Candidate Statements

STATEMENTS BY CANDIDATES FOR DIVISION OFFICES 2008

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Joseph de Rivera, PhD

I'm a professor of Psychology at Clark University and director of its peace studies program. Ever since writing The Psychological Dimension of Foreign Policy (back in 1968!) I’ve been doing research on why our government tends to rely on domination rather than leadership and how we may be able to change that pattern. I'm currently editing a Handbook for Building Cultures of Peace for the new Springer series on peace psychology, and believe it will be available for APA. My next work will be aimed at peace movement strategy, at how psychologists may help encourage the resolution of conflicts within the peace movement, and how nonviolent action may be used to encourage the establishment of an effective Department of Peace. I believe that a properly organized department, supported by a knowledgeable peace movement, can help our own government and culture become more peaceful.

I fully support the work being done by our current membership and our efforts to reach out to other divisions. If elected, I would like to also work on having our division establish connections with psychologists working in the fields of intergroup relations and political psychology so that peace psychology might foster relations between basic research and social activists.


Julie Meranze Levitt, PhD

The Peace Society has been strongly committed to research and to the application of principles concerned with peaceful communities and social justice, areas central to my belief system and professional work. I work as a clinical and school psychologist, as a community advocate, and as a convener of groups of people brought together for dialogue, education, and change.

My undergraduate work, at the University of Pennsylvania, was in International Relations, and my doctoral work in psychology was at Yeshiva University . I have had two years of post-doctoral training, one in child clinical psychology at St. Christopher's Hospital of Philadelphia, and the other at Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic, in structural family therapy. I continued on the staff of the clinic with a concentration on abusive practices in families, their causes, and ways that the community can work to ameliorate them. Following my tenure at the Clinic, I became a volunteer faculty member of the then Marriage Council of Philadelphia, part of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, Division of Family Studies. From 1981 to 1995 I supervised trainees from several disciplines and culturally diverse backgrounds and lectured on topics related to children, couples, and families. An ongoing area of focus has been the treatment of children and families who experienced trauma. Currently I am in private practice. I concentrate my volunteer efforts in areas of inter-group conflict and mobilizing communities to join anti-violence initiatives through promoting legislation and developing processes that bring disparate groups together as partners. As Public Policy Chair of my local guild organization, I am working on a plan to develop greater second response capability in time of crisis. Within my state organization I am raising issues related to the status of psychologists working in the military, in prisons, and in other circumstances where psychologists may find themselves in conflict with their employers and with the ethics associated with their duties.

My background includes Holocaust research, focusing on resiliency of victims, and research and practice that has been concerned with trauma and outcomes based on systems models. Systems theory and application are central to my clinical psychology work and my research and teaching have looked at the smallest kinds of interaction, including within individuals and between members of a family, the interventions that work to create healthy, positive kinds of interplay, and the applications of intra-psychic and small group transformations to large systems, such as those in communities.

I am one of three Members At Large of the Peace Division. Now in my second term, I am serving on the Inter-Divisional Task Force on Enhancing Diversity (IDTFED), formed in January 2006 in order to help the 56 APA divisions with implementation of a 2005 task force, the APA Presidential Task Force on Enhancing Diversity, initiated by the then-president of APA, Ronald F. Levant, and chaired by Richard Suinn. Among the goals of our task force are developing concrete ways to help division leadership to be more aware and welcoming of cultural and other kinds of diversity, for example, those associated with gender, age, disability and sexual orientation, and finding ways for self-identified marginalized individuals to join the divisions and for them, as division members, to have a voice in division decision-making. Among the outcomes of our task force, to be completed by late spring of this year, will be development of a model for inclusion based on identifying division climate, small caucusing groups that move toward large group dialogue and suggestions for ways to measure change, and case book illustrations based on real situations within APA. In addition, there will be an APA website that will contain resource material and will describe other APA work in the area of diversity and inclusion.

I have contributed to Peace Psychology, our division's bi-annual newsletter, and most recently was a guest editor of the fall 2007 issue. In that issue I examined with four practitioners the needs of mental health workers in Post-Katrina New Orleans and proposed approaches for addressing these needs there and in other settings.

I am Division Program Chair for the 2008 APA meeting. In this position I have expanded programming to include a close look at multiple needs of communities today, here and abroad, and to expand our partnering as a division with other psychology sub-specialties, such as public policy and health psychology, as well as with other disciplines, such as public health and medicine. My program committee has developed a new student poster session that includes mentoring and preparation for the presentations, as another way to connect peace psychology with other branches of undergraduate and graduate psychology studies research.

In other national level work I have been part of the leadership of Psychologists for Social Responsibility, where I co-chaired and developed two conferences that explored aspects of international humanitarian work in areas affected by ethno-political warfare. These "Clara Conferences", Community Healing, Empowerment and Resilience in Time of Ethnopolitical Conflicts (July 2002) and International Psycho-Social Humanitarian Assistance Working with Communities Affected by Ethnopolitical Warfare (September 2003), brought together leaders from various disciplines in the governmental and NGO sectors from various parts of the world, including the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Europe to work on assumptions, strategies, and best techniques and provided a two-day workshop for practitioners. A by-product of the project was the development of a strong and productive network that promoted dialogue among leaders in research and field work. As part of the initial conference, a field study to ascertain needs of practitioners highlighted the lack of supports for many field workers internationally. Currently I am Finance Committee Chair of the organization and in this capacity am part of a group examining its mission and objectives, organizational structure, and directions.

I believe I am eminently qualified to serve as President of the Peace Division. My focus as President of the Peace Division will be to bring more researchers and practitioners together and to increase the interdisciplinary exchange of peace psychology with other psychology specialties and other disciplines to allow a forum for the development of the broadest and most relevant applications of peace psychology scholarship. I see the efficacy of working with clinical, community and social psychologists and anthropologists and sociologists among others to further develop ways of understanding small group interactions and their impact on large group attitudes and behavior and the impact of large group changes on the smallest social systems. Increasing student and early career membership in our division will be one of my priorities so that we have the widest and deepest of exchanges enriched by experience and new perspectives. Peace Psychology must be understood by the professional and lay public as an area of study and application that creates the opportunity for the development of communities where peaceful ways and social justice are integral to the culture. I hope to help find effective ways to educate professionals and the public in these areas. I believe that my background working with various social systems, both in my clinical and volunteer work, my strong involvement as a member of the Peace Division Executive Committee, my ability to work with people and ideas, and to make the ideas realities, are examples of what I will bring to the position.


Stephen Worchel, PhD

Background

The say that life is a circle, and this seems to be true for me. When I was a young kid, my father, a psychologist, and family friends, Muzafer and Carolyn Sherif, supposedly plotted to have me attend one of the Oklahoma summer camps that became part of the early research on intergroup conflict. The plot failed, but more than 50 years later, I find myself studying the short and long-term impact of programs, including summer camps, designed to bring together individuals from groups in protracted conflict. During the journey from summer camp to summer camp, I received my B.A. from the University of Texas (1967) and my Ph.D. in Psychology from Duke University (1971). My initial research focused on reactance theory and the effect of perceived loss of freedom on aggression. This early work set the foundation for some later research involving questions of universal human rights and duties and the influence of culture on human freedom. My early research focused on interpersonal aggression. I then moved into the area of group development and change, examining the role of conflict on group process and decision-making. My interest expanded to the area of intergroup relations, focusing on the development of group (especially ethnic group) identity and basis for hatred and violence between groups. My research has shown me how entrenched conflict and hatred, once ignited, can become and how it is passed on from one generation to another. This finding has led me to examine efforts aimed at creating tolerance and preventing hatred, rather then attempting to reduce violence once it as erupted. My present studies involve working with a community in Massachusetts in an effort to create an atmosphere of tolerance and examining approaches to develop better understanding and acceptance between immigrants and host populations.

I have held faculty positions at the University of North Carolina (1971-74), University of Virginia (1974-1983), Texas A&M University (1983-1998), University of Southern Maine (as dean, 1998-2000), and presently at University of Hawaii at Hilo (dean and professor (2000-present). My interests have always included at cross-cultural component, and this focus has been enhanced by visiting positions at the University of Waikato (New Zealand), Fudan University (Shanghai, China), University of the Basque Country, International Graduate School (Jena, Germany), University of Almeria (Spain), and University of Padua (Italy). I was a Fulbright research scholar in Greece (1979-80). I have been awarded research grants from NIMH, NSF, and CDC/NIOSH, and served on grant review panels for NIMH, NSF, NIOSH, and Fulbright (CIES). I am presently co-editor of TMP (Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology), served as an Associate Editor of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, series editor for D. van Nostrand and Nelson Hall publishers, and advisory editor for Psychological Abstracts. I am a fellow of APA, APS, and SPSSI, served on the Board of Governors of ISPP, and am presently a director for HIUW (United Way).

Interest in Division 48 Presidency

No matter one's political persuasion, it is difficult now to be awe struck by the disparity in the amount and ease of funding for war efforts as opposed to peace efforts. Having questioned several lawmakers about the basis for this difference, I was especially impressed by one response, "I guess making war is more exciting than making love." I'm not sure what this says about the state of love (or war), but it does raise a critical mission for Division 48. The Division must make peacemaking as critical (and exciting) as war making. It is relatively easy (but important) to recoil at the use of torture to extract information from prisoners, but if the protest is to have maximum impact, it is vital that we offer alternative approaches approaches to obtain information. The field of psychology can offer such alternatives based on its vast storehouse of research and theory on persuasion, cooperation, and social influence. I would like to see Division 48 enhance its role in identifying a peace agenda, expanding its efforts to influence policy, and increasing awareness of the aims and contributions of the Division.

I see several actions that can be taken toward these ends. One is to expand on the interdisciplinary outreach of the Division. Issues surrounding conflict, violence, and peace are deeply rooted in many areas of psychology. But these issues are also central to such disciplines as sociology, political science, history, anthropology, and economics. Greater dialogue between these disciplines can add fertile new perspectives for research and policy making. Another avenue is to develop closer ties with agencies, such as the U.N., ICRC, and numerous NGOs, that apply the results of our research in the application of peace making efforts. The Division has made significant strides in this direction, but more (e.g. cooperative conferences, joint publications, drafting of policy) can be done. I'd like to see a Division member appointed as an active liaison to each agency that we deem as critical to peace making to ensure these agencies understand the capabilities of the Division and the Division understands the agencies. Third, the Division can play a vital role in helping to develop peace studies curriculums, supporting degree-granting programs in peace and conflict, and leading efforts to obtain funding for these programs. Given the fact that the study of peace, conflict, and violence is interdisciplinary in nature and is a relatively new kid on the block, it is easy for these programs to become unclaimed orphans in traditional academic institutions. The Division can serve as an advocate for these programs by demonstrating how they can enrich other disciplines. Finally, I'd like to see more effort put into directly exploring the policy implications of the research in our area. Special sections of the journal, targeted newsletters, and popular media-based programs could be used to bring together Division members and policy makers in the discussion of the role of research in guiding policy. Work on this front will not only help cement the relationship between science and policy, but it will also help open alternatives for the employment of our students.



SECRETARY

Herb Blumberg, PhD

My main concerns would be to work with the Society's team furthering the Division's existing goals, such as encouraging research and education, facilitating communication, and applying relevant knowledge and methods in order actively to foster peace, justice, and nonviolent conflict resolution.

These goals have been among my personal concerns for many years, starting with research and action as an undergraduate at Haverford College and, in the early 1970s as research associate at its then Center for Nonviolent Conflict Resolution.

I am a Fellow of the Society and, since its inception, Bibliographer and Review Editor for Peace and Conflict - also Council member and Membership Secretary of the Conflict Research Society (UK) and a longstanding member of Psychologists for Social Responsibility and of Scientists for Global Responsibility (UK).

In furthering my interests in peace psychology and social psychology, I have been a visiting scholar at Harvard University (twice) and Visiting Professor at Haverford College (where I also gave lectures on peace psychology).

I am a Senior Editor of the International encyclopedia of peace (4 vols.) (Oxford University Press, in press) and have co-edited three volumes on nonviolent direct action. Among other relevant publications:

Blumberg & French (Eds.). (1992). Peace: Abstracts of the psychological and behavioral literature, 1967-1990. American Psychological Association.

Blumberg, Hare, & Costin. (2006). Peace psychology: A comprehensive introduction. Cambridge University Press.

I teach (since 1980) a course on social issues and peace (at University of London), and regularly present relevant papers at e.g. international conferences.


Kathleen H. Dockett , EdD

Peace Psychology has become a "home" for my contributions as a community psychologist, a researcher, a peace activist, and an engaged Buddhist. Reflecting on my current term (2005-2008) as secretary of the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence, I experienced an excellent and mutually beneficial fit with the goals and values of the Society and therefore, offer my services for a second term.

As a 34-year tenured professor of community psychology in the Department of Psychology and Counseling at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), my teaching embraces paradigms of social and community change based in community psychology, prevention in mental health, multiculturalism, positive psychology and Buddhist psychology. In addition, through creating peace and social justice oriented student clubs at UDC, I strive to mentor and increase the number of students, mostly of color, engaged as peace activists and researchers with such organizations as Division 48 and Psychologists for Social Responsibility.

My research primarily has focused on Buddhism as a resource for promoting personal resilience, well-being, and global peace. Through two books, Resources for stress resistance: Parallels in Psychology and Buddhism (1993) and Psychology and Buddhism: From individual to global community (2003), articles, and a series of APA symposia, my goal is to illuminate the intersection of these Buddhism and psychology and their sometimes parallel contributions to creating peaceful communities.

My goals in the coming years are to continue, through teaching, research, and student mentoring, to promote four long range goals of the Society: (1) broadening the recognition of peace as a valued aspect of the discipline of psychology, (2) increasing age, gender, and ethnic diversity perspectives within the Society, (3) promoting peace and social justice, and (4) researching and supporting values that sustain individuals and societies in their quest for a peaceful and less violent world. In addition, my priorities include continued excellence as division secretary and fully contributing as a member of the Executive Committee.



MEMBERSHIP CHAIR

Lawrence H. Gerstein, PhD

I earned a Ph.D. in counseling and social psychology in 1983 at the University of Georgia. Since then, I have been a Professor at Ball State University in the Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services. At Ball State, I am the Director of the Doctoral Program in Counseling Psychology and also the Director of the Center of Peace and Conflict Studies. The Center is an interdisciplinary institute comprised of faculty members from different disciplines. I have published extensively on international and social justice issues. Recently, I have focused on researching and resolving ethnic political conflict.

I am the co-editor of the "Handbook for Social Justice in Counseling Psychology: Leadership, Vision, and Action" and the forthcoming "International Handbook of Cross-Cultural Counseling: Cultural Assumptions and Practices Worldwide." Further, I am currently a member of Division 48's Program Committee, the Co-Chair of APA Division 17's International Section, the Co-Editor of the International Forum of The Counseling Psychologist, and a member of APA's Committee on International Relations. I also serve on many other editorial boards and professional committees.

I am a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the President of the International Tibet Independence Movement (www.rangzen.org). I was very fortunate to start this organization in 1995 with His Holiness The Dalai Lama's oldest brother, Taktser Rinpoche.

If elected as the membership chair of Division 48, I will actively work to help meet the needs of the current members and devote time to recruiting new members including students. I also will build on the previous successes of the Division in serving the members.


Ani Kalayjian, EdD

ANI KALAYJIAN, RN, EdD, BCETS, Dr Sc (Hon), Division 52's Program Chair (2004), Treasurer (05-08), was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science from Long Island University in 2001 recognizing her 25 years as a pioneering clinical researcher, peace maker, and administrator at the United Nations. Recently she was awarded Columbia University, TC's Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award 2007. She is the author of the landmark book Disaster and Mass Trauma (1995), coeditor of the international book Forgiveness: Pathways for Conflict Transformation and Peace Building (2008 in press) and more than 40 articles/chapters on human rights, conflict transformation, and post trauma healing. Since 1990, Ani has been an officer, chair or vice chair of several U.N. units-it's Human Rights Committee, NGO annual conferences, and DPI/NGO Executive Committee. Ani is a Fellow of the APA Div 1 and Division 52. In 52, Ani has chaired several committees, including Disaster & Mass Trauma, Mentoring, Convention Program, and Finance.

STATEMENT: I am honored to serve as a candidate for Membership Chair for Division 48. I have felt the deep pains of genocide as a child of survivor, experienced war as a young girl in the Middle East, and felt the discriminations when I immigrated to the US at age 15. My 19-year tenure at the UN and 20 years of voluntary global humanitarian outreach around the globe, combined with knowledge of five languages, will enable me to apply my energies and talents in conflict transformation, peace making, and peace-keeping. I would bring my talents to diversify, and internationalize our membership, and collaboratively find ways to make Division 48 excel within the APA and internationally. As Maya Angelou stated, I believe we can put our energies together to help educate and disseminate non-violence around the globe.

"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but, if faced with courage, it need not be lived again." Maya Angelou


Rachel M. MacNair, PhD

Having written not only an introductory college textbook in peace psychology but a book explaining the concepts in a book for middle- and high-school youth, I've long had an interest in popularizing and expanding the field of peace psychology. This is both because of my interest in Peace Studies, which was my major for my Bachelors, but also because many active in Peace Studies are not as familiar as would be ideal with how important psychology is to the field - my Peace Studies major did not list one psychology course, despite having plenty of psychology material involved. Accordingly, I would like to work at helping psychologists to understand the importance of applying our knowledge to peace, and to work at helping peace studies people understand the importance of using psychology. Work on membership expansion, as I have done for other non-profit organizations, would fit into this interest.



TREASURER

John Jody Dempsey, PhD

In 24 years as a psychologist, assisting thousands of youth and families deal with emotional and developmental issues, I found it is ultimately ineffective to merely react to the problem our culture creates. Rather, we need to proactively help youth to learn to live in this world nonviolently. It isn't about stopping violence; it's about creating peace. Clinically and personally, my focus shifted to helping in that creation.

Steps taken to date to help include:

I seek this position to take another step in helping the Division in this peace journey. Your support is appreciated.


John R. Gruszkos , PhD

I am a clinical psychologist in solo practice in Virginia, and psychology consultant at an addiction treatment center. I have been a member of the Society for six years, and treasurer of the Society for the last three years. I am honored to be nominated for another term of office. My tenure as treasurer has introduced me to an exceptionally talented and dedicated group of colleagues, who are tireless in their efforts to promote peace and justice in our society. During my term, we have been fortunate enough to have the resources to fund a number of new initiatives, including providing travel stipends for students to present at the APA convention, and collaboration with other divisions in funding the biannual Multicultural Conference. I hope to have the opportunity to continue to serve the Division in this capacity.




MEMBER AT LARGE

Peter T. Coleman, PhD

My work centers on conflict, power, justice and change. I hold a Ph.D. in Social/Organizational Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. I am currently Associate Professor of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and teach graduate courses in conflict resolution, social psychology, and social science research. I am also Director of the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (ICCCR) at Teachers College, Columbia University, and an affiliate of the International Center for Complexity and Conflict (ICCC) at The Warsaw School for Social Psychology in Warsaw, Poland. My research addresses two basic problems: violent, intractable conflicts and people's resistance to sharing power. My conceptual and methodological approaches to these problems have been multifaceted, but stress the critical importance of theory and the underlying themes of complexity, dynamism, cooperation, and mindfulness. My applied scholarship has focused on bringing new insights from theory and practice to bear on important problems in the field of conflict resolution (framing, fostering ripeness, identity formation, addressing complex conflicts, etc.). The Center I direct engages in innovative scholarly, educational, and service activities with individuals and groups ranging from pre-schoolers to UN delegates. To date, I have authored two edited books and over forty journal articles and chapters, and am a New York State Certified Mediator and experienced consultant. In 2003, I was the first recipient of the Early Career Award from the American Psychological Association, Division 48: Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence. I am eager to serve Division 48 as Member-at-Large.


Petra W. Hesse, PhD

No Statement Provided


Arthur J. Kendall, PhD

I believe that Peace, Social Justice, and Human Rights the most vital social and behavioral issues facing our planet. I have devoted my career to the premise that good social policy should be based on good science. My focus has been on the use of a broad array of social science methods in investigating social and policy issues.

My experience in dealing with national security and international affairs issues on many levels with people from many disciplines and organizations will help me contribute to Division 48 as a Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee. I helped with the starting of division 48 and have been an active participant in review of proposal for the annual programs and as a discussant onmany sessions over the years. I am on the Editorial Board of Peace and Conflict, the division journal.

I am a social and political psychologist. I recently retired from a Senior Mathematical Statistician position at the US General Accountability Office. I started there in 1980. At GAO, I had a consultative and mentoring role in evaluations for the Congress. Many of these were evaluations of military and civilian agencies with international roles. Examples of these issues are: modeling of the risks in chemical weapon disposal; effects of ionizing radiation from diagnostic tests; radiation dosages received by Atomic Soldiers; preparation for responding to biological and chemical attacks; environmental impact of military facilities; military force structure; adjudication of political refugee status, Veteran's affairs, and Gulf War Syndrome.

I continue to provide methodological and statistical consulting to individuals and agencies. I am a Fellow of APA and of Division 9 (SPSSI). I am a member of Divisions 5, 8, 9, 34, and 48. I am a charter member of the International Society of Political Psychology. I am a founding member and on the editorial board of the Society for Terrorism Research. I am a founding member of the Statistics in Defense and National Security Section of the American Statistical Association. I am a member of the Classification Society of North America. I am President of the Capital Area Social Psychological Association where I have worked to keep Peace and Human Rights Issues on our meeting programs. I am a member of the AAAS coalition on Human Rights.


Hilary U. Kenechukwu, BS

No Statement Provided


John Paul Szura, PhD

I have been a Division 48 member for about 13 years and our secretary for two terms. I am presently a member-at-large seeking a second term in that office. My first term was unproductive because I was not working well nor was I in good communication with the Division due to unexpected hip replacement surgery done in Quezon City, Philippines. I am seeking a second term hoping my rehabilitation will allow me to make valuable contributions as member-at-large.

I teach in a Philippine Catholic seminary, a position offering advantages and limitations. I can help advance peace psychology internationally in terms of research, teaching and organizational structure. I can bring to the Division Philippine and even some Asian perspectives on peace, on psychology and on peace psychology. I have already brought peace psychology to places it has never been before.

Concerning limitations, I am far from the United States much of the year, not in close, quick contact with other Executive Committee members and out of practical phone conference range. I will miss some meetings.

Professionally, working closely with a United Nations NGO, the Augustinians, my religious order, my interests include UNESCO, its cultures of peace and its Associated Schools Project, interrelated topics important for peace psychology. I am interested in promoting dialogue between peace psychology and world religions, especially those of Asia. Organizationally, I am interested in the infrastructure of the Division, its growth and its impact on APA and on society.


Back to Division Main Page