Psyche, Science, and Society

Email to the CEO of the American Psychological Association

June 9th, 2006

I have just sent this email to Norm Anderson, Ph.D., CEO (nanderson@apa.org) of the American Psychological Association. It is my understanding that the APA Board is meeting this weekend. I ask that all psychologists send similar emails protesting psychologists’ involvement in torture at Guantanamo and the various secret detention facilities around the world.

Dear Dr. Anderson,

I am deeply concerned that the Pentagon is switching to only having psychologists participate in interrogation teams at Guantanamo and other such facilities. The New York Times reported Wednseday that the reason for this decision is that the American Psychiatric Association has condemned its members participation in such actions, whereas my association, the APsychologicalA has refused to do so, coming out only with an ambiguous statement.

This is a crisis of immense proportions for the profession of psychology. Should the APA not come out with an unequivocal statement that members cannot participate in interrogations at Guantanamo, the profession will loose all moral standing around the world. After all, Guanatanamo is a facility which has been condemned as illegal and as engaing in torture by Amnesty Internations, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and the UN Committee on Torture. I ask tat APA make a clear, unequivocal statement that participation in interrogations or other involvement in mistreatment of detainess at Guantanamo and other military facilities is incompatible with ethical practice and with membership in APA.

The APA leadership should know that there is now a move among APA members to withhold dues until such time that the Association takes definitive action in opposition to the involvement of psychologists that contributes to the mistreatment of detainees and prisoners held by the U.S. military.

I hope you will convey to the Board the urgency of this situation before APA is torn apart.

Sincerely,

Stephen Soldz
Director, Center for Research, Evaluation, and Program Development
Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis
1581 Beacon St.
Brookline, MA 02131

Entry Filed under: Psychology, Rights and Liberties, Social Issues, Torture