Psychotherapy and the Promiscuous Patient by Stern E. Mark;

Author:Stern, E. Mark; [Stern, E. Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2009-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Ralph: A Mirror of our Time

Ralph alive and well in this last decade of the century is a modem man. His amoral behavior–selfish and inconsiderate–may be quite consistent for this period of our social history. He lived in accordance with an unspoken acceptance of permissible conduct for his time. The men in Ralph’s world, hearing of his exploits, might be far more amused at his frolics than critical of his amoral behavior. We are not taught to add a moral dimension to the type of behavior described here. When I ventured to characterize his conduct as selfish, inconsiderate, and so on, I thought of the great number of public figures in public and private life who are continually exposed for scandalous conduct. Five United States senators were under investigation for accepting substantial contributions from an unscrupulous banker whose operations were in clear violation of the law. The banker paid the senators to intervene with the government on his behalf to spare him from prosecution. The banker had misled his investors, ordinary men and women, retirees, who purchased stock in his bank only to find the bank fail, leaving them to suffer great personal loss. The United States Government is obliged to protect the bank’s depositors at a cost of two billion dollars.

There are investigations in the loss of millions of dollars in the government’s housing program, money that was siphoned off by appointed officials for their personal gain. Judges accepted money from litigants to buy favorable verdicts for their benefactor. Financiers have been indicted for defrauding investors. Manufacturers are accused of adulterating medicines, baby foods, ordinary grocery items. Health providers have misrepresented claims of service offered to the public and have grown wealthy illegally.

Have we ventured far afield in comparing the amoral nature of Ralph’s aberrant behavior with the bribes, thefts, and unlawful behavior of men and women in high places? We have grown accustomed to the endless series of exposures of unlawful conduct, and we have grown inured against the shock of surprise. We have cultivated a cynical veneer, an amused shrug of the shoulders and a wave of the hand, saying, “So what else is new?”

At its root, the unlawful behavior of public figures is in each case as amoral as Ralph’s lamentable behavior driven by his addiction. There are of course certain differences between Ralph’s pathology and the immoral acts of our public leaders. But there are also certain similarities. Ralph craved immediate gratification for his bubble. Public figures are more deliberate. They plan their strategies to achieve gratification at a later date. They simply take more time and effort to conceal their behavior from public view. At root also is the value of power. The senators exerted power over the bank regulator. Judges mete out justice to those who pay for his power to judge. Others add to their wealth for the power that wealth endows.

Ralph sought therapy at a time when his discomfort with the bubble grew acute. That discomfort suggests a growing awareness that something in his life seemed to be going awry.

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