The American Psychological Association has some explaining to do. <\/i><\/p>\n
There are quite a few jokes out there about members of my profession. Perhaps the most familiar of all is this one: \u201cHow many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?\u201d Answers that usually elicit at least a quiet chuckle include \u201cOnly one, but the light bulb must genuinely want to change\u201d and \u201cNone, the light bulb will change itself when it\u2019s ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
But this week there\u2019s a new psychology joke making the rounds, a simple one-liner. Rather dark, more than a bit absurd, and relying on a healthy dose of incongruity between reality and pretense, it goes like this:<\/p>\n
\u201cAPA will not tolerate psychologist participation in torture.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
If that doesn\u2019t immediately strike you as funny, perhaps it\u2019s because context and timing are often key for effective humor<\/a>. So in terms of context, the words belong to Rhea Farberman, the American Psychological Association\u2019s director of public relations. And in terms of timing, she was responding to The Guardian\u2019s Spencer Ackerman<\/a> about the APA\u2019s recent decision not\u00a0<\/i><\/b>to take disciplinary action against John Leso, a psychologist who had been involved in the brutal treatment of U.S. \u201cwar on terror\u201d detainees at Guantanamo Bay. If Ms. Farberman\u2019s comment still doesn\u2019t bring a wry smile, the sort an utterance from an Alice in Wonderland character might produce, then some further background about Dr. Leso\u2019s actions may help.<\/p>\n According to a 2008 report from the Senate Armed Services Committee<\/a>, while leading the first Behavioral Science Consultation Team<\/a> at Guantanamo in 2002, Dr. Leso co-authored a counter-resistance strategies memo and recommended a range of coercive techniques for \u201chigh value\u201d detainees. The list included isolation for up to 30 days without visitation rights by treating health professionals or the International Committee of the Red Cross (with additional month-long periods if authorized); removal of \u201ccomfort items\u201d such as sheets, blankets, mattresses, wash cloths, and religious<\/a> items; daily 20-hour interrogations; removal of clothing; exposure to cold; and stress<\/a> positions. Many of these recommendations were subsequently applied to Mohammed al-Qahtani, who was held in solitary confinement for over five months and subjected to almost daily 18-20 hour interrogations over a two-month period. A leaked interrogation log<\/a> confirms that Dr. Leso was present for at least some of the sessions, and that he provided guidance to the interrogators.<\/p>\n In addition, a 2005 report from Army investigators<\/a> found instances of interrogations where Mr. al-Qahtani was forced to wear a woman\u2019s bra and had a thong placed on his head; was forced to stand naked with women present; was held in place while a female interrogator straddled him; was tied to a leash and forced to perform dog tricks; was confronted by growling and barking military working dogs; and was prevented from carrying out his prayer obligations as a Muslim. The Army report concluded that these techniques were abusive and degrading. Judge Susan Crawford subsequently declined to refer<\/a> Mr. al-Qahtani for prosecution because his treatment met the legal definition of torture.<\/i><\/p>\n There\u2019s obviously nothing even remotely humorous about any of that. But despite the convincing evidence of Dr. Leso\u2019s wrongdoing, late last month the APA decided that no formal action<\/a> should be taken against him for ethics<\/a> violations. That\u2019s why I assume Ms. Farberman must<\/i> be joking<\/i> when she says, \u201cAPA will not tolerate psychologist participation in torture.\u201d It\u2019s kind of like the time several years ago when Stephen Behnke, the director of APA\u2019s ethics office, pulled our legs and promised<\/a>, \u201cWhen we have the facts, we will act on them. And if individuals who are members of our association have acted inappropriately, the APA will address those very directly and very clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n ____________________________<\/p>\n Roy Eidelson is a member of the TRANSCEND network. He is a clinical psychologist and the president of Eidelson Consulting, where he studies, writes about, and consults on the role of psychological issues in political, organizational, and group conflict settings. He is a past president of Psychologists for Social Responsibility, associate director of the Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict at Bryn Mawr College, and a member of the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology. Roy can be reached at reidelson@eidelsonconsulting.com.<\/i><\/p>\n Related Articles <\/strong><\/p>\n\n