Doing What’s Right: The Ethical Dimension of Psychoanalytic Work During A Pandemic

In a time as stressful and uncertain as a pandemic, individuals struggle to weigh the risk vs. benefit ratio as they attempt to pursue at least some of their customary life satisfactions while keeping themselves and others safe. What modifications in our usual psychoanalytic approach–if any–are called for in working with patients grappling with those decisions? What kind of influence are we exerting, consciously or unconsciously, over their views and actions during these times? How do psychoanalysts’ own unrecognized needs, wishes, and anxieties affect their responsivity to their patients? This paper takes up these questions and others as part of an exploration of the ethical dimension of psychoanalytic care.