Irwin Mansdorf Response to PsySR

Raanana, ISRAEL Once again, a group of politically driven academics have blindly demonstrated why rational science and political activism do not always mesh well with each other.

This time, its the turn of “Psychologists for Social Responsibility” (PsySR) who, in a stroke of reflexive irresponsibility, parroted the accusations of Gaza psychiatrist Eyad el-Sarraj, accusing Israel of “collective punishment” of civilians of Gaza for the deadly Qassam rocket attacks launched against Israel from Gaza by terrorists.

In a statement released by the psychologists, they argue that Israel has engaged in a “pernicious form of psychological warfare” that has caused an assortment of ailments ranging from enuresis in children to miscarriages in pregnant women. And on what scientific evidence have these psychologists based their claims? Well, on the reports from Gaza by Arab sources such as Dr. El-Sarraj, hardly an unbiased or objective observer.

While the literature on exposure to noise shows that it can at times lead to a variety of physiological effects, the scientifically baseless and outrageous statement by Dr El-Sarraj that “&there is already evidence the flights are triggering in young children ‘poor concentration leading to low academic achievement… fear of losing a close relative… fantasies, nightmares, depressive thoughts, glorification of violence, increased feelings of vulnerability and alertness” has not been backed up by any “evidence” other than his personal opinion, hardly a measure of scientific credibility.

By the way, this is the same Dr. El-Sarraj that has asked other scientifically intriguing questions such as “Are they evil by nature, these Jews? Or are they stupid, born mentally subnormal& I found after long, long thinking about it that they are not born evil. And they are not stupid. They are psycho-pathologically disturbed.”

So, after some long, long thinking, Psychologists for Social Responsibility issues a statement that, like Dr. El-Sarraj, accuses Israel of causing “devastating” psychological effects like crying, bedwetting, fear and insomnia. Of course, notwithstanding the unpleasantness of living with sonic booms, the psychologists provide absolutely zero scientific evidence and zero verifiable documentation that any of these effects even exist, much less are linked to these limited sonic booms of a few weeks at most. Even El-Sarraj, perhaps confused by the sonic booms he has been exposed to, says in one report that the booms are “&timed when children are on their way to and from school” and in another states that “The Israelis do it after midnight and then every one or two hours”.

PsySR describes their mission as using “psychological knowledge and skills to promote peace with social justice at the community, national and international levels.” One can only wonder how they missed the large body of scientific knowledge in research studies that would not support the conclusions their statement reached. In one of the largest studies, 1253 sonic booms tests were conducted over Oklahoma City during a six-month period in 1964. The Federal Aviation Administration, who conducted the tests, concluded, the overwhelming majority (of people) felt they could learn to live with the numbers and kinds of booms experienced. About 73% said they could live with eight sonic booms per day and while 3% filed complaints, not one Oklahoma City physician or health institution registered any complaints. Of course these booms are terribly annoying, and back then in Oklahoma, residents tried to stop the tests. District Court Judge Stephen Chandler, saying that the plaintiffs could not establish that “they suffered any mental or physical harm”, however, denied an injunction against the tests.

Another study looked at data on sonic booms in Nevada between 1969 and 1986. The study concluded, “From the data collected, no convincing evidence was found to prove or disprove the existence of adverse health effects due to exposure to sonic boom. If such evidence exists, it is most likely to be found only in a prospective study of a substantial sample of individuals over time”.

Consistent with the above studies and with the preponderance of the evidence, researchers at the Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory in Ohio described “The few experiments available proving that even sonic booms of the maximum intensity presently feasible do not produce direct medical injury.”

One could go on and on, but proper science and research does not appear to be at the top of the list of the psychologists of PsySR, who have already presciently concluded that “The (Israeli-Arab) conflict can be resolved only with an end to the occupation and the establishment of an independent, contiguous, and viable Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, with its capital in Jerusalem.” And while the PsySR mission statement includes an assurance that “&relevant information from psychology” be used in formulating public policy, they do not state exactly what psychological knowledge would lead them to unambiguously reach the above conclusion.

So, you see, we now have another group of academics misleading the public by serving a political agenda while masquerading as scientists. Just as PsySR failed to verify, study or otherwise provide evidence of the claim of “devastating” damage to the residents of Gaza, they also propose political solutions clearly out of the scope of their expertise as psychologists and not supported by any scientific evidence.

But then again, the members of “Psychologists for Social Responsibility” never claimed that scientific responsibility is important to them, did they?

Irwin J. Mansdorf, PhD is an Israeli psychologist who has been involved in the treatment and study of terror victims and has served as a consultant to Project Liberty, the post 9/11 initiative to provide supportive crisis counseling to individuals and groups affected by the World Trade Center disaster. He serves on the Medical and Public Health Issues Task Force of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME)