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How our core beliefs promote and prevent progressive change

Ethics and Morality
Guantánamo and the APA: Where Accountability Goes to Die

Roy J. Eidelson Ph.D. on April 11, 2013

Dozens of prisoners at Guantánamo – the vast majority innocent of any terrorist involvement – are now starving themselves to death. Many have suffered not only from indefinite detention, they have also been the victims of horrific physical and psychological abuse often rising to the level of torture – at the hands of individuals who have never been held accountable.

Dozens of prisoners at Guantánamo – the vast majority innocent of any terrorist involvement – are now starving themselves to death. Many have suffered not only from indefinite detention, they have also been the victims of horrific physical and psychological abuse often rising to the level of torture – at the hands of individuals who have never been held accountable.

Appetite
PsySR Open Letter on Guantanamo Hunger Strike

Roy J. Eidelson Ph.D. on April 8, 2013

Psychologists for Social Responsibility has released an Open Letter sent to Secretary of Defense Hagel expressing deep concern about the ongoing hunger strike at Guantánamo Bay. With no end in sight, the letter calls for immediate action to address this increasingly desperate situation in a manner that respects the concerns and autonomy of the detainees.

Psychologists for Social Responsibility has released an Open Letter sent to Secretary of Defense Hagel expressing deep concern about the ongoing hunger strike at Guantánamo Bay. With no end in sight, the letter calls for immediate action to address this increasingly desperate situation in a manner that respects the concerns and autonomy of the detainees.

Neuroscience
Neuroscience, Special Forces, and Ethics at Yale

Roy J. Eidelson Ph.D. on March 6, 2013

Controversy recently erupted over a proposed DoD-funded center for operational neuroscience that would have brought U.S. Special Forces to Yale for interview training. Many questions remain unanswered, and the episode brings much needed attention to the morally fraught and murky terrain where partnerships between university researchers and national security agencies lie.

Controversy recently erupted over a proposed DoD-funded center for operational neuroscience that would have brought U.S. Special Forces to Yale for interview training. Many questions remain unanswered, and the episode brings much needed attention to the morally fraught and murky terrain where partnerships between university researchers and national security agencies lie.

Ethics and Morality
Psychological Ethics & National Security: Letter to the APA

Roy J. Eidelson Ph.D. on February 19, 2013

Yesterday the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology sent a letter to the American Psychological Association’s governing body. Given psychologists’ involvement in abusive and torturous interrogations at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere, the letter offers a set of recommendations for establishing a firm ethical foundation for psychologists working in national security settings.

Yesterday the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology sent a letter to the American Psychological Association’s governing body. Given psychologists’ involvement in abusive and torturous interrogations at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere, the letter offers a set of recommendations for establishing a firm ethical foundation for psychologists working in national security settings.

Ethics and Morality
Torturing the Truth and Whitewashing Hell

Roy J. Eidelson Ph.D. on February 14, 2013

The controversy continues regarding retired military psychologist Larry James, who is seeking an executive director position at the University of Missouri. At last week's open forum on the campus, he responded to questions about his role in the detention conditions and interrogation practices at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center. His answers deserve closer examination.

The controversy continues regarding retired military psychologist Larry James, who is seeking an executive director position at the University of Missouri. At last week's open forum on the campus, he responded to questions about his role in the detention conditions and interrogation practices at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center. His answers deserve closer examination.

Ethics and Morality
More Questions About Torture, and the University

Roy J. Eidelson Ph.D. on January 24, 2013

A finalist for a university executive director position is a former senior military psychologist who was involved in the interrogation and detention operations at both Abu Ghraib prison and the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.

A finalist for a university executive director position is a former senior military psychologist who was involved in the interrogation and detention operations at both Abu Ghraib prison and the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.

Education
The Torture Debate Echoes: An Army Psychologist’s Job Search

Roy J. Eidelson Ph.D. on January 16, 2013

A controversial finalist in the search for a new division executive director at the University of Missouri's College of Education is a retired Army colonel and military psychologist who held positions of authority during stints at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.

A controversial finalist in the search for a new division executive director at the University of Missouri's College of Education is a retired Army colonel and military psychologist who held positions of authority during stints at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.

Bias
Confronting the Violence That Betrays Young Lives

Roy J. Eidelson Ph.D. on January 11, 2013

We can best honor the lives lost in Newtown – precious young children and the courageous adults who sought to protect them – by working together with determination to reform our gun laws and to address all forms of violence against children at home and abroad.

We can best honor the lives lost in Newtown – precious young children and the courageous adults who sought to protect them – by working together with determination to reform our gun laws and to address all forms of violence against children at home and abroad.

Ethics and Morality
Ethics First: A Response to Our Critics

Roy J. Eidelson Ph.D. on November 8, 2012

Greater awareness, engagement, and guidance are urgently needed in order to prevent ethically fraught aspects of national security psychology from undermining our profession’s most noble aspirations.

Greater awareness, engagement, and guidance are urgently needed in order to prevent ethically fraught aspects of national security psychology from undermining our profession’s most noble aspirations.

Ethics and Morality
Open Letter: The Need for Ethical Accountability in APA

Roy J. Eidelson Ph.D. on September 19, 2012

In this open letter, two psychologists call upon the president of the American Psychological Association to make sure that psychologists implicated in torture and prisoner abuse are held accountable by the APA's Ethics Office.

In this open letter, two psychologists call upon the president of the American Psychological Association to make sure that psychologists implicated in torture and prisoner abuse are held accountable by the APA's Ethics Office.

Ethics and Morality
Dr. Frankenstein and the APA's Decade of Monstrosities

Roy J. Eidelson Ph.D. on August 28, 2012

There is no shortage of arenas where the tale of Frankenstein – of science unmoored from values, of ambition unrestrained by conscience – resonates today. One that stands out for many psychologists is the APA’s ongoing embrace of “war on terror” opportunities that have placed U.S. psychologists at the center of coercive interrogations and other human rights abuses.

There is no shortage of arenas where the tale of Frankenstein – of science unmoored from values, of ambition unrestrained by conscience – resonates today. One that stands out for many psychologists is the APA’s ongoing embrace of “war on terror” opportunities that have placed U.S. psychologists at the center of coercive interrogations and other human rights abuses.

Resilience
The Army’s Flawed Resilience-Training Study: A Call for Retraction

Roy J. Eidelson Ph.D. on June 4, 2012

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.

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.