A thought-provoking, unflinching, scrupulously documented account
of one of the darkest chapters in the recent history of psychology.
Doing
Harm pries open the black
box on a critical chapter in the recent history of psychology: the
field’s enmeshment in the so-called war on terror and the ensuing
reckoning over do-no-harm ethics during times of threat. Focusing on
developments within the American Psychological Association (APA) over
two tumultuous decades, Roy Eidelson exposes the challenges that
professional organizations face whenever powerful government agencies
turn to them for contributions to ethically fraught endeavours.
In
the months after 9/11 it became clear that the White House, the
Department of Defense, and the Central Intelligence Agency were
prepared to ignore well-established international law and human
rights standards in prosecuting the war on terror. It was less clear,
however, that some of Eidelson’s fellow psychologists would become
part of the abusive and torturous operations at overseas CIA black
sites and Guantanamo Bay. Nor was it initially clear that this
ruthless enterprise would garner acquiescence and support from the
APA’s leadership.
Doing
Harm examines how and why
the APA failed to join human rights groups in efforts to constrain
the US government’s unbridled pursuit of security and retribution.
It recounts an ongoing struggle - one that has pitted APA leaders set
on preserving strong ties to the military-intelligence establishment
against dissident voices committed to prioritizing do-no-harm
principles.