Public Policy Committee
Chairs
Glenda Russell and Janis Bohan
Mission
The training that many of us received in psychology urged us to separate scholarship from advocacy, to eschew the political in favor of the “purely” scholarly—or even the purely scientific. However, we disagree with this urging on two levels:
First, we argue that it is impossible to separate scholarship from the political realities of our lives. At every stage of our professional work—whether that be research, consulting, teaching, clinical practice, or other work as psychologists—we make choices that reflect values, and those values, in turn, have political implications. From this perspective, to refuse to assume a (political) stance is not to be apolitical; it is to condone by silence the status quo. While we may choose to do that, we recognize that it is not an apolitical choice; indeed, all such choices have political meaning.
Second, we believe that, as members of the human community, we are obligated to contribute where and when we can to the betterment of the human condition. In the spirit of this conviction, we believe that, as members of this, the largest professional association of psychologists, we have a unique opportunity to bring psychological knowledge to bear in matters of public policy.
Recent Activities
With these convictions as background, the Public Policy Committee strives to be open to issues as they arise and to respond where we have the resources to do so. For example, we have sent materials and provided consultations to government officials and psychologists in states that are facing anti-LGBT ballot issues. We have engaged in letter-writing on a variety of matters, including in response to a very homophobic ad aired during the past year’s Super Bowl. We aim to determine collectively what issues we might address as they evolve and to craft responses that are in the best traditions both of a commitment to positive social change and adherence to the best scholarly practices of the discipline.
What You Can Do
Our activities are constrained primarily by the number of committee members willing to be involved in these efforts. Please consider joining us and sharing this opportunity to use psychology for the greater good in the public sphere. If you are interested in participating in our deliberations and in future efforts, please email the committee co-chairs.