Ongoing COAP Research Projects
Politicization of Medical and Mental Health Practices: Medical and mental healthcare has been increasingly politicized in recent years. This shift may be characterized as well-intentioned, but there are potential harmful consequences that demand attention. The lab has numerous projects ongoing in this area. Many of these investigations have specific reference to the problem of antisemitism in the professions, spurred by global political forces and changing trends in the health fields.
Anticipating and Mitigating Harm: Professional psychology has historically developed models and theories that assume benefits, with little anticipation for potential harmful consequences. The work in the lab is presently both conceptual and applied. The underlying epistemologies that could guide developing frameworks for anticipating harm, as well as informing policies for routinely assessing adverse consequences from psychological interventions and methods, are underway. The clearest venue where this is occurring is by directly addressing how contemporary models of treatment have a feature that has contributed to antisemitism. This also includes critical appraisal of models of psychopathology, specifically anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, conditions that have been integrally focused on in the lab.
Disgust and Political Dimensions of Antisemitism: Disgust is a complex and understudied emotion. One facet, moral disgust, is being examined by the lab in how it operates in discrimination generally, and antisemitism in particular. Further, the nature of pseudoscience is thought to contribute substantively to how discriminatory processes operate.
Broad Social Constraints on Rational Discourse: In many professions, there are policy and practice areas that are politically based, and thus also result in a general reluctance for professionals to openly voice concerns. This chilling of discourse restricts advancement of otherwise noble initiatives. In its extreme, it can result in Akyró̀±nò±phobia (a term coined by Dr. McKay), of the fear of being canceled.
Adoption of Pseudoscience Among Mental Health Practitioners: Non-scientific procedures are commonly applied in the mental health professions. This persists despite innumerable continuing education trainings, public awareness, and conference presentations stress evidence-based approaches. As a result, the lab is focused on identifying factors that contribute to the persistence of this practice.
