Examination of the Hoffman Report: Probing the American Psychological Association (APA)'s Activities
The past few weeks have seen a storm of revelations regarding the American Psychological Association (APA) and its involvement in torture interrogations. On July 2, 2015, the Hoffman Report, formally known as the "Independent Review Relating to APA Ethics Guidelines, National Security Interrogations, and Torture," was published.
The 542-page final report, conducted by attorneys from the law firm Sidley Austin, LLP, including David Hoffman, Danielle Carter, Cara Viglucci Lopez, Heather Benzmiller, Ava Guo, Yasir Latifi, and Daniel Craig, detailed the APA's practices regarding the relaxing of ethical standards for psychologists involved in such interrogations.
The investigation, which spanned 6 months, reviewed over 50,000 documents, and conducted over 200 interviews with 148 people, has triggered a wave of reactions and analyses throughout the week. Various news outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Washington Post have published articles about the Hoffman Report.
John M. Grohol, Psy.D., in his article "American Psychological Association's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week" published on July 19, 2015, noted the APA's response to the report, which has been met with calls for certain individuals to be fired and radical reform at the organisation. Only one individual, Stephen Behnke, was actually fired.
Newsweek published an article on July 18, 2015, titled "How the Largest Association of U.S. Psychologists Colluded in Torture." The article delved into the allegations of manipulation of the APA's Council of Representatives.
The Boston Globe published "Report on interrogation tactics roils academics: Psychologists linked to Harvard defend work with Pentagon" on July 20, 2015. The report also mentioned that some individuals declined to meet or respond to requests during the investigation.
In response to the Hoffman Report, Psychologists for Social Responsibility (PsySR) released a PDF document, and Gerald P. Koocher and Ronald F. Levant published a document on July 14, 2015. The Coalition for an Ethical Psychology had published "Coalition Open Letter on APA Complicity in Torture Interrogations" on August 11, 2010.
Carol Goodheart and other APA officials responded to the August 2010 open letter from the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology by initiating a review of the APA's ethical guidelines and addressing concerns related to psychologists' involvement in detainee interrogations.
The Hoffman Report's events under investigation occurred 10 to 11 years ago for the APA task force report and 13 to 19 years ago for the ethics code revision. The report's publication has sparked a renewed interest in these past practices, with The American Psychologist publishing articles on the topic.
The American Lawyer published "Sidley Partner Rattles Psychology Field with Torture Report" on July 18, 2015. The Guardian published an article titled "'A national hero': psychologist who warned of torture collusion gets her due" on July 13, 2015.
John M. Grohol, Psy.D., also published "Did the American Psychological Association's Board Violate DC Law?" on July 16, 2015, questioning the APA's actions in light of the report's findings. Democracy Now! published "Torture, impunity and the American Psychological Association" on July 16, 2015, discussing the implications of the report and the APA's response.
The APA published a letter to its Council of Representatives on July 20, 2015, outlining its plans for moving forward in the wake of the Hoffman Report. The future of the APA remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the Hoffman Report has shone a light on the organisation's past practices and sparked a much-needed conversation about ethics in psychology.
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