Association Sees No Evil"