Catholic Universities

The intersection of doctrinal purity and academic freedom is in the news in this article from Inside Higher Ed. At question is a religious institution's concern over theology being taught in a manner consistent with its beliefs, and what -- if any -- latitude faculty have in pursuing questions related to doctrine. If you are interested in such questions, the article is worth a read. My own experience with the matter is limited to a job interview I had, many years ago, at a Catholic college. A couple of different times, during two separate interviews, the interviewer asked how I would respond to a student who sought advice about abortion. A look at my c.v. will reveal that I have never taught at a Catholic-affiliated college, so I am left to conclude that my answer (that it was a matter between her and God) wasn't sufficiently orthodox. It would be interesting to know how that school would handle an interview for a theology position.

Court Cases: Religious Students Object to Counseling LGBT Clients

New developments were announced in cases involving counseling psychology graduate students who objected to counseling LGBT clients in an affirming way. A student backed by the Alliance Defense Fund sued Augusta State University over the issue. The student cites her religious beliefs condemning homosexuality, while the university cites professional ethics codes. A similar case at Eastern Michigan University was resolved yesterday by a federal judge ruling in favor of the university. A summary of the issue appears in today's issue of Inside Higher Ed.

Essays Related to Religion

Here are two outstanding essays related to religion:

A fascinating examination of the intellectual and social history of Central Asia is found at Wilson Quarterly in an essay by Frederick Starr. He writes about the region's intellectual heights achieved about 1000 years ago, and the religious and other social factors responsible for its decline.

For something concerning morality, take the time to read David Grann's account of Cameron Todd Willingham's conviction for murder. Willingham's children died in a fire; he was convicted of setting the blaze and eventually was put to death for the act. The evidence seems clear, however, that he did not commit the crime, and Texas put to death an innocent man.

Moral Reasoning on TED

"People may not be logical, but few of them are crazy.... When it comes to moral persuasion, the way to the head is through the heart." Jonathan Haidt has a lot to teach us about social judgment, with implications for religion/morality. Read about it on TED. His discussion is focused on health care, but seems relevant to many other areas.

APA Referendum Passed

Good news! You can infer more on my view from here and here. Having said that, please be aware that I am swamped right now and unlikely to be able to engage in an ongoing discussion. (Which is why I haven't even finished posting my thoughts about this year's convention. Sigh.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008

CONTACT: APA Office of Public Affairs


APA MEMBERS APPROVE PETITION RESOLUTION ON DETAINEE SETTINGS

WASHINGTON -- The petition resolution stating that psychologists may not work in settings where “persons are held outside of, or in violation of, either International Law (e.g., the UN Convention Against Torture and the Geneva Conventions) or the US Constitution (where appropriate), unless they are working directly for the persons being detained or for an independent third party working to protect human rights” was approved by a vote of the APA membership. The final vote tally was 8,792 voting in favor of the resolution; 6,157 voting against the resolution. To become policy, a petition resolution needs to be approved by a majority of those members voting.

Per the Association’s Rules and Bylaws, the resolution will become official APA policy as of the Association’s next annual meeting, which will take place in August 2009. At that time, the APA Council of Representatives will also determine what further action may be necessary to implement the policy.

The approval of the petition resolution represents a significant change in APA’s policy regarding the involvement of psychologists in interrogations. The petition resolution limits the roles of psychologists in certain defined settings where persons are detained to working directly for detainees or for an independent third party to protect human rights, or to providing treatment to other military personnel.

This new petition resolution expands on the 2007 APA resolution, which called on the U.S. government to ban at least 19 specific abusive interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, that are regarded as torture by international standards. The 2007 resolution also recognized that “torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment can result not only from the behavior of individuals, but also from the conditions of confinement,” and expressed “grave concern over settings in which detainees are deprived of adequate protection of their human rights.”

APA will continue to call upon the Department of Defense and Congress to safeguard the welfare and human rights of detainees held outside of the United States and to investigate their treatment to ensure the highest ethical standards are being upheld.

# # #

The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 148,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting human welfare.

APA 2008 - My favorite quote

"Absolute certainty and evil are actually the same thing," was the point Steven Kubacki made in a very interesting presentation at APA. His examination of extremism was fascinating, and his observation that people who commit horrific acts do so convinced of their righteousness (my paraphrase) is on target. Certitude limits one's choices and facilitates extremism.

Haidt and Morality

I have deep respect for Jonathan Haidt's research. He investigates some of the most interesting and important social issues of our time, such as how people construe morality, and how they rely on feelings to arrive at decisions. A friend pointed me toward this lecture by Haidt at the Beyond Belief conference sponsored by The Science Network. Haidt suggests that part of the "culture wars" facing US society has to do with the way that conservatives and liberals view morality. What he says makes a lot of sense to me; it is well worth your time to watch. The website says that a DVD will soon be available for purchase, but for now you can view the lecture onlilne.

Torture, Psychology and Ethics in APA

You may or may not have read about recent protests of the APA and its stance on psychologists engaged in torture. On the one hand, it sounds as though the APA has taken a strong position against psychologists being involved in torture. The APA's press release states that psychologists are prohibited from a long list of tactics, including "mock execution; water-boarding or any other form of simulated drowning or suffocation; sexual humiliation; rape; cultural or religious humiliation; exploitation of phobias or psychopathology; induced hypothermia; and the use of psychotropic drugs or mind-altering substances for the purpose of eliciting information. In addition, the following acts were banned for the purpose of eliciting information in an interrogations process: hooding; forced nakedness; stress positions; the use of dogs to threaten or intimidate; physical assault including slapping or shaking; exposure to extreme heat or cold; threats of harm or death; and isolation and/or sleep deprivation used in a manner that represents significant pain or suffering or in a manner that a reasonable person would judge to cause lasting harm; or the threatened use of any of the above techniques to the individual or to members of the individual's family."


And yet I have read, in many different sources, that the APA's position is more equivocal than it sounds. The resolution passed at the August 07 APA council meeting allows psychologists to assist with interrogations in their work, even when the interrogations might not protect the prisoner's rights. The rationale that I heard for this, from APA leadership at the August meeting, is that the APA leadership believes that the presence of a psychologist can protect the prisoner's rights. The APA asserts that being involved in the process helps to protect prisoners. Critics decry such logic as naive, and say that it disregards what we know about social psychological processes.

I am sad to say that I am more persuaded by the critics than by the APA, and I am considering resigning from the APA.

Here is some of the material I have been reading.

• Three colleges havecondemned the APA for violating psychology's ethical standards
  
• A June 6, 2007 letter to Sharon Brehm, APA President, decrying psychologists' involvement in the US military's SERE program, and is based on declassified US Department of Defense report documenting psychologists' work in that program.
  
• Beth Shinn's letter of resignation from the APA. Shinn has been president of two APA divisions and received awards for her work in psychology. Her letter includes links to several other informative work.
  
• There is a growing list of APA members who are witholding their dues to protest the APA.
  
• The website Psychologists for an Ethical APA has several informative documents and links. Included among them are Linda Woolf's commentary on the situation, and links to interviews with Mary Pipher, who returned her 2006 APA Presidential Citation as a result of the APA's actions on this issue. There are several other worthwhile links here, including syndicated columnist Amy Goodman's commentary.
  

There is more, but this will get you started.


I am dismayed by the actions of psychology's largest organization. In the coming few weeks I will read more, and decide whether or not I want to continue being a member of the APA. At this point, it seems to me that the Goodman's commentary is right, and the APA is in denial about its role. If you are aware of relevant evidence, pro or con, please forward it to me.