America’s political polarization has eroded our ability to navigate complex issues. My own field of clinical psychology has failed to evade this problem, and now finds itself deeply steeped in a troubling narrative.
I'm a clinical psychologist, and I doubt I would choose my profession if I were a student now. The tedious, relentless, and unslakable thirst for patent ideological nonsense has become so unbearable it has made me question the profession itself, because it is so fundamentally contrary to the psychological health of human beings, as the author correctly notes.
At it’s core is misapplication of empathy that has intuitive appeal. I am hopeful that with better mentorship we can steer away from the nonsense, but I too have doubts when the system we are in selects for and rewards “activism”.
As the struggle against marxist ideologies disguised as various "critical" studies and DIE intensifies (thanks to organizations like FAIR and courageous individuals), the ideologues have been ratcheting up their invective, but it always boils down to various forms of ad-hominem attacks as they are epistemologically and empirically void, and they know it.
Their latest tool which they wield with abandon is the law of projection, accusing all in their path of that of which they are guilty. It is utterly remarkable that they are claiming the moral high ground regarding science and calling all who oppose them white supremacists, misogynists, and all the usual epithets.
They steadfastly refuse to engage because, as Mr. Shamsi rightly points out, where is the white supremacy and the systemic ignorance? In my more than 60 years on this chunk of earth, I have yet to see a shred of evidence of systemic racism, and I pay attention. The very word "systemic" directly implies a collusion of the highest order. Where is the empirical evidence? Where is the required evidence of cause and effect?
Where?
I'm sure we all know this is just a red herring through which they are smuggling in their marxist ideologies and they will not cease. I understand that they believe (as we all do) that what they are doing is right but it is so evidently wrong and the 20th century is overwhelming direct evidence of this..
I applaud the tenacious yet civil approach of FAIR, respecting our common humanity while fighting this with every breath. Make no mistake though, they have a 60 year head-start as they have been infilitrating academia, the media and the family since the 60s (see Gramsci and Marcuse), and greater society needs to also ratchet up our counterattack against this clear and present danger to our way of life and our very freedoms.
While respecting their humanity, which FAIR is very good at, we must draw the line in the sand and push them back. Solzhenitsyn said it best, "live not by lies."
"The latest tool which they wield with abandon is the law of projection..."
This is called the "Iron Law of Woke Projection," a tactic characteristically used by Marxists, in which they accuse others of doing what they are doing themselves. For more on this topic, see 2026.substack.com.
My understanding is that it is not a psychologist's job to affirm potentially harmful and limiting beliefs that a person might hold about themselves, but rather to help the person understand them and question them and move them towards liberation from them. I believe our culture's emphasis on DIE and racism, among other things, is only limiting all of us (including those it is purporting to 'help').
Yes- and a parallel problem is that the DIE position (in the way it’s grounded within critical theory) makes it practically impossible to challenge harmful and limiting beliefs. There’s a push to ‘de-pathologize’ everything so nothing is to be judged for that might be deemed a violation of another person’s “lived experience”.
"the deepest source of human empathy comes through the recognition that there is a shared and common experience that transcends our unique differences and binds us as a species."
Such an important insight -- and one that should demolish the juvenile, simplistic, and divisive DEI arguments so fashionable these days. Alas, it hasn't yet...
Yes. This is the key. Focusing on common ground catalyzes tolerance, which is an important leg of civilization. The fact that these very smart people bypass this essential truth so carefully and studiously is what leads me to the conclusion that what is sought in DEI is not rectification but revenge.
Those who have been powerless are enjoying their thumbscrew moment in the sun. I understand this desire as an adult survivor of child abuse. But, it is not a healthy path forward for victims and tends to keep the victim enmeshed in their rage, instead of seeking healing and wholeness. Rage may be generative initially (and it can even feel like freedom), but it's blindness always ends up throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
You understand it’s just straight-up Marxism, right? Once we all come to this realization, we can set aside all this, “I just don’t get where all this is coming from” constant and useless analysis. They failed in capturing the working classes because capitalism works. The shift is now toward creating new definitions in a sideways attempt at the same end goal. There’s no honest brokers here; there’s useful idiots and the elites that are using them. Same ole, same ole.
If only the group of enablers (or as you put it, “useful idiots”) wasn’t growing so rapidly there would be a chance to pull back to reality. But perhaps it is time and failure of the ideology that will ultimately expose its flaws. Although I’m pressed to believe that speaking up can’t hurt either!
It is but the nuances of trying to communicate that to the public is tremendously difficult. The activists have made formidable use of Orwellian tactics of changing word meanings. It is as if they read 1984 as an instruction book rather than a warning. The adoption of postmodernist philosophy makes the issue even more slippery. When reason, logic, evidence, and objectivity are villainized then it does make the approach that much more difficult.
So true. Very easy to dismiss criticism when criticism is built into the problem itself. It is no doubt a clever trick but one would think professional institutions would spot that quickly- after all, isn’t that one of their objectives?
I am quite dumbfounded how more in our field are not speaking out on this. The majority of the ideological points stand out like a sore thumb in terms of cognitive distortions. It has left me in a position of wondering what many of my colleagues are actually doing in therapy. How does a thought record worksheet get completed if black and white thinking are endorsed rather than challenged therapeutically? Exaggeration/minimization? Oversimplification? Overgeneralizing? I had a student once tell me that it felt like being surrounded by "crazy people" in the program. It is truly disappointing and disheartening to see the lack of awareness of just how pernicious this ideology is and the horrendous track record for humanity.
Never underestimate the tendency of humans to fall prey to herd behavior. The tribal instinct is strong; the tendency toward the ultimate drug, self-righteousness, even stronger. As an iconoclast most of my life, I have observed this behavior over and over. Not sure what the antidote is.
I believe that we can more quickly cut through the use of woke crossover words by pointing them out as the Marxist ploy they are. All the branches of leftist philosophy, including Critical Theory and postmodernism, are simply nonstop attempts by the Marxist Left to destroy the liberalism at the foundation of this country and replace it with Marxism. For more on this topic, see 2026.substack.com.
Agreed. We’re wasting time wondering why anyone could possibly think that psychology isn’t equal opportunities. Oppressor/oppressed. Simple. It has nothing to with an entity trying to make psychology better.
You are correct. I believe you have to get the diagnosis right before you can choose the right treatment. The diagnosis is Marxism. The treatment is to increase everyone's awareness that it is Marxism, to educate Americans on the dangers of communism (most of whom have been misinformed by schools and the press), and then to let voters decide whether they prefer democracy or a totalitarian communist regime. For more on this topic, see 2026.substack.com.
Aug 15, 2022·edited Aug 15, 2022Liked by Tab Shamsi
Another clinical psychologist here concerned about the encroachment of critical theory and Marxist ideology on the field. As a geropsychologist, last week I was forwarded a quick start guide published by a subdivision of the Gerontological Society of America on countering ageist language. Among the recommended "themes to avoid" was the verbiage of "'choice,' 'planning,' 'control,' and other individual determinants of aging outcomes." This document apparently was created by something called the FrameWorks Institute, which when I looked it up, describes itself as a "think tank that helps mission-driven organizations communicate about social issues in ways that build public will to support progressive change." This all sounds well and good on the surface, but reading through some of their papers, are radically leftwing and critiques individualism as "the deepest, most pervasive, and most well-established cultural model that Americans hold" that they believe must be eradicated in order to realize social change. I would not be surprised if the GSA unwittingly and well intentionally is adopting an ideological stance from a seemingly do-gooder nonprofit organization.
That seems likely to me. People in leadership positions are often oblivious to what they are promoting and respond in seemingly impulsive ways to the pressure to ‘do something’. I’ve run into this quite a bit. It makes it harder for those of us more fully aware to challenge and express skepticism about the approach. In my experience, it helps to build allies and promote as many opportunities for discussion as possible. But it’s hard...
GSA needs to correct its stance if it truly well-intentioned. A plan to eradicate individualism--i.e., freedom and individual civil rights--is a key characteristic of Marxism. Following their plan would mean an end to the U.S. Constitution and the implementation of a communist totalitarian regime. For more on this topic, see 2026.substack.com.
So very worried about the field of psychology especially, as we are about to have an entire generation of all colors that were affected by Covid lockdowns. All of us were locked down, the children will suffer and need the most help and they don't need to be afraid to get that help based on their skin color.
Wonderful article. Especially this remark, true of more than just psychotherapy: "the deepest source of human empathy comes through the recognition that there is a shared and common experience that transcends our unique differences and binds us as a species."
Of course we can't ever really stand in another person's shoes. But we try, and that's the meaning and the value of life.
Effective psychotherapy requires the ability to explore the transference feelings of the patient toward the therapist. The more rigidly defined the therapist is based on immutable characteristics, the less space there is for the patient's core transference issues to be revealed.
This whole movement described by the author is so anti-human it's almost hard to put into words. I appreciate him trying to do so.
People come together over shared experiences and connection. By forcing people to identify by racial or any other group, you sever the natural connection people would otherwise make, were actually making, until all this resentment that naturally grows from favouring one group over another. favour one group and the others will be resentful. Push a group down to favour another? accelerate that resentment. Not a formula for community.
Thanks for this thoughtful article. A concern I’ve had is whether conservatives may feel reluctant to seek mental health care, especially if their stressors are related to politics. I’m not a psychologist and this is purely anecdotal evidence - but it’s something I’ve seen in doing mental health advocacy.
"It is difficult to fully know why institutions that once protected and aided the discovery of important human phenomena have become beholden to political posturing..."
The long march through the institutions is nearly complete and Marxist ideology now dominates most U.S. institutions, including most fields of medicine. For more on the topic of America's cultural revolution and its origins, see 2026.substack.com.
I'm a clinical psychologist, and I doubt I would choose my profession if I were a student now. The tedious, relentless, and unslakable thirst for patent ideological nonsense has become so unbearable it has made me question the profession itself, because it is so fundamentally contrary to the psychological health of human beings, as the author correctly notes.
At it’s core is misapplication of empathy that has intuitive appeal. I am hopeful that with better mentorship we can steer away from the nonsense, but I too have doubts when the system we are in selects for and rewards “activism”.
As the struggle against marxist ideologies disguised as various "critical" studies and DIE intensifies (thanks to organizations like FAIR and courageous individuals), the ideologues have been ratcheting up their invective, but it always boils down to various forms of ad-hominem attacks as they are epistemologically and empirically void, and they know it.
Their latest tool which they wield with abandon is the law of projection, accusing all in their path of that of which they are guilty. It is utterly remarkable that they are claiming the moral high ground regarding science and calling all who oppose them white supremacists, misogynists, and all the usual epithets.
They steadfastly refuse to engage because, as Mr. Shamsi rightly points out, where is the white supremacy and the systemic ignorance? In my more than 60 years on this chunk of earth, I have yet to see a shred of evidence of systemic racism, and I pay attention. The very word "systemic" directly implies a collusion of the highest order. Where is the empirical evidence? Where is the required evidence of cause and effect?
Where?
I'm sure we all know this is just a red herring through which they are smuggling in their marxist ideologies and they will not cease. I understand that they believe (as we all do) that what they are doing is right but it is so evidently wrong and the 20th century is overwhelming direct evidence of this..
I applaud the tenacious yet civil approach of FAIR, respecting our common humanity while fighting this with every breath. Make no mistake though, they have a 60 year head-start as they have been infilitrating academia, the media and the family since the 60s (see Gramsci and Marcuse), and greater society needs to also ratchet up our counterattack against this clear and present danger to our way of life and our very freedoms.
While respecting their humanity, which FAIR is very good at, we must draw the line in the sand and push them back. Solzhenitsyn said it best, "live not by lies."
"The latest tool which they wield with abandon is the law of projection..."
This is called the "Iron Law of Woke Projection," a tactic characteristically used by Marxists, in which they accuse others of doing what they are doing themselves. For more on this topic, see 2026.substack.com.
Well said.
My understanding is that it is not a psychologist's job to affirm potentially harmful and limiting beliefs that a person might hold about themselves, but rather to help the person understand them and question them and move them towards liberation from them. I believe our culture's emphasis on DIE and racism, among other things, is only limiting all of us (including those it is purporting to 'help').
Yes- and a parallel problem is that the DIE position (in the way it’s grounded within critical theory) makes it practically impossible to challenge harmful and limiting beliefs. There’s a push to ‘de-pathologize’ everything so nothing is to be judged for that might be deemed a violation of another person’s “lived experience”.
"the deepest source of human empathy comes through the recognition that there is a shared and common experience that transcends our unique differences and binds us as a species."
Such an important insight -- and one that should demolish the juvenile, simplistic, and divisive DEI arguments so fashionable these days. Alas, it hasn't yet...
Yes. This is the key. Focusing on common ground catalyzes tolerance, which is an important leg of civilization. The fact that these very smart people bypass this essential truth so carefully and studiously is what leads me to the conclusion that what is sought in DEI is not rectification but revenge.
Those who have been powerless are enjoying their thumbscrew moment in the sun. I understand this desire as an adult survivor of child abuse. But, it is not a healthy path forward for victims and tends to keep the victim enmeshed in their rage, instead of seeking healing and wholeness. Rage may be generative initially (and it can even feel like freedom), but it's blindness always ends up throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
You understand it’s just straight-up Marxism, right? Once we all come to this realization, we can set aside all this, “I just don’t get where all this is coming from” constant and useless analysis. They failed in capturing the working classes because capitalism works. The shift is now toward creating new definitions in a sideways attempt at the same end goal. There’s no honest brokers here; there’s useful idiots and the elites that are using them. Same ole, same ole.
If only the group of enablers (or as you put it, “useful idiots”) wasn’t growing so rapidly there would be a chance to pull back to reality. But perhaps it is time and failure of the ideology that will ultimately expose its flaws. Although I’m pressed to believe that speaking up can’t hurt either!
It is but the nuances of trying to communicate that to the public is tremendously difficult. The activists have made formidable use of Orwellian tactics of changing word meanings. It is as if they read 1984 as an instruction book rather than a warning. The adoption of postmodernist philosophy makes the issue even more slippery. When reason, logic, evidence, and objectivity are villainized then it does make the approach that much more difficult.
So true. Very easy to dismiss criticism when criticism is built into the problem itself. It is no doubt a clever trick but one would think professional institutions would spot that quickly- after all, isn’t that one of their objectives?
I am quite dumbfounded how more in our field are not speaking out on this. The majority of the ideological points stand out like a sore thumb in terms of cognitive distortions. It has left me in a position of wondering what many of my colleagues are actually doing in therapy. How does a thought record worksheet get completed if black and white thinking are endorsed rather than challenged therapeutically? Exaggeration/minimization? Oversimplification? Overgeneralizing? I had a student once tell me that it felt like being surrounded by "crazy people" in the program. It is truly disappointing and disheartening to see the lack of awareness of just how pernicious this ideology is and the horrendous track record for humanity.
Never underestimate the tendency of humans to fall prey to herd behavior. The tribal instinct is strong; the tendency toward the ultimate drug, self-righteousness, even stronger. As an iconoclast most of my life, I have observed this behavior over and over. Not sure what the antidote is.
I believe that we can more quickly cut through the use of woke crossover words by pointing them out as the Marxist ploy they are. All the branches of leftist philosophy, including Critical Theory and postmodernism, are simply nonstop attempts by the Marxist Left to destroy the liberalism at the foundation of this country and replace it with Marxism. For more on this topic, see 2026.substack.com.
Agreed. We’re wasting time wondering why anyone could possibly think that psychology isn’t equal opportunities. Oppressor/oppressed. Simple. It has nothing to with an entity trying to make psychology better.
You are correct. I believe you have to get the diagnosis right before you can choose the right treatment. The diagnosis is Marxism. The treatment is to increase everyone's awareness that it is Marxism, to educate Americans on the dangers of communism (most of whom have been misinformed by schools and the press), and then to let voters decide whether they prefer democracy or a totalitarian communist regime. For more on this topic, see 2026.substack.com.
Another clinical psychologist here concerned about the encroachment of critical theory and Marxist ideology on the field. As a geropsychologist, last week I was forwarded a quick start guide published by a subdivision of the Gerontological Society of America on countering ageist language. Among the recommended "themes to avoid" was the verbiage of "'choice,' 'planning,' 'control,' and other individual determinants of aging outcomes." This document apparently was created by something called the FrameWorks Institute, which when I looked it up, describes itself as a "think tank that helps mission-driven organizations communicate about social issues in ways that build public will to support progressive change." This all sounds well and good on the surface, but reading through some of their papers, are radically leftwing and critiques individualism as "the deepest, most pervasive, and most well-established cultural model that Americans hold" that they believe must be eradicated in order to realize social change. I would not be surprised if the GSA unwittingly and well intentionally is adopting an ideological stance from a seemingly do-gooder nonprofit organization.
That seems likely to me. People in leadership positions are often oblivious to what they are promoting and respond in seemingly impulsive ways to the pressure to ‘do something’. I’ve run into this quite a bit. It makes it harder for those of us more fully aware to challenge and express skepticism about the approach. In my experience, it helps to build allies and promote as many opportunities for discussion as possible. But it’s hard...
GSA needs to correct its stance if it truly well-intentioned. A plan to eradicate individualism--i.e., freedom and individual civil rights--is a key characteristic of Marxism. Following their plan would mean an end to the U.S. Constitution and the implementation of a communist totalitarian regime. For more on this topic, see 2026.substack.com.
Excellent article. I am also a clinical psychologist and have been concerned along the same lines. Thank you for writing this.
So very worried about the field of psychology especially, as we are about to have an entire generation of all colors that were affected by Covid lockdowns. All of us were locked down, the children will suffer and need the most help and they don't need to be afraid to get that help based on their skin color.
Wonderful article. Especially this remark, true of more than just psychotherapy: "the deepest source of human empathy comes through the recognition that there is a shared and common experience that transcends our unique differences and binds us as a species."
Of course we can't ever really stand in another person's shoes. But we try, and that's the meaning and the value of life.
Very well written. I agree wholeheartedly. It's disturbing how this cancer has seeped into every facet of our society in such a short time.
Teetering on the brink of self-destruction.
Effective psychotherapy requires the ability to explore the transference feelings of the patient toward the therapist. The more rigidly defined the therapist is based on immutable characteristics, the less space there is for the patient's core transference issues to be revealed.
This whole movement described by the author is so anti-human it's almost hard to put into words. I appreciate him trying to do so.
Ideological capture of another institution. Eventually destroys the host
People come together over shared experiences and connection. By forcing people to identify by racial or any other group, you sever the natural connection people would otherwise make, were actually making, until all this resentment that naturally grows from favouring one group over another. favour one group and the others will be resentful. Push a group down to favour another? accelerate that resentment. Not a formula for community.
Thanks for this thoughtful article. A concern I’ve had is whether conservatives may feel reluctant to seek mental health care, especially if their stressors are related to politics. I’m not a psychologist and this is purely anecdotal evidence - but it’s something I’ve seen in doing mental health advocacy.
This piece expresses it well: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-conservative-social-psychologist/202007/conservative-psychologist-wanted?amp
"It is difficult to fully know why institutions that once protected and aided the discovery of important human phenomena have become beholden to political posturing..."
The long march through the institutions is nearly complete and Marxist ideology now dominates most U.S. institutions, including most fields of medicine. For more on the topic of America's cultural revolution and its origins, see 2026.substack.com.