ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the public interest in general and in psychology is no simple matter, and in a serious sense it is intrinsically political. Psychologists got into professional human service too late to emulate the earlier pro bono traditions of medicine, in attrition in the era of Medicaid and Medicare. The prevailing suspicion regarding public interest advocacy is also grounded in sound reasons for skepticism, which constitute the second, more fundamental difficulty. In cross-cultural perspective, American culture is really over the edge in its individualistic ethos, and the costs to people that this extreme orientation entails are increasingly visible. Open political debate about divergent interpretations of the public interest is good for the American Psychological Association (APA). As a major association in the social and behavioral sciences, APA has been a leader in advocacy for the rights of the disadvantaged, and a role model in action on their behalf.
