By Richard R. Kilburg, Ph.D.
APA’s recent publication of the Hoffman Report and its subsequent policy decisions and associated actions by Divisions and other related organizations are all based on what is, in essence, the face validity of the Report itself and the self-reported processes that the Hoffman legal team used to construct its findings. Many have called for wide-ranging, new initiatives based on those findings and some of those calls, including those for revisions in the APA Ethics Code and Standards, could have significant long lasting effects on the science and professional practices of every member of the Association. Before further action is taken based on the Report, it seems reasonable to require that APA’s Board of Directors and Council of Representatives take responsible steps to examine the validity of the Report and its findings. This is fully in keeping with the history and central values of the science of psychology, which require that any findings, particularly those thought to be extremely innovative or sufficiently controversial, be fully examined and challenged before being accepted into the common cannon of psychological theory and practice. In light of this, it seems reasonable to require that the Board of Directors and Council of Representatives take appropriate actions to mobilize the resources of the Association to those ends. Among the steps that must be considered include requests to:
APA’s recent publication of the Hoffman Report and its subsequent policy decisions and associated actions by Divisions and other related organizations are all based on what is, in essence, the face validity of the Report itself and the self-reported processes that the Hoffman legal team used to construct its findings. Many have called for wide-ranging, new initiatives based on those findings and some of those calls, including those for revisions in the APA Ethics Code and Standards, could have significant long lasting effects on the science and professional practices of every member of the Association. Before further action is taken based on the Report, it seems reasonable to require that APA’s Board of Directors and Council of Representatives take responsible steps to examine the validity of the Report and its findings. This is fully in keeping with the history and central values of the science of psychology, which require that any findings, particularly those thought to be extremely innovative or sufficiently controversial, be fully examined and challenged before being accepted into the common cannon of psychological theory and practice. In light of this, it seems reasonable to require that the Board of Directors and Council of Representatives take appropriate actions to mobilize the resources of the Association to those ends. Among the steps that must be considered include requests to: