From Data Points to Transformative Action: The Role of Psychology in Public Policy

Last week, I attended the Minority Health Conference, the largest and longest-running student-led health conference in the country. This year's theme was Truth to Power: Exercising Political Voice to Achieve Health Equity. I was especially excited about this year's conference because it combined two of my passions which I had previously been encouraged to keep separate- Academia and Political Action.

As an aspiring psychologist, it has always been easy for me to see the connections between my research and American governance. I mean, what is politics anyways?

Politics, according to Wikipedia is: "The set of activities associated with the governance of a country, state or an area. It involves making decisions that apply to groups of members."

In other words: How we decide to command the lives and activities of individuals and communities.

In psychology, especially counseling psychology, we dedicate our study and practice to improving the life quality and trajectories of individuals and communities using evidence-based research on cognition and behavioral health. Psychologists (and sociologists, human developmentalists, anthropologists, etc. for that matter) seek to understand what makes us human and what is needed for us to function optimally. To me, it seems as though we should be at the forefront of political action, social policy, and social justice as we have a unique understanding of the human condition.

I was always drawn to psychology for what it could do for humanity both in and out of the treatment room. It's not uncommon to see psychologists in public health, medicine, or industry; the social implications of psychological research have been historically documented for centuries. It is, however, much more rare to find psychologists in the political sphere. Why? Because Americans have been taught to value the opinions of those with power, regardless of how they acquired that power. I'm serious. The Kardashians' endorsement would do far more for a candidate's success than the approval of a seasoned social scientist. I still have to explain to the most well-meaning folks that psychology is indeed a reputable and legitimate discipline. Nevertheless, until psychology is validated in its value and tenability, we will have to fight unabated for our seat in this bureaucracy both as policy informants and political forerunners.

My hope is that social scientists will be at the forefront of social change and political action. Our expertise is gained from spending time with the people coupled with our extensive training in understanding human behavior and studying it passionately yet objectively. Psychologists are pioneers. Behind our analytical exterior lays some of the most brilliant, creative minds I have ever encountered. And while I believe in the necessity of social science's interaction with policy, I acknowledge the work that needs to be done in the field to get to this point.

Something that struck me at last week's conference was keynote speaker Latosha Brown's take on the role of science in societal improvement.

"We know the data. We know the problem. We don't need one more study, we need to ask 'where do we go from here?'" -Latosha Brown

A friend and I reflected on this afterward as we both pursue doctoral degrees in clinical/counseling psychology. "I don't want to keep writing papers for other academics.", my friend said, "I want to actually help."

And she was right.

Our field has become overwhelmed by and obsessed with the need to prove our intellectual prowess to other academics. I am often invigorated by academic papers I read only to see that the only action stemming from them is citations. We've lost touch with what our craft was intended to do. Our esteem now lies in the clout garnered by our h-index* and not in what we have done to help our people. Studies are often comprised of "experts" gleaning information from often over-exploited populations only to garnish a manuscript with an often surface-level description of their plight, some methodological jargon, and a lousy paragraph on "future directions."

In beginning my doctoral studies, I am already anxious surrounding the lack of transformative action and change yielded by my chosen discipline. I know I cannot commit myself to a career defined by feigning its capacity to provide care and support for the American people on a large scale. Fortunately, I know I am not alone in this. Many graduate students and early career professionals have also expressed their dismay in the lack of authenticity and actionable research being conducted in our field. We recognize the power in our disciplines and seek to inform public policy using the expertise we have amassed in our daily activities as scientists. Similarly, we seek labels beyond "researcher" and "clinician"; psychologists are visionaries, uplifters, healers, organizers, justice-seekers, and problem-solvers and that needs to be acknowledged.

As we engage in individual and group therapy, we recognize that many of the problems we face as individuals and communities are systemic. There is such power in equipping people with tools to fight racism, adverse childhood experiences, stigma, etc. in the moment and as they go about their day to day lives. Still, even greater power rests in the application of psychology to address the social policies which perpetuate and exacerbate these issues.

I know there are many experienced psychologists shaking their heads at my will to integrate policy and psychology. However, my ideas are not radical nor novel. While this article is written purely on what I have observed, a brief google search revealed several articles on the intersections of social policy and psychological science. Nonetheless, it is not enough for a few of us to adopt this attitude of science-practitioner-advocate*. We all have to recognize our capacity as change agents and mobilize the field of psychology to penetrate politics.

My dream as an aspiring psychologist is to have a seat at the table of systemic change. I plan to use my study to extend beyond the person and even beyond the community. My work will infiltrate the longstanding structures of oppression through informing policy and using research and practice as a vehicle for human rights advocacy. I am refusing to play the game of influence using publications and citations as currency. Instead, I am using passion, purpose, and a relentless pursuit of equity and justice to spur my career as a lifelong advocate for humanity. No one is more deserving of social, emotional, and physical wellness than another and as a psychologist, I have a moral obligation to ensure these rights are withheld in the policies which govern America.

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*H-Index: The h-index is an author-level metric that attempts to measure both the productivity and citation impact of the publications of a scientist or scholar.

*Scientist-Practitioner-Advocate Model: Mallinckrodt, B., Miles, J. R., & Levy, J. J. (2014). The Scientist-Practitioner-Advocate Model: Addressing contemporary training needs for social justice advocacy. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 8, 303-311. doi:10.1037/tep0000045