Resigned to Good Conscience

Recently, a prominent psychologist, Ken Pope, resigned his membership in the American Psychological Association out of conscience.  His point being, the acceptance by the APA to allow psychologists to be present during torture was unethical, and in breach of everything that the ethical standards of the APA were about.

I got to thinking about the point of resigning due to conscience...what a quandary.  If you are no longer a member of the group/office/department, you have no say in how it conducts its business.  On the other hand, if the organization no longer represents your values, it is hard to continue to participate and/or support it.

I know first hand that there are tactics to making one's life a living hell to get them to resign...sinister, yes, but an effective tactic, knowing that someone else will fill the position who is more like-minded, or perhaps less confrontational.  After all, outside of reputation, the organization will continue to do what it wills, and eventually will find someone to fill in the spot left vacant by the conscientious objector.

Why then, if you are in a lose/lose position, do you resign?  Would it not be better to stay, and to try to affect change somehow, than to split?

Dr. Pope is certainly not alone.  During the run up to war in 2003, John Brady Kiesling resigned his position from the foreign service.

The policies we are now asked to advance are incompatible not only with American values but also with American interests. Our fervent pursuit of war with Iraq is driving us to squander the international legitimacy that has been America’s most potent weapon of both offense and defense since the days of Woodrow Wilson. We have begun to dismantle the largest and most effective web of international relationships the world has ever known. Our current course will bring instability and danger, not security.

John H. Brown followed suit.

So did Mary A. Wright

She states:

I hope you will bear with my explanation of why I must resign. After thirty years of service to my country, my decision to resign is a huge step and I want to be clear in my reasons why I must do so.

So, her reasons are as follows:

I disagree with the Administration's policies on Iraq

So do I, Mary.  

I disagree with the Administration's lack of effort in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Mmmhmmm.

I disagree with the Administration's lack of policy on North Korea

No worries, that one's resolved, right?

I disagree with the Administration's policies on Unnecessary Curtailment of Rights in America

That one's resolved, too, we just saw the Senate clear things up today with their vote on FISA legislation.

We're not talking about resigning to spend time with the family, as many Republicans have been forced to do.  We're talking about leaving your position due to the immoral leadership or policies that one has been asked to enforce or tacitly follow.

I don't know about this one, I'd be interested in what others think.  Is it a good thing, or does it just clear the way to enable corruption and immorality?

•  tippy tipp

  What happens to the folks after they resign?  I presume they wind up someplace else...perhaps the next President will hire them back.

  by mmuskratt on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 11:00:57 PM PDT

•  The APA sucks.

  Honestly, I would discourage anyone from being in it who doesn't have to be in order to be able to do psychotherapy.  

  And frankly, that has nothing to do with the stance on torture.  I think I get what they are trying to do but it has been so poorly explained by the APAs leaders that they deserve whatever they get.  

  Go join the Association for Psychological Science.

  by psycho liberal on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 11:01:49 PM PDT

•  I tend to get fired in those situations

  Hell no, I'm not going to walk away, but the corrupt actor hates, HATES, to be called on it, and I'm usually out of the door pretty quickly.

  Actually it's been a while since I accepted a corporate or government contract.  You just know what you're walking into in those environments.  And it ain't purty.

  by spotDawa on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 11:02:51 PM PDT

•  In my experience, resigning over conscience leads

  to:

  1. Sleeping well,

  2. Respect from those who should have, but didn't,

  3. Weeding out the crappy professional/social hangers-on, and

  4. Eventual vindication.

  by mississippi boatrat on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 11:24:43 PM PDT

•  Evolutionary Biology:

  Resignation is probably related to shunning.

  In almost all our evolutionary history, shunning would have been an eventual death sentence.

  But in the modern world, when we shun evil, we leave it free to grow, strengthen and build alliances.

  This is one of many ways that the right has been the reality party as far as understanding how liberal and instinctive behavior is trivially easy to turn against the people.

  by Gooserock on Wed Feb 13, 2008 at 12:36:17 AM PDT

•  After working for 40 years for the oldest

  photographic manufacturing business in the world, a competitor bought the company, shut us down and sent our volume to Mexico.

  I got work in a borkerage firm because I had been a stock market student for some 25 years and I was sure if I had access to the research facilities of a large brokeraga firm I would be able to advise clients very well on where to invest their money.

  I took the training ( paid training ) right up through the Series 7 Exam on which I scored a 95 and then I resigned.

  The reason was that it was February of 1999.

  There was not a stock or a mutual fund  in America that was worth buying and yet my job would have been to call all my old work associates and try to convince them to move their IRA and 401 k money out of wherever it was and put it into mutual funds promoted by the brokerage house.

  The market, corrected for inflation, is still not back where it was on the day I quit which was almost exactly nine years ago today.

  Today nine and a half years after the factory I worked for was put out of business by globalization, I still work for less than half of what I made the day the plant was shut down.

  I had a conscience but my government did not.

  by rontripp on Wed Feb 13, 2008 at 01:49:26 AM PDT

  •  My point exactly

    So you wound up with a clean conscience, but somebody else filled in for you, nothing changed with Mexico and the US, and possibly that brokerage, is now in a financial disaster.

    I guess you could say that you sleep better, even though you are less financially rewarded, and also that you were right.  If the opportunity arose again, where this time you could do the right thing, would you take it?  Or is it just corrupt and there's nothing you can do to change it?

    by mmuskratt on Wed Feb 13, 2008 at 12:53:43 PM PDT