Psychology for human rights
(NOTE: My thanks to co-authors Marc Pilisuk and Stephen Soldz.) Why is the world’s largest organization of psychologists so aggressively promoting a new, massive, and untested military program? The APA’s enthusiasm for mandatory “resilience training” for all US soldiers is troubling on many counts. The January 2011 issue of the American Psychologist, the American Psychological …
Continue reading “The Dark Side of “Comprehensive Soldier Fitness””
“We have to tolerate the inequality as a way to achieve greater prosperity and opportunity for all.” These were the words of Lord Brian Griffiths, Goldman Sachs international adviser, when he spoke at London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral last fall. With inequality at historic levels here in the United States and around the world, it’s a …
For today’s engaged citizens, there’s no shortage of pressing concerns that demand attention: social and economic inequality, inadequate access to health care, persecution and violence on the basis of belief or group identity, assaults on civil rights and personal dignity, and profound environmental threats to the planet itself. As president of Psychologists for Social Responsibility …
Every day we face decisions that help determine what tomorrow will look like — for ourselves and for others as well. In my work as a clinical, social, and political psychologist, I’ve found that the decisions we make are powerfully influenced by five core concerns. These concerns revolve around issues of vulnerability, injustice, distrust, superiority, …
Continue reading “Imperfect Guides to Living: Our Five Core Concerns”
Late last month, American Psychological Association president-elect Carol Goodheart sent an email to APA’s Council of Representatives alerting them to a problem looming on the horizon. Several years ago, the APA entered a contract with the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego to be a headquarters hotel for the 2010 annual convention next August. But …
Continue reading “Gay Marriage, the Manchester Grand Hyatt, and the APA”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o84RE-9023U] The role that psychologists and the American Psychological Association (APA) have played in the context of detainee abuse and torture is a pressing concern for the profession of psychology and for everyone committed to human rights. There are now many excellent resources available for those interested in learning more and taking action–including carefully researched …
Continue reading “No Place to Hide: Torture, Psychologists, and the APA”
In recent weeks, new revelations about the harsh interrogation and torture of detainees during the Bush administration years have made headlines and stirred controversy. The positions of prominent advocates and opponents on each side are clear. But what do we know about how the American people in general have come to view the use of …
Continue reading “How Americans Think About Torture-and Why”
The morning after last November’s historic election, triumphant chants of “Yes We Did” drowned out the Obama campaign message of “Yes We Can.” Now only four months later enthusiasm has waned, and last Friday the President felt the need to reassure reporters on Air Force One, “I don’t think that people should be fearful about …
Continue reading “On the Road to Change: The Psychology of Progress”
Stocks plummet on Wall Street. Home foreclosures mount across the country. Shameless finger pointing and disavowals swirl in the nation’s capital. And a recent Gallup poll finds that a record-low 9% of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the United States. The frightening numbers and front-page headlines certainly cry out for …
It’s only fitting that a truly memorable demonstration of human gullibility will mark its 70th anniversary just before Election Day. On the night of October 30, 1938, thousands of radio listeners concluded that Orson Welles’ adaptation of The War of the Worlds was the real thing: a live account of Martian invaders landing in Grover’s …
Continue reading “The Lure of False Narratives: Martians and Election Day”