The American Psychological Association’s Annual Convention is Chock-Full of DEI

Each year, the American Psychological Association (APA) hosts a convention featuring panels and events on a variety of topics in the field of psychology. 

But this year, dozens of events are heavily focused on DEI and gender ideology, according to a list of planned events that will take place at the August meeting in Denver, Colorado.

This includes panels outright plotting ways to increase diversity in academia and medicine: for instance, one panel, “Empowering Change: Cultivating Diverse Scholars and Creating Spaces of Belonging in Educational Psychology,” discussed ways in which the field could better increased

“Attendees will engage in critical conversations aimed at revising educational competencies and establishing a network that supports the professional growth and well-being of underrepresented groups in academia,” the event description reads.

Other panels focused more on changing the way psychology is practiced to be more accommodating of DEI ideology.

The description for “De-Centering Whiteness in Psychology: Now More Than Ever,” for instance, states that “decentering whiteness in clinical psychology is critical to cultivating meaningful, necessary changes in equitable applications of psychological science.”

It’s not exactly clear how “whiteness” will be “decentered,” but it appears to involve a radical overhaul of clinical psychology to focus less on individual care and more on “equity and justice.”

“A stance of clinical neutrality and an individualistic focus are not only inadequate, they are harmful,” the event description reads. “By deconstructing dominant cultural norms and biases underlying clinical psychology practices, we endeavor to disrupt these harmful dynamics.”

“By adopting a critical framework that centers equity and justice, we reinforce our professions core mission of beneficence by becoming agents of change in creating more just and equitable mental health systems,” the description continues.

This seems like a bad idea; “neutrality” and an “individualistic focus” are likely the traits one looks for in a clinician, and should not be discarded in the name of ideology.

Another event, a symposium titled “Whiteness in Psychology and Education: A Critical Conversation Toward Racial Justice,” features a discussion of how “Whiteness and White supremacy continue to influence sociopolitical dynamics, racial socialization, and daily experiences on college campuses.”

Other events, meanwhile, appear to be platforms for political activism.

“The Impact of Anti-Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Legislation” event’s description states that “[r]epresentation, safety, value for individual differences, educational freedom, and equitable access are currently being stifled and constrained,” thanks to anti-DEI laws.

The aforementioned events are just a small sampling of the various DEI activities taking place at the APA convention. Others include “Decolonizing the Mind: Empirical Perspectives with Diverse and Intersectional Communities,” “Equity in Action: DEI, Sport, and Athlete Mental Health Amid Sociocultural and Legal Changes,” and many more.