The Ethics of Analytic Listening

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 4 considers the ethical complexity of psychoanalytic listening, addressing the questions of neutrality, objectivity, and power. Drawing on the work of the philosopher Emmanuel Levinas, it suggests that the essence of ethical listening involves preparedness for the ‘Other’, and it discusses how this otherness always demands something that conflicts with the therapist’s desire and narcissism. The Other primarily demands space in the therapist’s mind: this is what the therapist promises to offer but even in the best of circumstances, at some stage, the therapist will fall short of this promise because narcissism is not a developmental phase—it is a permanent feature of being human. The potential for iatrogenic effects in psychoanalytic work is therefore significant.