Petesophizing...

Recently I read in Norman Cantor a terrific summary of the French deconstructionist thinker Michel Foucault:

Foucault is, entirely, thoroughly, a moral relativist. He writes that all the institutions of a society, as well as all its ethical principles and cultural forms, are instruments of power.

He famously indicted not only the obvious -- the criminal justice system -- but also the sexual revolution, feminism, and – ouch – what I’ll call liberalism of the type spirited along in the Huffpost, Daily Kos, and Air America. (Al Franken on a power grab? But he’s so cute!) Late in life Foucault -- less-famously -- recanted.

A new schtick of mine is to say I’m dating one clinical psychologist casually, and another, hourly. I turned to JR (casual) the other day and asked her if she thought it was possible the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles Of Psychologists And Code Of Conduct is primarily an instrument of power.

What do I mean? I mean: Could its most significant role be not protecting patients but protecting therapists and their ability to make money? Could the code even have a role in positing a class of people called “patients” or “clients” who are unable to act in their own interests?

“This is personal”, JR said. “You want to sleep with LV” (hourly).

Just what you’d expect from a psychologist.

I cried, “But does that mean I’m wrong?”

What followed surprised me for the ease with which my devil’s advocate position held its own. I don’t know what I’m talking about. I was just fooling around.

JR: The APA protects patients by illuminating for therapists what ethical conduct is.

Petey: That should be accomplished by a school and a curriculum before licensing, not by ethics review boards applying a code.

JR: The ethics boards stop therapists who act detrimentally toward their patients.

Petey: As usual the protection comes too late for the victims.

JR: Protecting future patients.

Petey: You’re referring to unethical behavior that’s not addressed by the criminal justice system – otherwise the ethics boards are redundant. Clients are protected by laws. Why an additional code?

JR: The therapist-client relationship is a special one. The client needs to feel safe.

Petey: But is it so special that the client is unable to act in their own interest?

JR: No, the client still acts in their own interest.

Petey: And defines what’s a positive therapy outcome for themselves.

JR: Yes. Although now you can appeal to brainscans to see changes.

Petey: But if a client says “I feel terrible” and later commits suicide -- that might trump a therapist saying, based on a brainscan, “He’s doing better”.

JR: (laughs)

Petey: If I don’t see myself as vulnerable having a physical relationship with my therapist (cough), or if I want to give her an expensive gift -- why should an ethics board tell me that’s wrong?

JR: Those things change the therapeutic relationship.

Petey: And if I find something abusive or exploitative in my therapy, I’ll only get satisfaction from the ethics board if they – a body of professionals working with the same paradigm as my therapist – agree.

JR: They examine things on a case by case basis.

Petey: No doubt careful about setting precedents – especially where refunds are concerned.

JR: They try to determine if a client has been damaged. It’s a thorough process. But if a client says their therapist is stalking them using a spaceship, isn’t it “right” for the board to side with the therapist?

Petey: And once again protect the therapist, not the client. The client would be better off going to some other type of arbitration – where maybe the adjudicator isn’t so swift at identifying delusions. Or maybe has a strong anti-therapist bias. Or -- believes in spaceships.

JR: You see, you’re just good at arguing. There are others who can make this case better than I do.

Petey: But what if I’m not? You’re just as articulate as I am. What if I’m just on the right side of the issue?

I annoyed her there. I’m sure there’s something wrong with my position. Between the two of us, though, we couldn’t come up with an example of how the APA Code of Conduct protects clients.

I put on the (French) devil’s mask and it’s become my real face. And JR (who’s not in private practice) unraveled enough to say:

JR: If George Clooney is my client, the ethics code is going out the window.

Presumably right before her underwear.