The American Psychological Association (APA) has issued an open letter from the Board of Directors to APA members. The letter specifically targets psychologists' involvement in national security interrogations and ethics standards.
To view the open letter and see the history of APA positions related to detainee welfare, click here.
The letter was basically in response to a petition resolution adopted by the APA membership last year. The resolution titled: "Psychologists and Unlawful Detention Settings with a Focus on National Security" prohibits psychologists from working in national security detention setttings that operate in violation of international law or the Constitution of the United States. Additionally, the APA prohibits psychologists from participating in torture or any cruel or inhuman interrogation procedures and stresses there is no defense for such actions.
I appreciated receiving the open letter and saw it as an act of transparency on behalf of the board of the APA. As a matter of fact, the letter specifically addressed this:
In light of the importance of these issues, the Board decided to communicate directly with the full APA membership regarding APA's positions and actions.
I was really excited to see this because as a future psychologist who intends on focusing on assisting veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), my support of APA was greatly affected last year when it was revealed that psychologists' were present during the Bush administration's interrogation sessions (i.e., torture sessions).
The letter starts out stating the obvious:
We recognize that the issue of psychologist involvement in national security-related investigations has been an extremely difficult and divisive one for our association.
True. Many folks I've talked to while getting my education to practice psychology have chosen to enter the field so they can help others. When word came out that a few psychologists were actually present during the torture sessions, many emotions ran through the classrooms. Anger, disbelief, denial...pretty much the classic symptoms of bereavement. The APA recognizes this:
Although there are countless psychologists in the military and intelligence community who acted ethically and responsibly during the post-9/11 era, it is now clear that some psychologists did not abide by their ethical obligations to never engage in torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. The involvement of psychologists, no matter how small the number, in the torture of detainees is reprehensible and casts a shadow over our entire profession.
I like the fact that the APA is calling these abusive interrogations what they were...torture. No beating around the bush, no trying to be politically correct about it, just calling it what it was.
The APA has adopted language from the U.N. Convention Against Torture in that the Ethics Committee "will not accept any defense to torture in its adjudication of ethics complaints." The statement from the Ethics Committee is titled No Defense to Torture Under the APA Ethics Code (pdf document).
The APA is taking action:
APA will continue to monitor material in official reports related to psychologist mistreatment of national security detainees, will investigate reports of unethical conduct by APA members, and will adjudicate cases in keeping with our Code of Ethics. The association's focus on these ethical standards is consistent with its position that no psychologist involved in detainee abuse should escape accountability.
At my next psychology class, I'll be discussing this at length with my fellow students. Especially the ones who self-identified that they want to enter the field of psychology to help others. I'm very pleased to see this open letter and hope this is the beginning of an awakening within the APA and not treated as a "strongly worded letter" and then fades into the background.