Dignity in Psychotherapy

Abstract

The notion of human dignity conveys the idea that every human being has inherent worth and, therefore, ought to be accorded the highest respect and consideration. In healthcare, dignity provides an overarching moral framework to guide the physician–patient relationship in a great variety of issues, and especially in the promotion of the patient’s well-being and self-determination. Dignity plays also an important role in psychotherapy as the patient–therapist relationship involves confidences of an intimate nature and about very personal decisions and attitudes, and may lead to a patient’s overdependence on the therapist. Taken seriously, the patient’s dignity imposes on the therapist some specific moral duties, such as respecting and promoting patients’ self-determination, as well as patients’ values, beliefs, and life plans. Another direct consequence of the principle of respect for dignity is the requirement to avoid exploitative interactions with patients, in particular, any form of sexual harassment and abuse.