The Ethics of Psychoanalysis: The Theory and Method of Autonomous Psychotherapy - Paperback

by Thomas Szasz (Author)

In the Ethics of Psychoanalysis, Thomas Szasz describes psychotherapy as a social action, not as healing. Conceived in this way, psychoanalytic treatment is characterized by its aim--to increase the patient's knowledge of themself and others and hence freedom of choice in the conduct of their life; by its method--the analysis of communications, rules, and games; and lastly, by its social context--a contractual, rather than a therapeutic, relationship between analyst and the one being analyzed. The Ethics of Psychoanalysis remains one of the most concise, precise, and lucid expositions of the nature, possibilities, and limitation of psychoanalytic treatment to be found anywhere.

Back Jacket

In this book, I propose to describe psychotherapy as a social action, not as healing. So conceived, psychoanalytic treatment is characterized by its aim--to increase the patient's knowledge of himself and others and hence his freedom of choice in the conduct of his life; by its method--the analysis of communications, rules, and games; and lastly, by its social context--a contractual, rather than a 'therapeutic, ' relationship between analyst and analysand.

Author Biography

Thomas Szasz is professor emeritus of psychiatry at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. His books include Law, Liberty, and Psychiatry, The Manufacture of Madness, Ideology and Insanity, Ceremonial Chemistry, The Myth of Psychotherapy, Psychiatry: The Science of Lies, and The Medicalization of Everyday Life, all published by Syracuse University Press.