Letter from the President
Greetings to Everyone,
We had a very rewarding and productive three-day, mid-winter meeting of the board in Gainesville, Florida, my home base. On the first day, with the help of Marty Heesacker, the chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Florida, we offered two workshops for continuing education credit, advertising them statewide. The first workshop "The Relational Encounter: Curative Artistry and Constructivist Therapy" was led by Larry Leitner; the second workshop "Existence and Spirit: An Inquiry into Therapy's Mystical Core" was led by Kirk Schneider and Ed Mendelowitz. Both were very well attended and produced a profit for the Division of approximately $2000.00.
With 19 board members present, we were able to cover many topics, which you will read about in the minutes. It was particularly nice to interact with the new board members. A part of this interaction was captured on video tape by Marco Gemignani, one of my graduate students, who convened a group to discuss what the post-modern revolution has to offer for humanistic thought. He plans to show it in the hospitality suite in Toronto. With The Humanistic Psychologist now on track through the hard work of our new editor, Larry Leitner, we were able to attend to some of the basic maintenance and developmental issues of the Division. Everyone agreed that we need a Humanistic Continuity Officer who will see that all the organizational boxes stay in order despite the fact that the President of the Division changes from year to year. One proposal was to have this person, appointed for six-year renewable terms, see that the handbook of the Division is kept up to date and to assist the President in organizational affairs. In this regard, Rom Brafman, another of my graduate students, recently completed a thorough revision of the old handbook and distributed it to the board members present.
Another major issue, receiving careful attention, was the area of membership needs. A first step was taken by April Metzler, program chairperson, and Daniel Helminiak, hospitality suite chairperson, in proposing a reception in the hospitality suite for new members and having a poster session for student papers scheduled during one of the social hours at the Toronto APA meeting so that more direct encouragement of young humanistic psychologists can take place. Further development of these ideas was proposed by Kathleen Wall who would like us to begin an early career award for outstanding new talent. In every respect we need to attend to developmental and recruitment issues. If anyone is interested in helping with any of these matters, please contact me directly at epting@ufl.edu.
I look forward to hearing from you and seeing some of you in Toronto. Before I close this letter, however, I must confess that all I have written here has been done with a very heavy heart because of my awareness of world conditions. I urge everyone to work unstintingly for world peace.
Franz Epting
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From the Editor
Hi All:
The photos above, graciously contributed by President-Elect Art Lyons, illustrate the enjoyable and fruitful mid-winter meeting in Gainesville, Florida. At left, President Franz Epting proudly displays the Division 32 oilcan, engraved with the names of the Division's presidents and symbolic of greasing the squeaks in our wheels of provocative thought. On the right, Kirk Schneider, co-presenter with Ed Mendelowitz of the workshop "Existence and Spirit: An Inquiry into Therapy's Mystical Core," animatedly addresses his audience.
In this issue you will read about your candidates for President and Members-at-Large, and Mike Arons offers a tribute to Dr. Earl Brown, who passed away in December 2002.
The Division 32 listserv has become a lively forum as its subscribers discuss the innovative ways to apply humanistic psychology universally. By treating humanistic psychology as a global psychology, we can further understand the human condition as we research human experiences across cultures, especially now in this time of war. Stress, anger, and depression induce identity crises, which in turn affect the choices we make for which we must take responsibility. As Gayle Privette (2001) points out in the Handbook of Humanistic Psychology: Leading Edges in Theory, Research, and Practice, identity confusion and blurred awareness result in ineffective behavior. Thus, this is an exhilarating time to be involved in Division 32 and its listserv. If you haven't yet subscribed to the listserv, visit the Division 32 website or contact Listserv Manager Mary Fox for details.
Elli Winer
| 25th Annual APA 5K "Ray" Race and Walk Saturday, August 9, 2003, in Toronto! Register early - details inside! |
Your Candidates for President
Scott D. Churchill
I earned a Ph.D. in clinical phenomenological psychology at Duquesne University in 1984 and have been an active participant on the Division 32 Executive Committee for many years - serving on the Editorial Board of the division journal (since 1984), as Awards Chair (1992-1996), Liaison to the Science Directorate (1994-1996), Affiliate Membership Chair (1995-1996), Membership Chair (1996-1997), Human Science Chair (1996 to present), and Diversity Committee (1998 to present). President-Elect Art Lyons recently asked me to be Program Chair for the 2004 convention in Hawaii.
Currently Chairman and Director of Graduate Programs in Psychology at the University of Dallas, my professional focus has been on the development of phenomenological and hermeneutic research methodologies; I have taught classes in a wide range of topics, from social and clinical psychology to film studies and chimpanzee politics. More recently I have been working to help develop Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots program here in Dallas.
My recent publications include articles in the APA's Encyclopedia of Psychology (Oxford, 2001); chapters in the Handbook of Humanistic Psychology (Sage, 2001); and in Ron Valle's Phenomenological Inquiry: Existential and Transpersonal Dimensions (Plenum Press, 1998), as well as articles in Constructivism in the Human Sciences, The Psychotherapy Patient, Somatics, and the Journal of Phenomenological Psychology.
As President of Division 32, I will propose ways of increasing our membership, and thereby our presence within the APA, as well as ways of increasing publication of humanistic, phenomenological, and transpersonal research, which in turn will lead to better representation in psychology textbooks.
Louise Sundararajan
I received my Ph.D. in History of Religions from Harvard University and my Ed.D. in Counseling Psychology from Boston University. Currently a forensic psychologist and President of the International Society for the Study of Human Ideas on Ultimate Reality and Meaning, I am serving my second term on the Executive Board of Division 32. My vision for humanistic psychology finds an eloquent expression in Sarasvati, the Hindu goddess of learning. Literally "the flowing one," Sarasvati is also a river Goddess who is usually depicted as wearing a white "sari" and holding a vina (string instrument), sitting upon a swan or lotus flower. I believe we can increase membership and academic standing of humanistic psychology if we let Sarasvati's love for learning guide our efforts. More specifically:
Your Candidates for Member-at-Large
Mary M. Fox
If I were to be the Member-at-Large to the Executive Committee, I would hope to contribute by developing the listserv further. Presently we have a wonderful printed newsletter and fine journal; by developing more online presence as a complement, we can increase the reach of our publications with virtually no further expense. As Member-at-Large, I would seek to make use of the full membership list to invite greater listserv participation. Professionally, I have a strong commitment to teaching in areas of psychology (ethics, assessment, psychology and women) and in women's studies (feminism, gender, health).
Harris Friedman
Harris Friedman received his Ph.D. from Georgia State University and interned at the University of Florida, both in humanistically oriented programs, and has been a member of Division 32 for over two decades. He practices psychology in Florida and is on the Executive Faculty at Saybrook Graduate School. He co-edits the International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, researches and writes in the areas of humanistic and transpersonal psychology, and actively participates in social and environmental causes. He envisions a humanistic psychology that leads and inspires mainstream psychology, as opposed to one marginalized as a subfield that merely "does its own thing."
Maureen O'Hara
From my role as President of Saybrook Graduate School, I hear that for newer generations of students, humanistic and transpersonal psychology must address today's issues. We are often seen as an anachronistic "in group" looking at the world through the rearview mirror. We need some "future consciousness." I would propose that at a mid-winter meeting we organize a serious planning retreat focused on defining a new coherent vision for the next decade. It is vital that we take on the challenges of a declining and aging membership and the need to identify new voices in our publications and Division leadership.
Kathleen Wall
As your representative, I will combine high aspirations with real results based on my administrative experiences in mental health and academia. I have practiced humanistic and transpersonal psychotherapies for 25 years, teach at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, and counsel diverse students at San Jose State University. I relish giving a voice to psychologists integrating mind, body, and spirit for people of diverse cultures. Through Division 32, I will continue to articulate these views in APA. I currently serve as Awards Chairperson. I look forward to hearing and representing your views. Email: kwall@itp.edu
25th Annual APA 5K "Ray" Race and Walk
The annual race and walk at the 2003 Toronto Convention of APA will be held on Saturday morning, August 9, at 7:00 AM. The registration form is available online at www.apa.org/about/division/div47.html or by emailing kcooke@apa.org, calling 202-336-6197, or faxing 202-218-3599. Final information on the venue for the race will appear in the APA Monitor on Psychology, the Division 47 website, and in your convention packet. If you pre-register, you will be notified via email or post. Pre-registration will run until August 1; the entry form and fee must be received by that date. The entry fee for pre-registered runners is $20.00, which includes a commemorative shirt, raffle chance, and post-race refreshments. Past August 1, Convention and day-of-race registration fee is $25.00. Pre-registration for students is $10.00, and convention/day-of-race student registration is $14.00. PLEASE pre-register to help avoid too many convention and day-of-race registrations.
Mid-Winter Board Meeting, Gainesville, FL, January 31, 2003
Franz Epting, April Metzler, April Faidley, Kathleen Wall, Art Lyons, Bob Frager, Will Wadlington, Kirk Schneider, Connie Fischer, Mike Arons, Mark Stern, Marc Celentana, Louise Sundararajan, Marsha Hammond, Scott Churchill, Ilene Serlin, Mary Fox, Daniel Helminiak, Elli Winer, Harris Friedman
I. The minutes of the last board meeting were approved.
II. Announcements and administrative concerns - Franz Epting.
a. The handbook has been revised by UF student Rom Brafman. All comments should be forwarded to Rom. When the final draft is approved, a copy will be forwarded to Sarah Jordan at Division Services of APA.
b. President Epting proposed that we consider appointing an Executive Officer, for a term of 5 or 6 years, to give continuity to the executive functioning. Discussion ensued as to whether or not these duties could be distributed among the present board members or if we should create this new position. The proposal will be considered at the next board meeting.
c. Lara Honos-Webb will be our Liaison to the Board of Educational Affairs.
d. Connie Fischer has been appointed to chair our Accreditation Committee and be our resource person to liaison with the APA Accreditation Committee. Connie described briefly the process of Duquesne achieving APA accreditation and the positive transitions the program went through over the 8 years of preparation for it.
e. Connie Fischer has assumed the Member-at-Large position vacated by Stella Resnick.
f. Members-at-Large: To facilitate Members-at-Large assuming responsibilities within the governance, the following additions to the handbook were proposed and accepted: In the Members-at-Large section, "Members at Large are encouraged to participate actively in executive board activities through membership on committees and special projects." In the President section, "The President assists incoming Members-at-Large to find an appropriate home base within the Division. This home base may include Division committees, projects, or special interest groups." Any Members-at-Large who are presently serving and feel they need a more specifically designed role should contact Franz Epting.
III. Treasurer's Report - Marc Celentana.
a. Marc Celentana has assumed the duties of the Treasurer and Fred Massarik is actively pursuing his position as Development Coordinator.
b. The Treasurer's report showed increased expenditures and decreased revenues, with a drain on our assets over the last 1-1/2 years. This is because the money budgeted for the journal accumulated in the treasury over the time the journal was not published. This was then spent during the past year as the journal's publishing schedule was caught up.
c. Reminder: There is a Finance Committee, composed of the Treasurer (chair), Marc Celentana; the Past-President, Larry Leitner; and two appointed members, Art Lyons and Mark Stern. This committee is responsible for overseeing the financial health of the Division. It is a standing committee, whose functioning is detailed in the by-laws.
d. Some concern was voiced that the current Treasurer was not an elected officer, as he was appointed to complete Fred Massarik's term, when Fred agreed to become the Development Coordinator. A motion was made and seconded that for the remainder of this Treasurer's term, any expenditure outside the budget will be approved by the President, in consultation with the Finance Committee. Vote: Aye, 5; No, 2. Motion passed.
IV. Section Reports
a. Transpersonal - Robert Frager. Daniel Helminiak has submitted a proposal to APS for a transpersonal presentation. The Association for Transpersonal Psychology will be housed at ITP. The journal is available on CD. The Association and ITP are doing a joint professional conference next fall or winter. There will be a call for papers. Bob will be endeavoring to improve communication about transpersonal events with the Division. The ITP faculty is going to write a new introductory textbook to impact the field (Prentice Hall has asked for a proposal), and Bob invited anyone interested in the project to contact the ITP faculty.
b. Psychotherapy - Larry Leitner for Art Bohart. The Principles will come out in the journal in the year 2003.
c. Human Science - Scott Churchill. We need to clarify what we mean by 'human science'; Scott will do that. He has spoken to McGraw Hill about the possibility of a textbook compiled by a senior editorial staff. Methods will merge with The Humanistic Psychologist; Scott will be the guest editor of one issue per year.
V. Nominations - Larry Leitner.
a. The following slate was presented and approved: Louise Sundararajan and Scott Churchill for President-Elect; Harris Friedman, Maureen O'Hara, Mary Fox, and Kathleen Wall for Member-at-Large.
b. Robert Frager was named as a replacement for David Van Nuys as a Member-at-Large because David has been unable to attend two consecutive board meetings.
VI. Awards Committee - Kathleen Wall.
a. A motion was made that award recipients be chosen 1½ years prior to the year in which they will receive the award at APA. Passed unanimously.
b. It was moved that to become an awardee the nominees must accept their awards at the APA conference and give a brief address. Under extraordinary circumstances (medical, death in family), the awardee who cannot attend may send a paper and have the award accepted in absentia. Passed unanimously.
c. Nominations were made for the 2004 awards. Two nominees received the highest number of votes. Motions were then made and passed that Charles Tart be given the Maslow Award and Kirk Schneider be given the Rollo May Award. It was further moved and passed that if either or both of these recipients cannot attend APA 2004, no awards will be given.
d. It was moved that it become Division policy to not offer travel/other expense reimbursement to award recipients. Passed unanimously.
VII. Journal - Larry Leitner.
a. The publication of the journal is on schedule and under budget.
b. This year the journal will go to a quarterly publication.
c. Larry Leitner, Editor, was given permission to negotiate aggressively with Lawrence Erlbaum to see if we can reach an agreement to begin publishing the journal in 2004. Should such an agreement be reached, the details will be up to President Franz Epting to work out and sign for the Division.
VIII. Newsletter - Elli Winer
a. The next deadline is March 15.
b. Mike Arons mentioned two past members of the Division who have recently died and there was discussion of whether or not we would have written obituaries in the newsletter. Elli welcomes such submissions.
c. Discussed an email newsletter. The consensus was that we need to continue to mail out newsletters because not every member of the Division has an email account.
IX. Student Awards - Scott Churchill. Four winners were announced: William G. Kueppers, The Practice and Dynamics of Authenticity: An Organic Research Study; James D. Pappas, A construct validity study of the self-expansiveness level form: A multitrait-multimethod matrix and criterion approach; Brittney Beck, The Bridge You'll Never Cross: An Existential-Phenomenological Study of Worry; Melissa J. Klein, Primary author, Client Accounts of Personal Change in Process-Experiential Therapy.
X. Website - Will Wadlington.
a. The handbook will be posted on the website once the final draft has been approved.
b. The newsletter will be posted on the website.
c. Mary Fox suggested that a "teaser" go out by email that would direct individuals to the website. Mark Stern also suggested that the table of contents of the journal, subscription information, and how to buy copies go on the listserv and the website.
XI. Listserv - Mary Fox.
a. We reviewed APA's general subscription notice, including the three basic rules. In addition, the Division can have its own letter going out to subscribers when they sign up for the listserv.
b. Mary noted that a general divisive climate in the country means there have been some heated exchanges on the listserv in which people can get their feelings hurt. One person notified the Division that he/she was withdrawing from the Division because of his/her experience on the listserv. Another individual had felt 'stalked' related to an experience on the listserv. The question of abuse versus freedom of speech was discussed.
c. Two changes are now in place that act as safeguards for listserv functioning: 1) The listserv manager now can direct a 'questionable' individual's email to go through her before it is posted on the listserv (due to more user-friendly software from APA); 2) There is now a back-up manager, Elli Winer. Mary solicited ideas for improving the function of the listserv.
XII. Cluster Programming - Art Bohart, in absentia.
a. A draft of the Cluster I program for the 2003 APA Convention was passed out, along with some of Art's thoughts about it and a document evaluating the program changes, which was adopted by Div. 26 and sent to APA.
b. Don Dewsbury, who drafted the Div. 26 document, was present to discuss the issue with the Board. The critique includes the following points: 1) the cluster program robs too many hours from the divisions, preventing them from having programs with enough substance to serve their division members; 2) divisions within the cluster are not similar to one another, thus making programming that would be of interest to all very difficult; 3) cluster programming fosters a 'cult of personality,' favoring and 'worshipping' the 'big names,' rather than offering interesting content and the opportunity to come into contact with new ideas and new people.
c. The possibility of joining with other divisions to increase the swell of the voice against cluster programming was discussed.
d. April Metzler will be the new cluster representative, beginning in March.
XIII. Program - April Metzler.
a. A draft of the program was passed out. April strongly suggested we qualify our programming for continuing education credits, by having the Chairs of symposia fill out the required APA paperwork.
b. To encourage student participation, April has designed a special social hour for students to present posters about their work. She emphasized that we need members of the Division to speak with the students, give them feedback, and suggest future directions for their work. She passed out the call for papers.
c. Any students interested in volunteering time at the Hospitality Suite should contact April Metzler.
d. Any individuals local to the Toronto area, who could help with some of the advance preparation work on site, please contact April.
e. Will Wadlington noted how difficult it is to put four presentations into a one-hour slot and encouraged presenters to consider a dialogue, rather than trying to present four papers in the small amount of time.
XIV. Membership - Will Wadlington. In regard to increasing membership, the following points were discussed:
a. How can we increase student participation? Could we begin a dialogue on the listserv about the future of humanistic psychology? Could we increase the information on the website about humanistic programs?
b. We could set up a packet, especially for graduates of our programs, that might encourage their continued participation in the Division as professionals. It could link new professionals with dues-exempt members, by including a list of dues-exempt members who are willing to hear from new members.
c. Art Lyons requested an hour of the Hospitality Suite program. He will send letters to new members to elicit their interest in attending this special membership hour. Each section of the Division should plan to have a representative present at this new-members social hour.
d. Will would like to step down as Membership Chair in August. We are actively seeking a replacement.
XV. Council Report - Ilene Serlin.
a. Ilene would like to identify persons interested in succeeding her as Council Representative so they can begin working with her to improve the transition.
b. Mark Stern noted that Council Reps could take different approaches to the position. While Ilene has worked more as a team player, Mark was more of a devil's advocate.
c. Action plan: For the Division to more effectively function in relationship to the council meetings, Art Lyons, at the next mid-winter meeting, will form working subgroups that will split off, meet, and report back to the board.
XVI. Tara Allen, a private practitioner in Gainesville, FL, and artist-in-residence of the Arts-In-Medicine Program at the University of Florida's Shands Teaching Hospital, spoke briefly about her work in arts medicine in Gainesville. She emphasized that there is a psychological component to all physical illness and that creativity heals. Her group tries to bridge psyche and soma. She passed out Amazon organic chocolates.
XVII. It was moved and unanimously passed that a new section, Psychology and the Arts, be created. The section might have an hour in the Hospitality Suite, inviting Div. 10 to join us.
XVIII. It was moved and passed that we direct the Hospitality Suite Chair to ask each section, each year, whether they would like an hour in the Hospitality Suite for a social hour. This will be added to the handbook as one of the responsibilities of the Hospitality Suite Chair.
XIX. Anyone knowing students who would like to be involved in the following year should contact Art Lyons, who will be appointing student representatives for his term of office as president.
XX. Archivist - Mike Arons.
a. There is a new listserv being created called chinamerica@westga.edu, because of the interest in humanistic psychology in China.
b. CHTP: The Consortium on Diversified Psychology Programs (CDPP), created by Clark Moustakas to facilitate the accreditation of humanistic programs, has transformed itself into the Council for Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychologies. It endeavors to be a service center, a bridge organization between universities, to exchange resources and teachers and to consider the development of a new vocation, divorced from the medical model, expanding into new fields. There will be a meeting next fall and a meeting with presentations next October at St. Mary's College in Moraga. Mike Arons will represent the Division at the CHTP meetings. Bob Frager will also attempt to attend.
c. West Georgia will be updating the Humanistic Programs Directory, and it will be linked to the CHTP site.
XXI. Opposition to standardized tests.
a. Considerable concern was expressed about accountability reforms in education and their use of standardized tests. This direction in education is against what humanistic psychology has believed, researched, and fought for, such as imagination, creativity, emotional intelligence, and individualized evaluation. Research data that reveals the limits of standardized tests was noted. The Division will begin making contacts with others of similar consciousness to determine where we can contribute. Kathleen Wall will initiate some contacts and bring them to the next meeting, endeavoring to determine who is like-minded and what actions they are taking. Howard Gardner, Dan Goldman, Janet Helman, and Clara Hill are potential allies. From another perspective, Art Lyons mentioned that schools are finally being held accountable to teach ALL of their children, and that has interrupted some incredible inertia in schools.
b. An important aspect of changing public opinion is language and metaphor. Connie Fischer noted that we can begin to use such terms as individualized assessment (as opposed to standardized assessment) and life validity (a measure may have construct validity and predictive validity, but not life validity)<./p>
c. Louise Sundararajan encouraged everyone to express views about this issue on the Dialogues listserv.
Respectfully submitted by April Faidley, Secretary.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Constructivist Psychology Section welcomes new members. It is open to those interested in constructivist, constructionist, narrative, and postmodern approaches to psychological theory, practice, and research. Those joining both the Constructivist Psychology Section and the North American Personal Construct Network (NAPCN) receive a discount on NAPCN dues. Learn more at http://www2.newpaltz.edu/~raskinj/NAPCNmain.htm.
Steven Hendlin, Ph.D., is writing The Inheritance Taboo: Resolving the Emotional Issues for Plume Books (Penguin-Plume). The book will be the first to focus on the psychological and emotional issues surrounding financial inheritance and will be published late this year. Dr. Hendlin is a longtime Div. 32 member and served as its Program Chair for the 1991 APA Convention in San Francisco.
Ideal for classroom adoption, The Handbook of Humanistic Psychology: Leading Edges in Theory, Research, and Practice, edited by Kirk Schneider, James F.T. Bugental, and J. Fraser Pierson is available at a much reduced cost in paperback. Former APA President M. Brewster Smith wrote, "I know of no better source for either insiders or outsiders to grasp what humanistic psychology is about, and what either insiders or outsiders should do about it."
Division 32 would like to invite all students to submit proposals for a special social hour featuring student work in humanistic psychology. Posters can reflect any area related to humanistic psychology and can be either theoretical- or research-oriented. Posters will be presented at the annual APA meeting in Toronto. Proposals should not include work that has already been accepted as part of another presentation in Toronto. Please submit a one-page abstract of your proposed presentation to April Metzler by June 21. Please include a cover sheet with the title of your presentation, authors, your address, email address and phone number. All accepted posters will be presented as part of the division's social hour on August 8 from 6 to 7 PM at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Manitoba Room. This event is sponsored by the North American Personal Construct Network.
Dr. Earl Brown: Diplomat, Personalist, Visionary
by
Mike Arons
Earl Brown died, at 74, on December 22, 2002. Central to the development of Georgia State University's Psychology program with its Gestalt, humanistic, and clinical orientations, he was also instrumental in the creation of Atlanta's Little Five Points, an "intentional community" thriving with colorful shops, cafes, and health food stores.
Apart from Brandeis and Duquesne Universities, virtually all the earliest humanistically oriented psychology/counseling programs were either in California, as expected or, unexpectedly, in the then profoundly backwards Deep South. These early humanistic psychology hotbeds were installed at the University of Florida, originally associated with Sidney Jourard, Art Combs, Ted Landsman et al.; Georgia State, with Earl Brown, Erma-Lee Shepherd, Joan Fagan, et al., and our own program at, then called, West Georgia College. The opening to radical change in education by the new leaders in the South fostered this apparent irony. But also, the South, for all its racism, has a strong disposition toward the personal, the individual, and the artistic - yes, and the rebellious - traits all more recognizable to Southerners in the humanistic orientation than in either a depersonalized, mechanistic, behaviorism or a reductionist Freudian depth psychology.
Earl Brown and his colleagues brought to this "Mind of the South" a rather unfamiliar and even taboo trait: an openness and directness associated with themselves personally and with the Gestalt psychology they refreshingly practiced and expanded in theory. In his clinical practice, "He would cut through to the heart of the matter," noted a colleague, Dr. Thomas Schneider. Eschewing the Freudian model, Brown, a president of the American Academy of Psychotherapists, openly shared experiences and feelings with clients and students. He possessed simultaneously the qualities of the Southern softness of gentleman/diplomat, the personalist, the romantic adventurer, and the rebellious out-spoken visionary.
He was a lovely man with whom I was fortunate enough to share a moment and movement.
Council Report
February 14-16, 2003
I've been thinking a great deal about how to approach this report to you. It seems in many ways that to do business as usual is to participate in a collective American epidemic of denial. We are in extraordinary times; everything is changed. It is a time to look at our priorities, ask who we are as psychologists and humanistic psychologists, search our souls about our own sense of meaning in life, wake up to our own mortality and help our clients do the same.
I have a terrible sense of urgency about trying to do something. And so it seemed synchronistic, meaningful that the APA Council met this weekend in Washington, with the nation on orange alert and airports on high security alert, with soldiers and machine guns visible. The mother of all snowstorms was brewing, and we were not assured of being able to get out of town. I was sequestered at the Capitol Hilton, within spitting distance from the White House.
I have a terrible and familiar feeling about the man at the top in America. It reminds me of the three years I spent working in the locked unit of the psychiatric floor in a municipal city hospital in West Texas. Sheriffs would bring men involved in shootouts outside the saloon into this unit; these men would be walked into my group wearing white sheets, with manacles on their wrists and sometimes ankles. Down in Texas they had a diagnosis for such hostile and aggressive behavior. Why can't psychology today find the pathology in such behavior? Perhaps we humanistic psychologists can pass a new diagnostic category for the disorder of extreme antisocial behavior. Isn't there a role for psychologists here?
Crippling snowstorms, shuttle flights bursting into flame and plunging to death, rattling of nuclear sabers. Portentous signs, Biblical even. What is the best wisdom here, and what should I do?
So I went to Washington, despite that some of my colleagues chose to stay home with their families and my own nervousness about being away from my family. I was hoping that these national psychologists with such high brainpower and insight might collaborate on some constructive thinking. There seemed to be many psychological perspectives on the situation that we might address; for example, what do we know about the origins and prevention of violence?
At Council I found a mix of attitudes. One colleague told me that he thought APA should stay out of politics. Others were worried about the war; some thought that the situation in Iraq was a "white elephant in the middle of the room" about which no one was talking. So I sought out colleagues from other humanistic divisions, especially Division 48 (Peace Psychology) and Division 9 (Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues). I became a co-sponsor of Division 48's initiative to create a task force focusing on the prevention of terrorism. This proposal, co-sponsored by Divisions 9, 32, and 48 (and perhaps others), was on the agenda for the February Council meeting.
Called the "Task Force on the Psychological Effects of Efforts to Prevent Terrorism," it requested funds to investigate and publish results of a study on realistic ways to break out of "the negative, mutually provocative cycle(s) of violence and retaliation that characterize terrorism to be distributed to all APA members, all Boards and Committees, APA Divisions and affiliated State and Regional Associations and the general public." Distribution and publicity would be handled by the Office of Public Interest and the Public Policy Office of the APA.
This proposal, already defeated in the August 2002 Council meeting, re-emphasized its focus on prevention, thus responding to Council's concern that it duplicated efforts of APA to establish a task force on terrorism. This time it passed. The text of the motion read:
Subject: Task Force on the Psychological Effects of Efforts to Prevent Terrorism.
Mover: Paul Kimmel, Ph.D, representing Division 48.
Issue: "Terrorism continues to be a concern for US citizens. Psychology can contribute to the prevention of terrorism and the concerns that it causes. We propose an APA sponsored Task Force on the Psychological Effects of Efforts to Prevent Terrorism. The Task Force will consider the effects that current strategies to prevent terrorism are having on acts of terrorism and on the American public. Current strategies may fail or lead to unintended consequences due to a lack of psychological insights.
The Task Force will consider psychological processes that provoke terrorism, such as stereotyping, compartmentalization, enemy images, attribution error, self-fulfilling prophecies and group think. It will assess current strategies in terms of the tensions and fears caused by these processes with the goal of assisting both potential perpetrators and victims of terrorism in finding the best ways to resolve their problems. Current strategies will be critiqued and new strategies suggested based on the latest scientific and clinical information. The Task Force will examine programs in restorative justice, non-violence, mediation and citizen diplomacy to generate the new strategies. The Task Force will be organized by the APA Board of Directors in consultation with Divisions 9 and 48 [*and, I hope, Division 32]."
If this task force does, indeed, help us open a door to a realistic dialogue about how ordinary people can live in such extraordinary times, then it seems as if humanistic psychology would have a great deal to add to this dialogue. My own thoughts are that this is very much a time for psychology (especially humanistic psychology) to find a consensual perspective on the prevention of violence. Like the Vatican, psychology could consult with a "crucial and special role in the debate" (The New York Times, Feb. 22, 2003).
So I welcome your comments. Please let me know your thoughts about how humanistic psychology is relevant to the prevention of terrorism. We might even, for example, open a dialogue box in the Newsletter or online for an ongoing exchange of ideas on this subject. You can reach me at iserlin@ileneserlin.com.
Respectfully Submitted, Ilene A. Serlin, Council Representative from Division 32
Correction: The last column of the table in the Fall 2002 issue reflects the change in membership from 2001 to 2002.
Join Division 32!
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