AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

The 'American Psychological Association' (APA) is a professional organization representing psychology in the US and Canada.

Contents

Description and history

Awards

The ''Psychologically Healthy Workplace'' program

See also

References

External links

Description and history

The association has around 150,000 members and an annual budget of around $70m. The APA mission statement is to ''advance psychology''

★ ''as a science and profession and

★ ''as a means of promoting health, education, and human welfare by the encouragement of psychology in all its branches in the broadest and most liberal manner;

★ ''by the promotion of research in psychology and the improvement of research methods and conditions;

★ ''by the improvement of the qualifications and usefulness of psychologists through high standards of ethics, conduct, education, and achievement;

★ ''by the establishment and maintenance of the highest standards of professional ethics and conduct of the members of the Association;

★ ''by the increase and diffusion of psychological knowledge through meetings, professional contacts, reports, papers, discussions, and publications;

★ ''thereby to advance scientific interests and inquiry, and the application of research findings to the promotion of health, education, and the public welfare.[1]
The APA was founded in July 1892 at Clark University by a group of 26 men. Its first president was G. Stanley Hall. There are currently 54 professional divisions in the APA. It is affiliated with 58 state and territorial and Canadian provincial associations.
APA policy on the use of the title ''psychologist'' is contained in the General Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services: "Psychologists have a doctoral degree in psychology from an organized, sequential program in a regionally accredited university or professional school" and suggests "refer[ence] to master's-level positions as counselors, specialists, clinicians, and so forth (rather than as 'psychologists')." A definition of ''psychology'' is offered: "the study of the mind and behavior."^[1].
Due to the dominance of clinical psychology in APA, several research-focused groups having broken away from APA. These include the Psychonomic Society in 1959 (with a primarily cognitive orientation), and the Association for Psychological Science (which changed its name from the American Psychological Society in early 2006) in 1988 (with a broad focus on the science and research of psychology). Within APA, the Science Directorate provides support and voice for psychological scientists.
APA is perhaps best known for APA style, a writing style and formatting standard widely used in the social sciences (especially psychology), and is occasionally confused with the American Psychiatric Association (who also use the acronym APA).
When it emerged that psychologists are advising interrogators in Guantánamo and other US facilities on improving the effectiveness of torture, the Association refused to advise its members not to participate in such interrogations. ^[2] APA's Ethics Office advised psychologists to continue to follow the ethics rules set forth over the years in order to respect individual rights and the good of society.^[3] In contrast, the American Psychiatric Association in May 2006 banned all direct participation in interrogations by psychiatrists,^[4] and the American Medical Association in June 2006 banned the direct participation in interrogations of physicians.^[5] Several members of the commission who had drafted the APA report had worked for the US military, security and intelligence agencies.^[6]

Awards

Each year, the APA recognizes top psychologists with the "Distinguished Contributions" Awards; these awards are the highest honors given by the APA, and among the highest honors that a psychologist or psychology researcher can receive.

★ Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Psychology (Early Career / Senior)

★ Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest (Early Career / Senior)

★ Award for Distinguished Scientific Applications of Psychology

★ Award for Distinguished Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology

★ Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research

★ Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Practice in the Public Sector

★ Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology

The ''Psychologically Healthy Workplace'' program

The Psychologically Healthy Workplace is a program sponsored by the American Psychological Association designed to promote better employment practices. The program and award recognizes employers that provide outstanding work environments and programs in five key areas: Employee Involvement, Work-Life Balance, Employee Growth and Development, and Employee Recognition. Awards are given at the state and national level.
2007 national award winners included: El Nuevo Dia, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Healthwise, Koinonia Homes, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities Network.

See also

★ APA style

★ American Psychiatric Association

★ American Psychoanalytic Association

★ Psychonomic Society

★ Rind et al.

References

1. APA: About Us
2. Break them down: Systematic use of psychological torture by US forces (PDF; Physicians for Human Rights); Stephen Soldz: Psychologists, Guantánamo, and Torture: A Profession Struggles to Save Its Soul (ZNet, 3 August 2006); Protecting the Torturers Bad Faith and Distortions From the American Psychological Association (Counterpunch, 6 September 2006); Letter to the CEO of the American Psychological Association (''OpEdNews.com'', 28 November 2006)
3. Ethics and interrogations: Comparing and contrasting the American Psychological, American Medical and American Psychiatric Association positions
4. Statement on Interrogation (PDF file)
5. New AMA ethical policy opposes direct physician participation in interrogation
6. Stephen Soldz: Aid and Comfort for Torturers Psychology and Coercive Interrogations in Historical Perspective (ZNet, 15 April 2007)

External links

★ Website of the APA

★ Professional divisions of the APA

★ American Psychological Association Rejects Blanket Ban on Participation in Interrogation of U.S. Detainees