Dr. Helen Smith has written an article about political advocacy and professional organizations. She does a very good job of explaining the issue. I applaud her for having the guts to write about things using her real name. I’m too untrusting of my own field and the powers of political correctness to do the same yet.
She finally dropped the American Psychological Association, which I did after my student membership was up. If I’m honest, I only did it during my last year of graduate school so that I could put it on my resume for when I applied for internship. I recently spoke with a colleage who was conflicted about sending his yearly dues to the APA, because of their political advocacy. I recently gave expert testimony, “in the sticks,” and was expecting what you are taught in graduate school and all the fine books on forensic psychology. I was ready for the question on whether I was a member of the American Psychological Association. I was going to answer that I could not, in good conscience, be a member of an organization with the political advocacy of the APA. But like so many things in the real world, both attorneys just agreed, de facto, to consider me an expert, and nothing was asked. And so it goes. The real world is so much different from the politics of the APA and the notions of academic professors.
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June 6, 2008 at 9:26 am
Helen Smith
If all of us spoke up and signed our names, maybe the profession would change. But I can understand why people don’t. I also give expert testimony. There is nothing wrong with explaining that you do not belong to an organization because of their politics.
June 7, 2008 at 2:04 am
thecountryshrink
Hellen…Your point is well taken. However, I also know that the bias is so pervasive that the vast majority of the rank and file psychologists do not even notice it as being bias and they agree with the advocacy of the APA. Maybe I’m too cynical, but I have a hard time believing that the APA will change its advocacy based on the wishes of a minority percentage of psychologists. But, money talks, and they won’t be getting any of mine unit if, or when, they make changes.
I agree on the testimony issue. When I gave a deposition and explained that I did not belong to the APA because of political differences, no further questions were asked on the subject.
I read your book not long after it came out, and learned a lot from it. Keep up the good work.