Town Hall Forums Consider Hoffman Report

The Wright Institute Mentoring Program and the Wright chapter of Psychologists for Social Responsibility (PsySR) recently hosted two town hall forums regarding the recent release of the Hoffman Report. Students, faculty, and members of the community came together to discuss the implications of the American Psychological Association's collusion with the Bush Administration in supporting enhanced interrogation techniques. Speakers at the events included Drs. Deborah Kory, Daniela Kantorová, Anita Barrows,and Steven Kanofsky.

Dr. Kory, a Wright alumna, psychotherapist, political journalist, and social activist, shared research from her dissertation, "Psychotherapists: Healers or Instruments of War?". Dr. Kantorová spoke about parallels between psychologists' involvement with torture in the CIA black sites and their involvement with oppressive systems and state violence in the US, and reminded attendees of their capacity to make positive change as clinicians and activists. Dr. Barrows connected Jungian theory, including the idea of repression of the shadow archetype, with how evil behaviors arise in individuals and systems. Dr. Kanofsky linked the denial of evil in systems to the psychoanalytic concept of splitting, sharing research on nuclear disarmament and the state of Isreali-Palestinian violence.

Student groups explored topics of Islamaphobia, the central missions of psychology, students' relationship to the APA, and action steps around this important issue.