Psychoanalysis Ethical Standards and Practice 3

Question 1

A psychoanalyst is invited to testify as an expert witness about a current patient in a custody dispute. What is the primary ethical concern?

Accepted Answer

The compromise of therapeutic confidentiality and the analytic relationship

Answer

Serving as both treating analyst and forensic witness creates an irreconcilable role conflict that compromises confidentiality and the therapeutic frame.

Question 2

In the context of psychoanalytic ethics, 'abstinence' most accurately refers to the analyst's obligation to:

Accepted Answer

Avoid satisfying the patient's transference wishes outside the analytic work

Answer

The rule of abstinence means the analyst refrains from gratifying the patient's transferential wishes so that those wishes remain available for analytic exploration.

Question 3

Which of the following represents an appropriate management of a patient who cannot afford the analyst's standard fee?

Accepted Answer

Offer a reduced sliding-scale fee after clinical and ethical consideration

Answer

A thoughtfully arranged reduced fee can be ethical and clinically sound, though the meaning of the fee arrangement should be explored analytically.

Question 4

An analyst encounters a former patient at a social gathering. The most appropriate response is to:

Accepted Answer

Follow the former patient's lead regarding acknowledgment and privacy

Answer

The former patient has the right to control whether the therapeutic relationship is disclosed in social settings, and the analyst should defer to the patient's lead.

Question 5

A psychoanalyst learns through a referral network that a colleague has had sexual contact with a former patient. The analyst's ethical obligation is to:

Accepted Answer

Report the concern to the appropriate licensing board or ethics committee

Answer

Ethical codes require analysts to address colleague misconduct through appropriate channels such as licensing boards or professional ethics committees.

(Psychoanalysis) Psychoanalysis Theory Test Practice Test

(Psychoanalysis) Psychoanalysis Theory Test Practice Test

Psychoanalysis Ethical Standards and Practice 3