Psychologist's Role in Military Interrogation

Psychologist’s Role in Military Interrogation Kathleen Rose Caldwell Grand Canyon University: Psychology 510-0501 September 21, 2016  The Psychologist’s Role in Military Interrogations Introduction The Aftermath of 911 brought forth new, and unforeseen ethical issues for members of American Psychological Association. In cooperation with the US government, the APA was sanctioned to assist Military Intelligence in interviewing those responsible for the 9/11 attacks. However, matters regarding APA Ethics and Standards maintained ‘conflict of interest’ that arose pertaining to methods deemed ‘enhanced Interrogation techniques.’ On August 7, 2015, The American Psychological Association enacted a new law forbidding members of APA from any/all participation in Military interrogations. The measure passed by a vote of 157-1. It states that psychologists “shall not conduct, supervise, be in the presence of, or otherwise assist any national security interrogations for any military or intelligence entities, including private contractors working on their behalf, nor advise on conditions of confinement insofar as these might facilitate such an interrogation.” American Psychological Association. (August 7, 2015) The quandary of National Security vs. Human Rights issues has created the ever-widening gap between these two entities. Ongoing terrorist attacks have left a mark on the psyche of those responsible for defending the country. Uncertainty, fear, and a basic survival instinct are contributing factors to the divergence between these governing authorities. However, members of the APA are not only bound by the APA Standards and Ethics, but by the mandates of the Geneva Convention. . This paper will address all perspectives of this issue. Not only from the perspective of the American Psychological Association and the ramifications of the Geneva Conference, but also the perspective of the individuals in the United States Military, who were assigned to the noxious task of confronting those who have tread upon American soil, subjecting innocent victims to horrific acts of violence leaving death and mayhem in their paths. These persons of interest that must be questioned about their actions refer to themselves as “Terrorists.” According to Oxford Thesaurus and Dictionary, Terrorism is defined thus: “The Unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.” (en.Oxford dictionaries.com-n.d.). The terrorists, after being arrested, are termed ‘detainees.’ .It is a well-established fact that some of the ‘enhanced methods’ of interrogation are frowned upon n contemporary society. These stipulations were put into effect during the Bush Administration 1994. American Psychological Association. (August 7, 2015) This author posits that it is common knowledge that all human behavior is ‘learned’-- therefore, holds the belief that perhaps, the APA could be of assistance to the Military in re-training Interrogators to embrace a more refined approach in extricating inestimable information from detainees. Conflict in Ethics At this point in time, however, the APA’s new ruling forbids members in assisting in Interrogations due to possible breaches in the Psychologist’s professional oath to APA Principles. The Principles are defined as such: Benevolence and Non-Maleficence Fidelity and Responsibility Integrity Justice Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity The conflict of interest, seems, that the psychologist’s mission is based on Humanistic Approach, and the Military/Central Intelligence Agency is based on protecting and defending a Nation. As one entity is repelled by the actions of another, this author poses the question: “Would it not be in the best interest of all concerned to examine the opposing side, to gain a greater understanding of how they think?” The purpose of doing further research into the conforms of Military Intelligence, is to enlighten and educate the proponents of the APA venue. The following is the Mission statement of the Central Intelligence Agency: “Our Mission: “To be Accountable to the President, Congress, and the American public, the mission of the Directorate of Operations (DO) is to strengthen national security and foreign policy objectives through the clandestine collection of human intelligence (HUMINT) and Covert Action.” Initially, it appears that all parties would be in agreement upon the treatment/questioning of detainees. However, due to (potential) impending ravages upon American citizens, the urgency of CIA to honor their mission, Interrogations may at times been carried out in manners that were contradictory to APA Ethical Standards. Taking into Account Stress Levels of Military In researching what it is like to work in military intelligence, this author was taken aback at the psychological stress one in this position must endure. Author of Back From the Brink: War, Suicide, and PTSD (July 2010) states that the “Dead came back to visit me almost every night.” He would see the faces of families shot execution style, asking him: “Why didn’t you do more to save us?” These recurring nightmares deprived him of sleep, and pushed him to the brink of suicide. This rendition of a day in the life of an Intelligence Officer may help the APA in comprehending the vehemence in which the Interrogators approach their assignments. The most disturbing part of this situation is the additional stress military personnel face due to the therapist’s “Duty to Inform” Standard. If the therapist feels the client is a danger to themselves or others, it must be reported; which could result in an officer losing his post. Hence, the individuals that could be best served by mental health services avoid interaction for the most part, as they are aware of the duality in the therapeutic setting. The soldiers that often need help the most suffer in silence, jeopardizing their safety and that of others. In addition, the ambiguity of previous rulings led to an open door for possible maltreatment to occur. The statute from 2002 memo of the Justice Department defined torture as Acts intentionally causing pain…to level of torture… equivalent to “serious physical injury such as organ failure, impairment of bodily function or even death.” Psychological torture was described as “significant harm lasting months or years…development of an actual mental disorder.” With this broad spectrum of behaviors deemed as acceptable, compounded with possible PTSD symptoms in Military personnel, it is easy for one to understand the scenario in the past. Implementing Cognitive Approaches As psychologist are bound by APA Ethics and Standards, one might ask: Do Military Psychologists have Professional responsibility to help educate and promote non-aggressive tactics to those serving our country? One might concur that this concept may fall under Principles B- Fidelity and Responsibility, C- Integrity, E Personal Rights and Dignity for the Military personnel for which they are employed. Intelligence officers are in agreement concerning the futility of torture, as far back as Roman culture. One of the most heralded quotes on this subject was an excerpt from a letter by Napoleon Bonaparte: "The barbarous custom of having men beaten to extract information on the enemy must be abolished…putting them to torture, produces nothing worthwhile. The poor wretches say anything that comes into their mind that they think the interrogator wishes to know." With the APA’s current disapproval of the actions of Military personnel, perhaps a new task force could be developed to re-introduce cognitive techniques from two of the most successful interrogators of WWll – Hanns Joachim Scharff, and Sherwood Ford Moran. Hanns “Poker-Face” Scharff Scharff was born in Prussia, and served in the German Military. Scharff coined the term t “Barbed wire Psychosis.” This alluded to the prisoner’s feelings of the guilt for surviving, compiled with the shame of being captured/sidelined until the end of the war. Scharff developed a sense of empathy toward the POWs, as they were at the mercy of their captors. The typical scenario for captives was to be enticed with carnal favors. However, Scharff treated the prisoners with dignity, which often times caught them off-guard. According to Scharff, POW interrogations should consist of three phases. Create an atmosphere whereby the prisoner is relaxed/safe. Create small talk, not directly inquiring about military strategy, but asking personal questions regarding where prisoner was deployed/how many others were in his platoon, etc. –Never revealing that any information given was of any importance. Documentation of any/all information revealed. Even minute detail could be a contributing factor in intelligence gathering. The Unequaled Power of an ‘Open Question’ Scharff would question a prisoner of his rank, and if he was a spy or pilot. If the prisoner was non-compliant, “Poker face” would ask an open question: “How do you think we might treat a Spy?” Knowing that spies were most likely faced a firing squad, the POW would assume an attitude of compliance. They knew as soldiers were protected by The Hague and the Geneva Convention. Sherwood Ford Moran Moran’s philosophy was that all small bits of information contributed to what he deemed synalagous with a mosaic. Moran integrated the cognitive approach, stating that a POW was ‘out of the war’ hence was not considered a viable threat any longer. Moran also stressed the importance of sincerity of the interrogators when interacting with the POWs. This is in accordance with Contemporary APA Principles of Benevolence and Non-maleficence, and Principles D, Personal Respect and Dignity. He felt that the interrogator should have knowledge and respect for the captive’s culture. By doing so, they could form a common bond, sharing ideas and attitudes. This was referred to as the “Gentleman’s approach.” Conclusion In light of the perceived Ethics contraindications in the APA’s involvement with the Military, the APA issued an apology, and a statement from Susan H. McDaniel, APA President-elect. Ms. Daniels vows to implement new standards for APA, and insures that they will be enforced. Ms. Daniels acknowledges the inconsistencies in APA standards that brought forth new rulings, and is emphatic about moving Human Rights issues to the forefront. The Goal of this new APA administration is to rebuild the trust in the public, by amending past oversights. References American Psychological Association (August 7, 2015) APA's Council Bans Psychologist Participation in National Security Interrogations Retrieved from: http://www.apa.org/independent-review/key-provisions-policy.aspx APA Final Report. (August 2015) http://www.apa.org/independent-review/APA-FINAL-Report-7.2.15.pdf Capps, R, (july2010. Volume 29 no. 71407-1410) Back From The Brink: War, Suicide, And PTSD doi10.1377/hlthaff.2009.0827 Health Affairs. Retrieved from: http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/29/7/1407.full Central Intelligence Agency CIA (August 3, 20160 Mission Statement and Core Values. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/offices-of-cia/clandestine-service/our-mission.html Fitsankis, J. (2014) Department of Defense Employees’ Guide to the Standards of Conduct http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/defense_ethics/resource_library/employee_guide.pdf Goodman-Delahunty, J., Martschuk, N., & Dhami, M. (2014). Interviewing High Value Detainees: Securing Cooperation and Disclosures Applied Cognitive Psychology, 28 (6), 883-897 DOI: 10.1002/acp.3087 Retrieved from: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2014/12/11/rapport-building-interrogation-is-more-effective-than-torture/ 9 PSYCHOLOGIST’S ROLE IN MILITARY INTERROGATION PSYCHOLOGIST’S ROLE IN MILITARY INTERROGATION 1