TIPS colleagues,
Those of you who are APA members will be pleased, I think, to know that
Robert Sternberg has indicated his willingness to be a candidate for APA
president. Like recent past president Marty Seligman, and president-elect
Phil Zimbardo, Bob has made wide-ranging, influential, and prolific
contributions to psychology as a scholar-writer and as a contributing
citizen through his various editorial and leadership positions.
With his permission, I am forwarding the enclosed note in which he outlines
his vision and accomplishments, and solicits our support--first by
nominating him on the nomination ballot just distributed by APA.
Dave Myers
-----------------------------
Dear David,
I'm writing to you in the hope of enlisting your support in my
quest to seek the presidency of the American Psychological Association.
Should you decide to support my candidacy, there are four things you could
do that would be of great assistance.
1. You can nominate me for the APA presidency on the APA presidential
nomination ballot, and, of course, vote for me as your first choice later
on should I succeed in being nominated by enough people.
2. You can spread the word to other colleagues in your division(s)
(through listserves or other networks in which you may take part, through
a divisional newsletter, or by word of mouth).
3. You can ask that your division(s) endorse my candidacy for APA
president.
4. You could become active in campaigning for me and the causes I
represent as stated later in this letter. Should you wish to, I would be
most grateful if you would contact me at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I realize others also may ask that you consider supporting them.
Therefore, I would like to offer to your consideration what I believe are
my general credentials for the position of APA President.
1. I am a Fellow of APA in twelve divisions (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 15,
20, 24, 33, 52), as well as other organizations, including the American
Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of
Arts and Sciences.) I think that I have in this way shown my contribution
to various fields of psychology and, moreover, my willingness to support a
broad range of constituencies within APA.
2. I have been president of four APA divisions (1-General Psychology,
10-Psychology and the Arts, 15-Educational Psychology, and 24-Theoretical
and Philosophical Psychology), so I believe I have shown that I can assume
a leadership role. I also have been an activist president of these
divisions. For example, in my presidency of Division 1, I founded a
divisional journal and edited a book (Career Paths in Psychology) whose
profits went to the division, and also initiated three divisional awards.
In my presidency of Division 15, I guest-edited an issue of American
Psychologist on intelligence and lifelong learning. In my presidency of
Division 10, I guest-edited a special section (in press) of American
Psychologist on creativity. And in my presidency of Division 24, I am
editing a book on the anatomy of impact in psychology.
3. I have edited two APA journals (Psychological Bulletin and
Contemporary Psychology: The APA Review of Books). As editor of these
journals, I have made major changes to their format and structure, which I
believe have been received positively.
4. I have established my academic credentials in the field of psychology,
having won two awards from APA, one from APS, four from the American
Educational Research Association, and various other awards from diverse
organizations. I also have been awarded four honorary doctorates from
universities around the world. I have published over 800 articles, book
chapters, and books, and have been cited several thousand times, according
to the Social Science Citation Index. Among my articles are a number that
have appeared in the APA Monitor and elsewhere commenting on the state of
the field and ways in which I think it can be improved, such as through a
more serious effort at unifying the field of psychology. I am also among
the most frequently cited psychologists-living or dead-in many
introductory-psychology textbooks.
5. As Founder and Director of the Center for the Psychology of Abilities,
Competencies, and Expertise at Yale, I have shown I can raise funds for
and manage large budgets. The Center has about a dozen external grants
and contracts on which I am PI, currently totaling over $7 million in
commitments and a staff of over two dozen people. We also work together
closely as a team, which is my preferred operating style in all research
and administrative endeavors.
If I am elected, I have at this point four particular missions that I
would do my utmost to enact.
1. Unified Psychology. Psychology has become increasingly fragmented and
fractionalized. This fragmentation has occurred at a time in which fields
and approaches in psychology rely on each other more than ever before.
Many clinical psychologists use cognitive or behavioral techniques. Many
cognitive and social psychologists study problems that historically have
been central to clinical psychology, such as consciousness and emotions.
Social psychologists use cognitive techniques, cognitive psychologists,
social and biological techniques. As a field, psychology needs now, more
than ever before, to become unified rather than fragmented. There will
always be a role for specialization, of course. But psychologists in
training need to understand diverse approaches to and use converging
operations in solving the problems they choose to address, and not just
limit themselves to single approaches or operations.
2. Application of Psychological Theory and Research to Societal
Health-Based and Educational Agendas. In order to increase our visibility
in, positive reception among, and impact on society, psychologists need
vigorously to demonstrate the contributions they have to make to society.
For example, clinical psychologists are almost certainly better trained
for psychotherapy than are alternative mental-health professionals, and
when the stakes are as high as they are in the field of mental health,
psychologists should be the first point of call. Indeed, many problems
once viewed as strictly medical have now been shown to be alleviated by
psychological interventions. In the field of education, all kinds of
programmatic educational reforms are taking place, often in ignorance of
advances that have been made in psychology that could and should shape the
reform agenda. Our own research, sponsored by the U.S. Office of
Educational Research and Improvement and the National Science Foundation,
has shown that children have very diverse patterns of abilities, and that
all children, regardless of level or pattern of abilities, can learn
better than they do now if they are taught at least part of the time in a
way that fits their pattern of abilities. And our research sponsored by
the U.S. Army Research Institute has shown that similar ideas can be
applied to adults as to children. About half of our work is in putting
theory-based interventions into practice, and if elected, I will strongly
support both research and practice. As we psychologists make clear the
contributions we have to make to society, I expect that good will toward,
and financial as well as other forms of support for, our discipline will
increase in Congress and state legislatures.
3. Making the practice of psychology what it should be rather than what
it has become. Several issues arise here. A first issue is prescription
privileges for psychologists. I believe that, with proper training,
psychologists should have such privileges. The reason is simple:
Psychologists need to be able to treat those in need with the full range
of treatments that can be of benefit. Restricting properly trained
psychologists to nonmedical interventions does not make sense, any more
than it would make sense to limit properly trained psychiatrists only to
medical interventions at the expense of all other kinds of treatments. A
second issue is managed care. In an effort supposedly to save money for
consumers and companies, managed-care companies have, in many instances,
wreaked havoc with the quality of health care that individuals can
receive. We all know the horror stories, which, unfortunately, are
pervasive and serious. I believe APA needs to take a strong and vigorous
stance that psychologists rendering treatment are the ones who are in the
best position to decide what kinds of care are needed, and for how long.
A third issue is I also will seek parity of insurance payments for mental
disorders with physical disorders. A fourth issue is removal of the stigma
associated with psychological care. Many people who need treatment,
sometimes desperately, do not receive it because they perceive a stigma to
be attached to it. The result is that they continue to suffer from
mental-health problems that are eminently treatable, and whose treatment
would improve their lives. I believe APA should take an active role in
communicating with the public regarding the benefits of mental-health care
by psychologists, and help them realize that there is no stigma associated
with such care. The data are in, and psychotherapy helps! People need to
realize that making the decision to receive proper mental-health care
shows a positive disposition to take control of one's life and improve it.
Indeed, people who receive treatment often improve not only their own
lives, but the lives of others around them.
4. Advancing the Impact of Psychology on the International Scene.
Psychology also has a great deal to contribute toward resolving problems
of warfare, poverty, and hunger, on the world scene. Americans need to
work in collaboration with psychologists from around the world to help.
Toward this end, my own research group has been involved in a wide array
of international collaborative projects in lands as wide ranging as
Jamaica, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Gambia, South Africa, Venezuela, Spain,
Russia, Israel, People's Republic of China, Taiwan, and, of course, the
United States. We are committed to having an impact not only in our own
country, but also around the world, at the same time that we learn from
people in all parts of the world. All over the world, refugees, war
victims, the hungry, the impoverished, the chronically ill, and many
others all stand to benefit from what we, as psychologists, have to offer.
I have always brought a great deal of zeal, energy, and devotion to my
research, teaching, and leadership activities. I have never been
interested in any position for its own sake or merely for the sake of the
real or imagined honor, prestige, or glory it may convey. I am interested
in taking office in order to make a difference to you, to APA, and to
psychology. If given the honor of being elected President of APA, I can
assure you I will bring the same zeal, energy, and devotion to the
position at APA I have brought to my other endeavors. But I cannot win
without active and vigorous support from others. I hope you will be
willing to provide such support on your own and in contacting others in
support of my candidacy.
I would be delighted to hear from you regarding your ideas, issues, and
concerns. Should you wish, please e-mail me at [EMAIL PROTECTED],
call me at 203 432 4633, fax me at 203 432 8317, or write me at The PACE
Center, Department of Psychology, Yale University, Box 208358, New Haven,
CT 06520-8358. I will be happy to reply!
Sincerely,
Bob Sternberg
IBM Professor of Psychology and Education
Director, PACE Center at Yale
Robert J. Sternberg, IBM Professor of Psychology and Education
Director
Center for the Psychology of Abilities, Competencies, and Expertise
(PACE Center)
Yale University
340 Edwards Street
P.O. Box 208358
New Haven, CT 06520-8358
Phone: 203-432-4633
Fax: 203-432-8317
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www.davidmyers.org
