MENTAL ILLNESSES AS INJUSTICES AND THEIR IMPACT ON FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS A View Based on the Definition of Relational Ethics in Contextual Therapy

Abstract

This article focuses on three elements. First, it establishes a contrast between the notion of relational ethics used in the field of healthcare and the notion of relational ethics proposed decades earlier by Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy, one of the pioneers of family therapy and the founder of contextual therapy. In the general field of health care, relational ethics apply to the relationship between professionals and the persons they treat. In contextual therapy, relational ethics become a guiding principle in close and family relationships. Second, it presents the relational consequences of injustices, especially on parent-child relationships. Third, it discusses mental illnesses as a source of injustices, a view that is unique in the field of mental health and offers a new perspective on possible interventions that are not limited to family therapy but could inspire any health professional. While this article is based on the empirical findings of the founder of contextual therapy and later practitioners of the approach, including the author, a child and adult psychiatrist with a long clinical experience, it describes some recent attempts to validate these findings through formal research.