A Human Rights and Ethics Crisis Facing the World's Largest Organization of Psychologists: Accepting Responsibility, Understanding Causes, Implementing Solutions

• Published in: European psychologist 2019, Vol.24 (2), p.180-194
• Main Author: Pope, Kenneth S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: American Psychological Association; Ethics; Human; Human Rights; Organizational Crises; Policy Making; Professional Ethics; Responsibility; Torture
• ISSN: 1016-9040; 1878-531X
• DOI: 10.1027/1016-9040/a000341

A crisis of human rights and ethics has engulfed the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA acknowledged "this stain on our collective integrity." What caused this continuing crisis? How did the APA become so ethically lost that the president-elect announced the need to reset their moral compass? This article documents decisions and policies that address those questions. It reviews factors that weaken our defense of human rights and ethics, such as confusing the map with the territory, legal duties with ethical duties, guild ethics with professional ethics, and effective methods with ethical methods. It considers cultural, racial, and religious aspects of the crisis. It examines the dangers of euphemism and ambiguity and maps the failure of prohibitions, policies, and public pronouncements. It traces organizational tendencies to point fingers elsewhere, outsource ethics, and roll back reforms. It highlights our responsibility to search actively for opposing views and disconfirming information to help us overcome confirmation bias, GroupThink, WYSIATI (What You See Is All There Is) bias, optimistic bias, and false consensus. It discusses the APA's crisis in the context of the rollback of human rights in most countries and the US's growing public support for torture. It notes current controversies, including reform rollbacks, subordinating ethics to the power of the state, and three lawsuits alleging false and defamatory statements made with malice. The article suggests six principles to help bring APA's continuing crisis to an end and prevent future crises.