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9 - Human Rights

A Psychologist’s Path to “Do No Harm”

from Part II - The Intersection of Psychology and Human Rights

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2020

By
Nora Sveaass  and
Linda M. Woolf
Edited by
Neal S. Rubin  and
Roseanne L. Flores
Neal S. Rubin
Affiliation:
Adler University
Roseanne L. Flores
Affiliation:
Hunter College, City University of New York
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Summary

Embedded in psychological ethics is the principle of nonmaleficence – psychologists should endeavor to “do no harm.” Consistent with fundamental human rights, psychologists aim to protect integrity and dignity; secure development and fulfillment of lives; and ensure the well-being of individuals, groups, and communities. Psychological science and practice contains knowledge and insights that can be used to promote these aims. Unfortunately, this knowledge too often has been used to obstruct human integrity, destroy mental capacity and psychological health, and diminish the well-being and security of both persons and peoples. This chapter focuses on ways in which psychologists and psychological knowledge in different ways and at different levels may become part of an abusive culture that both violates human rights and fosters social injustice. In this chapter, we discuss psychologists’ involvement in torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment across a range of settings. Through a case example, we highlight the interplay between direct and structural forms of violence and the path to harm created by ethical decision making devoid of human rights analyses. The need for a clear ethical and human rights–based approach in psychology is argued, including ways of dealing with violations and claiming accountability for crimes against humanity.

Keywords

EthicsTortureOppressionCruelinhumanor degrading treatment or punishment (CIDT)UNCAT (UN Convention Against Torture and Other CruelInhumanor Degrading Treatment or Punishment)AbusePsychologists’ involvementSocial justiceAccountabilityDiscriminationViolationsCIAEnhanced interrogation
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Human Rights , pp. 135 - 149
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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