[Salon] Fwd: Sad News: Jean Maria Arrigo Has Passed Away

Begin forwarded message:

From: Roy Eidelson
Subject: Sad News: Jean Maria Arrigo Has Passed Away
Date: February 29, 2024 at 2:27:34 AM MST
To: Roy Eidelson

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

With great sadness, I’m writing to let you know that Jean Maria Arrigo has passed away, peacefully and painlessly while in hospice care at her home, with her husband John at her side. Many of you undoubtedly knew Jean Maria personally and were familiar with and benefited from her work and compassion. For those who didn’t have that good fortune, I offer this too brief summary.

Jean Maria was a social psychologist and oral historian. For decades, she specialized in the study of military-intelligence professionals of conscience, the ethical challenges they face, and the courage of those who refuse to obey morally bankrupt orders.

As a longtime member of the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology, Jean Maria became an unexpected and unassuming whistleblower after she concluded that the American Psychological Association—the world’s largest professional organization of psychologists—had abandoned its “Do No Harm” principles and was instead acting in concert with a U.S. national security establishment willing to abuse and torture “war on terror” prisoners.

Jean Maria’s selfless determination served as a touchstone for ultimately successful efforts to bring important ethical reforms to the APA. And after facing years of hostility for her actions, in 2015 the APA’s governing Council bestowed upon Jean Maria a special award. That award’s inscription reads:

We honor you for your resolute commitment and tenacity in advocating for peace, human rights, and ethical behavior.

We honor you for your unwavering courage in opposing torture, despite efforts to discredit, isolate, and shun you, in orchestrated movements by those in positions of power.

We honor you for your steadfast reliance on logical, fact-based advocacy in the face of harsh, hostile personal criticism and attacks.

We honor you for being the ethical, moral conscience of this Association for over the past ten years.

We honor you for being the finest possible role model for us in the profession of Psychology.

After accepting the award, Jean Maria told close colleagues that she probably should have declined it, because she was worried it might diminish her resolve going forward. It didn’t. When it mattered most, Jean Maria Arrigo always stood firm and tall. She will be sorely missed.

With Sadness and Admiration,

Roy Eidelson

P.S. My apologies for cross-postings. Please feel free to share this message with others.

Roy J. Eidelson, Ph.D.
www.royeidelson.com
Past President, Psychologists for Social Responsibility
www.psysr.org
Member, Coalition for an Ethical Psychology
www.ethicalpsychology.org
610-513-8685
twitter: @royeidelson

Doing Harm: How the World’s Largest Psychological Association Lost Its Way in the War on Terror is now available from McGill-Queen’s University Press, Bookshop.org, Amazon, and other outlets.