Psychologists Unite Against Torture!

The late psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, who devoted his long scholarly career to exposing “the myth of mental illness” and the danger of big pharmaceutical companies, once called psychiatrists “prostitutes of the dominant ethic.” What he meant was that psychiatrists had a long, troubling history of using science to bolster socially normative values, whether justifying systemic racism, antigay policies, or the medicalization of childhood behavior (e.g., the proliferation of ADHD diagnoses). Szasz regularly referred to a Therapeutic State, which was his name for the powerful alliance that existed between government and mental health professionals. The Therapeutic State, argued Szasz, sought to “remedy” personal and social problems, which it defined as diseases, through confinement (sometimes involuntary), psychopharmacological treatment, and social stigmatization.

Although the nonmedical nature of psychology keeps prescription pads out of the hands of most therapists and researchers, psychologists have played no small role in the values and practices of The Therapeutic State, as defined by Szasz. In the years following the terrorist attacks on 9/11, it was revealed that psychologists associated with the APA (American Psychological Association) had secretly worked with the administration of President George W. Bush to develop legal and ethical justifications and protocols for the enhanced interrogation techniques that were later exposed for what they were: torture. These practices were revealed to the public in 2014 when the Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture was released, detailing the degrading and dehumanizing practices of “re-hydration” and “water-boarding,” among other disturbing practices. The report also detailed the role that two psychologists had played in the interrogations. The 2014 president of the APA, Nadine Kaslow, disavowed the two psychologists involved in the program (James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen) in an open letter, quoting the APA Ethics Committee: “Torture in any form, at any time, in any place, and for any reason is unethical for psychologists and wholly inconsistent with membership in the American Psychological Association.” The so-called enhanced interrogation program was stopped and the collusion of the APA was exposed and curtailed.

President Donald Trump has spoken favorably of reinstituting enhanced interrogation techniques. And even though his Defense Secretary, retired general James Mattis, has argued against the practice, President Trump tends to do things his way. The problem, of course, is much bigger than President Trump. We live in an entrepreneurial age, the Trump Age, in which personal and professional advancement can become post-moral and post-legal. Journalists and scientists work for the highest bidder, and politicians regularly support legislation favored by their donors, or else risk losing their seats. A combination of economic instability and the ongoing erosion of the welfare state have prompted professionals of all stripes to favor personal remuneration and security over ethical standards, integrity, and civic duty. Psychologists have a responsibility to the art of compassionate healing. As a community of therapists and researchers, we must actively resist any and all involvement in torture, regardless of the deal made to enlist our help.