Pros And Cons Of Interrogation
Proposition:
Imagine that you are a 19-years old son of Turkish immigrants, returning from a trip abroad to German lands. The police detain you for unexplained reasons and next thing you know is that America pays your parole and you are later turned over to them. Your first encounter with America is not the statue of Liberty but Guantánamo detention camp where you spend your next five years being tortured by military officials and psychologists in inhumane ways.
There are three main arguments of why psychologists shouldn’t be allowed to cooperate in interrogation methods in which prisoners are being tortured.
First, the knowledge of psychologists is powerful and besides inflicting physical pain, they can also cause lifelong psychological …show more content…
They also used nudity to make them feel humiliated and weak; extreme use of heat and cold as well as of loud music and noise to scare them even more. Finally, they relied on prisoners’ phobias. For instance, one of the prisoners was afraid of the darkness so they deliberately kept him almost totally in the dark. Another consultant behavioral scientist, psychologist James Mitchell, recommended that interrogators treat a detainee in such a way as to generate a form of helplessness also known as “learned …show more content…
First, why do we need psychologists in the first place? All psychologists are obligated to adhere to an ethical code. This code varies among different countries; however, one principle is common for all - „do no harm “. Moreover, the American Psychological Association has decided to ban its members from participating in controversial interrogation techniques, including, I quote: "mock executions, simulated drowning, sexual and religious humiliation, stress positions or sleep deprivation." Psychologists who witness such things without attempting to stop the proceedings could lose their APA memberships.
Secondly, psychologist have a potentially powerful knowledge that can help the military in their interrogating techniques. For instance, psychologists' training in human nature and behavior enables them to determine if a detainee is lying or reaching his psychological breaking point, among other things. They can also suggest strategies, like whether a detainee should be yelled at, cajoled, or reasoned
Imagine that you are a 19-years old son of Turkish immigrants, returning from a trip abroad to German lands. The police detain you for unexplained reasons and next thing you know is that America pays your parole and you are later turned over to them. Your first encounter with America is not the statue of Liberty but Guantánamo detention camp where you spend your next five years being tortured by military officials and psychologists in inhumane ways.
There are three main arguments of why psychologists shouldn’t be allowed to cooperate in interrogation methods in which prisoners are being tortured.
First, the knowledge of psychologists is powerful and besides inflicting physical pain, they can also cause lifelong psychological …show more content…
They also used nudity to make them feel humiliated and weak; extreme use of heat and cold as well as of loud music and noise to scare them even more. Finally, they relied on prisoners’ phobias. For instance, one of the prisoners was afraid of the darkness so they deliberately kept him almost totally in the dark. Another consultant behavioral scientist, psychologist James Mitchell, recommended that interrogators treat a detainee in such a way as to generate a form of helplessness also known as “learned …show more content…
First, why do we need psychologists in the first place? All psychologists are obligated to adhere to an ethical code. This code varies among different countries; however, one principle is common for all - „do no harm “. Moreover, the American Psychological Association has decided to ban its members from participating in controversial interrogation techniques, including, I quote: "mock executions, simulated drowning, sexual and religious humiliation, stress positions or sleep deprivation." Psychologists who witness such things without attempting to stop the proceedings could lose their APA memberships.
Secondly, psychologist have a potentially powerful knowledge that can help the military in their interrogating techniques. For instance, psychologists' training in human nature and behavior enables them to determine if a detainee is lying or reaching his psychological breaking point, among other things. They can also suggest strategies, like whether a detainee should be yelled at, cajoled, or reasoned