"When I use
a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I
choose it to mean -- neither more nor less."
"The question is,"
said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different
things."
"The question is,"
said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master -- that's all."
-- Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
******
This is a story of
four siblings with improbable names: Safe, Legal, Ethical, and Effective. Just
as improbably, they all grew up to become psychologists, each with a different
area of professional focus. Over many years of independent practice, the four
gained considerable recognition for their expertise. Eventually, they joined
together to form a high-profile, all-in-one firm in which each sibling's
specialized contributions complemented the others.'
Brother Safe was an
expert on risk. Nothing was more important to him than protecting his clients
from harm. His siblings speculated that this passion was due to his having been
a small, insecure, and fearful child, always lacking in confidence compared to
his peers. Regardless, whenever a new psychological treatment began to gain
popularity, it was Safe who carefully "read the fine print," reviewed the
potential adverse reactions and side effects, and then recommended whether the
siblings should add the approach to their set of interventions. As a result of
Safe's meticulousness, the siblings were renowned for how rarely their clients
suffered therapeutic setbacks that left them worse off than when treatment
began. This was a source of tremendous comfort for those who sought the firm's
help.
Sister Legal was long
considered the smartest of the siblings, and nobody was surprised when she
obtained a law degree along with her doctorate in psychology. Growing up, Legal
was a nitpicker, and she would worry about even the most trivial rules and
infractions in the games the siblings played. Her brothers and sister were
often irritated by this obsessiveness. But they also recognized how helpful it
was whenever the four of them teamed up against neighbors in friendly
competition. As professionals, having a talented attorney in the family
business was a real advantage in avoiding potentially costly lawsuits. Legal
made sure that the firm was always on the right side of the law. Her consistent
recommendation was simple: stay away from the gray areas and keep a sufficient
distance from the lines that should never be crossed -- that way you can't
accidently stray where you shouldn't go.
Brother Effective was
the youngest of the siblings, and he grew up feeling he wasn't quite on equal
footing with his brother and sisters. His response was to become
hyper-competitive, always looking for an advantage wherever he could find one.
Later, when Effective became a psychologist, he found his edge by dedicating
himself to using only those therapeutic approaches that had the strongest
theoretical and empirical support. He spent hours each week poring over the
latest research findings and meta-analyses to determine which methods the firm
should embrace -- and which should be avoided because there was insufficient
evidence to support the claims of their overly enthusiastic proponents. As a
result, Effective and his siblings were able to consistently report outstanding
treatment successes.
Sister Ethical
garnered considerable respect from Safe, Legal, and Effective for being the
oldest of the four. But throughout their lives they also had found her
tiresome, due to her incessant reminders about the importance of "doing the
right thing." During their childhood years, the siblings abandoned many a
mischievous plan for entertainment or profit because Ethical's overbearing
lectures were simply too steep a price to pay. Nevertheless, as psychologists
they appreciated having a member of the firm with such a reliable and finely
honed moral compass. Ethical could always be counted on to discern in advance
the potential ethical entanglements in any case. She knew all of the standards,
and she was able to cite relevant passages whenever needed, including
distinguishing enforceable code sections from those that were merely
aspirational. In short, although Ethical wasn't much fun, the firm's public
recognition as an exemplar of the ethical practice of psychology was a point of
pride for all of them.
The siblings' talents
and hard work made their shared practice of psychology enormously successful.
All four of them lived very comfortable and rewarding lives, which included the
pleasure of working together and offering their unique perspectives on the many
challenging cases that routinely came to the firm. The combination of expert
insights on matters of safety, legality, ethics, and effectiveness seemed to be
a special elixir. They consistently produced clear strategies and policy
guidance in a professional world where many of their peers struggled amid
competing considerations. By discussing each of their favorite questions -- "Is
it safe?", "Is it legal?", "Is it ethical?", and "Is it effective?" -- the
siblings rarely found themselves stumped or uncertain about the best path
forward.
But one afternoon
everything changed.
Several large men, a
few of them in uniform, paid an unexpected visit to the siblings at their
downtown DC offices. They quickly dispensed with pleasantries. One of the men
spoke in serious and sometimes whispered tones about an immediate, short-term,
and highly lucrative consulting opportunity "related to matters of national
security." Even before hearing all of the details, the siblings began
discussing which of the four of them could clear their schedules on such short
notice. But their conversation was interrupted when one of the men firmly said,
"Stop. We need all four of you. If any of you turn down this offer, you won't hear
from us again. I strongly believe you'd regret that. Think of us as the
proverbial goose that lays the golden eggs. We have a plane waiting for you at
the airport." At that point, he reached into his briefcase and placed
four glimmering golden eggs on the conference table. "One for each of you --
consider them a down payment."
Tragically, as it
would turn out, all four siblings had a soft spot for golden eggs, authority
figures, and special recognition. A few hours later Safe, Legal, Ethical, and
Effective were together on the plane, and after a very lengthy trip they
arrived at their destination the following evening, without any clear idea of
where they actually were. Immediately upon disembarking they were hurried to a
warehouse facility where very large men were barking orders to other men almost
as large. The siblings felt a strange mixture of fear and pride when the very
largest man approached them, extended his hand, and said, "Your country thanks
you." He then led them to a private room with an elaborate video console.
As soon as they were
all seated, the man began his brief presentation. "Welcome. I hope your trip
was comfortable. What we need from you is really quite simple. I'm sure my
colleagues explained on the flight over that, among other responsibilities,
we're in the interrogation business." After they nodded, he continued. "This
work is crucial for our nation's security, but we recognize it may not be
popular with everyone. So our marketing people have developed a slogan for us,
one that has tested very well in several focus groups. We want to advertise our
interrogations as "safe, legal, ethical, and effective.' It's going to become a
memorable phrase. Our analysts are confident that, with repeated use and mass
exposure, it will silence even the most stubborn doubters."
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