Psychologist Jim Andrikopoulos endorses Steven Reisner for APA President
February 20th, 2008
The Reisner campaign for APA President seems to be arousing grass-roots enthusiasm. Psychologist Jim Andrikopoulos wrote and is circulating his own endorsement statement. [You can also read his PENS critique here.]:
There have been accounts in the press and in major medical journals (Lancet, JAMA and NEJM) of health care professionals, including psychologists, being involved in interrogation of suspected terrorists where torture is being used. As a result of this the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association have issued policy statements forbidding their members from participating at all in the interrogation of terror suspects. It is important to emphasize that we are not talking about position statements regarding the use of torture, which all organizations, including the American Psychological Association, condemn and forbid. The issue at hand is if psychologists should be present during interrogations or advise interrogators?
Due to pressure from APA members, a resolution was put before the APA Council of Representatives that would have banned its members from participating in interrogations. This was voted down. This now puts us at odds with the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association, not to mention a host of other organizations (British Psychological Society, World Medical Association, American Anthropological Association, and the Australian Psychological Association) some of who have more strongly worded statements than does APA.
I have spent more time researching this issue than I would have liked and have amassed some 40 documents. There is more to this story than I can relay in this e-mail. I plan to post a one or two page reference document. There are some statements and actions by the APA leadership that can only be described as Kafkaesque. This includes a media censorship incident that I mention only because it is more funny than frightening since it happened during an APA town hall meeting. In the meantime, I have prepared and attached a two-page commentary on an APA Presidential task force (see attached PENS document) that was convened to address the role of psychologists in national security-related activities.
Corrected nomination ballots for APA President are being mailed out Wednesday, February 13, 2008. One of the people asking for our nomination for APA President is Steven Reisner who wants to correct this problem. Please consider placing him first on your ballot. I have attached his nomination statement.
PLEASE FORWARD THIS E-MAIL AND THE ATTACHMENTS TO PSYCHOLOGISTS IN YOUR DEPARTMENT, STATE AND LOCAL PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATIONS, COLLEAGUES, OR ANY PSYCHOLOGY LISTSERV THAT YOU BELONG TO. ENCOURAGE THOSE THAT YOU E-MAIL THIS TO, TO DO THE SAME.
Jim Andrikopoulos, Ph.D., ABPP
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