Psychology for human rights
When hijacked planes hit their targets on the morning of September 11, 2001, the American Psychological Association (APA) sprang into action. Within hours, through its disaster response network the APA mobilized expert practitioners and worked with the American Red Cross to provide psychological support to families of the victims and to rescue workers. The APA’s …
Continue reading “Is the American Psychological Association Addicted to Militarism and War?”
(NOTE: My thanks to co-author Stephen Soldz.) Ten years of continuous war — characterized by multiple deployments, elusive guerilla adversaries, and occupied populations seemingly more tilted toward resentment than gratitude — have taken a significant toll on US troops. In addition to those who have been killed, physically maimed, or neurologically impaired by combat, many …
Continue reading “The Army's Flawed Resilience-Training Study: A Call for Retraction”
(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””