On October 11, 2023, four days after the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, SPSP released a statement condemning violence. This statement was issued following SPSP's practice of releasing public statements about current events where SPSP members have expertise, when the issue aligns with SPSP's core mission, or when SPSP members are discussing the topic. Since those early days, the conflict and the number of casualties have grown, exchanges on Connect! have been impassioned, and many members have felt excluded and unsafe. SPSP's Board of Directors convened to reaffirm our core mission and reflect on our roles and responsibilities as a scientific and professional society.
SPSP Supports Free Speech
SPSP's statement occasioned significant discussion and some of this speech has been described as threatening or going beyond the bounds of civil discourse. In all matters, and especially life-or-death matters, individuals have the right to express their values, opinions, and concerns in public forums and through civil actions (e.g., connecting with the political process and donating money to a particular cause).
As a scientific society, we have a unique set of responsibilities—to support our science, promote scholarly and professional discourse, and attend to the well-being and functioning of all our members. For this reason, we have sought to focus on mission-relevant content in our communication channels. Connect! is a forum open to SPSP members to solicit advice, exchange experiences, and have an ongoing professional conversation. To ensure that Connect! supports science, promotes scholarly and professional discourse, and serves our members, posts have been lightly moderated until this point. Moving forward, submitted posts that do not meet SPSP's core mission or do not comply with our code of conduct will not be distributed by Connect! We encourage members to disseminate those via email, social media, blogs, or other outlets.
SPSP Condemns Violence
While SPSP's original statement has received positive feedback, it has also been criticized for lacking context, not calling for a ceasefire, and other concerns. Consistent with our disciplinary values, SPSP condemns all atrocities and supports ending all forms of violence. It is not SPSP's role as a scientific and professional society to adjudicate history or determine justifications for violence. Understanding and interpreting the historical record is work that must be done, but SPSP plays no professional role in this. SPSP recognizes that violence harms not only the direct victims but also their families and neighbors—many of whom are our members. Violence damages democratic functioning for both perpetrators and victims, creates long-lasting trauma, and exacerbates conflict. At SPSP, we agree that the organization condemns acts of violence.
SPSP Condemns Prejudice
Our code of conduct expresses our commitment to a friendly, safe, as well as discrimination- and harassment-free environment for all, including but not limited to discrimination or harassment on the basis of gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, citizenship status, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, socioeconomic status, criminal record, veteran status, or their intersection. To be clear, all expressions of prejudice and violence, including Islamophobia (see United Nations' definition), anti-Semitism (see definition by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, clarified by the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism), and dehumanization cause harm and are unconscionable. Expressions of prejudice by our members may be subject to sanction according to the SPSP Code of Conduct and the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists, when applicable.
SPSP Encourages Using Scientific Discourse to Address Intergroup Conflict
SPSP's members have made meaningful contributions to understanding intergroup conflict, prejudice and stereotyping, belonging, exclusion, and dehumanization. We encourage our members to lend their expertise to engage in productive discourse to reduce conflicts and the harm produced by them.
SPSP Convention Planning
The Board and professional staff are already considering the issue of physical safety at the 2024 Convention in San Diego.
A virtual convention program will be available to allow members affected by the current situation to attend remotely. The reduced low-and-middle-income country registration rates are available to those living in the areas directly affected by the conflict. This discounted rate may be applied to either the in person or virtual registration.
During these difficult times, we renew our commitment to advancing our discipline particularly in the areas of intergroup relations, prejudice, and stereotyping.
– The Board of Directors, Society for Personality and Social Psychology
Link and Resources
SPSP Addresses Convention Poster Concerns and Outlines Next Steps
SPSP Updates Code of Conduct and Clarifies Policies for Convention Poster Displays
