On Thursday March 9th, a lecture known as Psychologists of Fortune: How APA Enabled the Torture of Suspected Terrorists was held in East Hall discussing how military psychologists play a role in military detention centers.

The speaker for the lecture was none other than Dr. John Mehm and he utilizes his background in professional psychology and mental health to reach out to the attendees.

The lecture was to spread information regarding the terrorists attacks of 2001, leading into the interrogations of detainees in Guantanamo Bay and the psychologists that are involved in the process.

“One of the things that I hope to accomplish is to spread information to people in psychology in particular so that understand this very complicated series of events and see how psychologists became involved with the enhanced interrogation,” Director of Graduate Institution of Psychology John Mehm said.

American Psychological Association was the main topic of discussion and has over 130,000 members that include professional psychologists, experimental psychologists and even students.

“Psychologists got involved in the interrogations as monitors, that’s where the military psychologists were just primarily involved as monitors to see that nothing too bad happen to any of the detainees,” Dr. Mehm went more in depth on the APA. “However what was happening to them was was was awful in many respects and it it was tantamount to torture. So, psychologists were there to basically allow this to happen,” he continues.

Dr. Mehm would like those interested in psychology or military to be aware of the complications of these interrogations and to be prepared for any issues that may be present in the near future.