Psychotherapy and the Ethics of Attention
Publication Type |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication |
1996 |
Author |
|
Journal |
Hastings Center Report |
Volume |
26 |
Number |
1 |
Pages |
17-22 |
Language |
English |
Publish Dates |
January - February |
Keywords |
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Annotation |
Drawing on the theories of attention in the work of Iris Murdoch and Simone Weil, the authors argue the ethical development of individuals can be tied to their ability to attend to objects outside of themselves, in that the greater their ability to focus on something outside themselves and forget themselves in the process, the greater their ethical capacity. The authors argue performance anxiety is tied to ethics as the more the individual is self-centred – i.e. concerned with their own performance and success, the more anxious they will be. Conversely, the more they are able to focus on things outside of themselves, a central factor in ethical capacity, the less anxiety they will feel. |