Most books on psychoanalytical ethics focus on rules, but author
Luigi Zoja argues that ethics is really concerned with personal
decisions—as is analysis itself. Rules are defined by others and
center on punishment, but the purpose of analysis is to free the
individual to make choices from his or her own "best"
psychological and emotional center while still respecting society.
Rules establish black and white; real ethics and psychological
understanding both operate in the gray zone. Rules emerge from
Enlightenment rationality; true ethics proceeds from choices and
thus cannot be given in advance or be satisfied by respecting the
rational part of the psyche only.
After considering the nature of ethics, Zoja turns to Immanuel
Kant and Max Weber for a practical consideration of therapeutic
relationships. He applies his ethical principles to the first
psychoanalytical cases (Anna O. and Sabine Spielrein) described
by Freud and Jung. In his thorough examination of these original
examples, Zoja balances the traditional ethic of rules and law with
the "new ethic" proposed by Erich Neumann. The result is an
appreciation of the complex—at times even contradictory—yet
healing nature of analysis.
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LUIGI ZOJA, a Jungian analyst in private practice in Milan, Italy,
has a degree from the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich. Former
president of the International Association for Analytical
Psychology and current chair of the IAAP's International Ethics
Committee, Zoja has written books and papers published in eleven
languages.
Number Thirteen: Carolyn and Ernest Fay Series in Analytical
Psychology
What people are saying about this book
". . . This book makes an important contribution to the field of ethics in psychotherapy and should be read by any professional plying that trade. It also would appeal to anyone with a passing interest in psychology. I highly recommend it."—Newsletter: The C.G. Jung Society of Montreal, January 2008
" . . . Zoja achieves beautifully what he set out to achieve at the errand of his muse of tragedy and Art. I highly recommend Zoja's book to all interested readers. His book is not only a pleasure to read, but is beautifully edited, and beautiful to behold."—Journal of Analytical Psychology
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