Massachusetts Institute of Psychoanalysis, Brookline, Massachusetts, USA.
Fam Process. 2022 Jun;61(2):520-529. doi: 10.1111/famp.12664. Epub 2021 May 24.
Partners in intimate relationships rely on each other to meet essential emotional needs. This mutual dependence creates reciprocal obligations, engendering a moral dimension to intimate relationships. This moral dimension involves questions of fairness, equity, and justice which are often central to couples' presenting complaints in treatment. This paper proposes that moral considerations in couple therapy are not only inevitable, but potentially beneficial, and illustrates how they can inform the therapist's case conceptualizations and interventions. This paper will also explore the therapist's responsible use of her moral influence through an examination of personal values. This paper utilizes concepts from psychodynamic and family systems theory to illustrate key points, but the ideas presented apply to therapists with diverse theoretical orientations.
在亲密关系中，伴侣相互依赖以满足基本的情感需求。这种相互依赖产生了相互的义务，使亲密关系具有道德维度。这个道德维度涉及公平、公正和正义的问题，这些问题通常是夫妻在治疗中提出的主要问题的核心。本文提出，夫妻治疗中的道德考虑不仅是不可避免的，而且具有潜在的益处，并说明了它们如何为治疗师的案例概念化和干预提供信息。本文还将通过考察个人价值观来探讨治疗师负责任地运用其道德影响力。本文利用心理动力学和家庭系统理论的概念来说明要点，但所提出的观点适用于具有不同理论取向的治疗师。
