Psyche, Science, and Society

Washington monthly on psychological association abetting torture

January 8th, 2007

The Washington Monthly just came out with an article on the American Psychological Association ’s (APA) protection of the torturers: Collective Unconscionable: How psychologists, the most liberal of professionals, abetted Bush’s torture policy.

Why, then, was the leadership of the APA, an organization representing one of the most liberal professions imaginable, so willing to essentially acquiesce with a conservative administration’s efforts to torture prisoners? The answer is that it fell into a classic Washington trade-group dilemma: It became so enmeshed in the gears of the federal machine that it could be influenced by a determined administration and ended up supporting policies that many of its own members opposed.

While having little new for those of us following this issue closely, the article provides a nice summary of the entire sordid history. It provides a preview of future history books on today’s dark times, which will contain a chapter on those who abetted the torturers in which the the APA will figure prominently.

Valtin at Daily Kos has already blogged about it.

Entry Filed under: APA, Guantanamo, Psychology, Rights and Liberties, Torture, Uncategorized, War Crimes