Psychologists and Abusive Interrogations: Acting on Conscience
Counterpunch, 2 November, 2007
Reproduced with permission
I am a psychologist and writer in Lincoln,
Nebraska. All of my adult life, I have worked for
human rights organizations. In 1965, when I was
17-years-old, I marched for de-segregation in Kansas
City. As a therapist, I have spent my career
repairing the psychic damage of traumatized people,
whether they be rape or assault victims, family
members of murder victims, or refugees and asylum
seekers. I have worked with torture victims since
the 1980's and I know that many of them are innocent
of any crime whatsoever and all of them suffer
irreparable damage to their lives.
In August of 2007 I made the difficult decision
to return my 2006 Presidential Citation, awarded to
me by then President of the American Psychological
Association, Dr. Gerald Koocher. I was deeply
appreciative of this honor and proud to be a member
of the APA. Over the years I have enjoyed an
excellent relationship with this organization. I
received my first Presidential Citation in 1998 from
Dr. Martin Seligman and have been the keynote
speaker at the APA's national convention. With this
action, I feel as if I am betraying a good friend.
For the past few years, I have been troubled by
various media and Department of Defense reports that
psychologists have designed protocols and trained
and supervised interrogators in the use of
sophisticated methods for breaking the human spirit
and destroying mental functioning. When this August,
at the APA's annual convention, members passed
Substitute Motion Three instead of a ban on
psychologists' involvement in military
interrogations, I felt I needed to act.
Substitute Motion Three looks fine on the
surface, but the devil is in the details, and the
devil always dresses in the tuxedo of lofty
rhetoric. While it has been argued that this
resolution bars psychologists' participation in the
CIA's enhanced interrogation program, the motion did
not place a moratorium on psychologists' involvement
in all national security facilities that operate
outside the law. This lack of firmness puts our
profession at odds with the Geneva Conventions, Red
Cross standards, Department of Defense guidelines,
The U. N. Declaration of Human Rights, and the
ethical codes of the American Psychiatric
Association and the American Medical Association. In
ratifying this document, the APA has made a terrible
mistake.
With sorrow, I have concluded that the United
States government is committing war crimes with the
help of individual psychologists and our
professional organization. Without psychologists'
presence to lend legitimacy to these interrogations,
our government would find its position utterly
indefensible. The behavior of psychologists on
interrogation teams violates our own Code of Ethics,
in which we pledge to respect the humanity of all
people. As psychologists, we vow to do no harm.
I learned this lesson from my mother, Dr. Avis,
who was a small town doctor in rural Nebraska in the
1950's. She often quoted Hippocrates remark, "Make a
habit of two things, to help, or at least, to do no
harm." She took her Hippocratic vows seriously. Two
of them I remember specifically, "Never do anyone
harm for someone else's interest." And, "Keep the
welfare of your patient as your highest priority."
My mother gave free medical care to any one who
showed up at our house or her office. Sometimes she
was paid in smoked hams and sweet corn. She also
taught me this, "Morality isn't pretty words;
morality is action." I hope I am honoring my
mother's values with my decision.
When any of us are degraded, all of human life is
degraded. This is not just about the prisoners; it
is about who we are as people. Once we decide
certain people are beyond the pale and give them
less respect than we would want for ourselves if our
situations were reversed, we make we ourselves
vulnerable to also being treated as less than human.
I know that the return of my Presidential
Citation is of small import, but it is what I can do
to disassociate myself from what I consider to be a
heinous policy. My belief is that psychology should
be solely a helping profession. When we become
anything else, we destroy ourselves.
I acted as a matter of conscience and in the
hopes that the APA will reconsider its current
position. We have long been an organization that
respects human rights and promotes tolerance,
kindness, and peace. It is my deepest hope that the
APA will reclaim its reputation as a beacon of
integrity and compassion.