Analysis of the book “At Personal Risk, Boundary Violations in Professional - Client Relationships” by Marilyn Peterson
The first three chapters of the book are the description of the social essence of relationship, differences in behavior, which outlines the establishment of relational boundaries and the existence of difficulty in professionals concerning the power of control. The four main issues regarding the border violations are discussed throughout the book, including the role, mystery, double connection and non – appropriate use of professional privileges. Moreover, the stories of the book, written by Marilyn Peterson, show the consequences and effect of the damage for clients, arisen through the relational boundaries in all spheres of everyday life. As it mentioned, this book consists of the stories, which are shared by the customers, of their relations between different people, having different professions. Also, it should be noted that the Peterson’s manner of writing facilitates the perception of the text and what is more important understanding the principles and divergence in relationships and the existence of boundaries and obstacles in those relations.
“At Personal Risk, Boundary Violations in Professional - Client Relationships” explains the boundary violation through the relationship between professionals and clients. The stories are so built that it becomes easy to understand the examples in different spheres, like law, education, religion, medicine and so on. Thus, this book expands the range of our knowledge concerning boundaries in behavior by looking abuse that occurs in the context of relationships.
Before analyzing the issue of relational boundaries, it is necessary to determine this term in order to better understanding of thoughts. So, boundary in the context of Peterson’s book can be defined as a limitation of the professional conduct, violation of which entails significant consequences. There is no frame for the limits, which are derived from ethical treatise, cultural morality and law. However, it is difficult in some situations to define these borders in relationships.
I enjoy the Marilyn Peterson’s statement that our freedom ends where another person's freedom begins. People always mark the boundaries in everything: state, city, home, relations. The personal boundaries are not less important, determining personal zone that is the allowable limit contact. Without the existence of any boundaries it is impossible to understand and feel any compounds or distinctiveness. It seems to distinguish white from black, and good from evil. As Marilyn Peterson notified in the book, there is lots of different boundaries, including physical, emotional, spiritual, and sexual. (48)
Everyone has the right to have its own thoughts and feelings, everybody must understand and meet its own needs, and everyone needs some personal space. It is sometimes difficult to understand for people with violated personal boundaries. How do they differ from people with their "borders"? Then they pay for their lack of boundaries? And there is always such a fee. People with violated personal boundaries are often forced to spend an enormous amount of energy trying to "save the relationship".What is the reason? Most often, the fear of losing the location of loved ones, relatives, colleagues or superiors. They often agree on the actions that go against their personal interests: working for someone, spend their own time on the other, despite the fact that they may have on his own plans.
Most people must sooner or later establish a balance between their personal needs and demands of society. Man, allowing breaking its borders, makes it possible for others to manipulate him. Unclear awareness of our boundaries leads to the fact that people cannot understand what the part of their duties is, and what is not, where their responsibility begins and where it ends. Therefore, everyone should clearly define boundaries of allowed in respect of: “This destroys me, and this is not”. (84)
Debate on the issues of borders nowadays is often conducted as if all the disputes have been resolved and everyone knows what the difficulties are and how to proceed with caution. However, the problem of borders, especially in clinical settings, is quite new.There is some confusion about borders when during clinical discussions different ethical issues and problems are considered.
The problem of interaction between a psychologist and a patient has always been regarded with caution. At its core, a man acts with confidence only to close people. Therefore, the fact that a stranger knows the unpleasant moments of your life, a lot of people scares. Most of us are not ready to be open, so certainly, the existence of these boundaries in the relationship between professionals and their clients is important to the industry of psychiatry. In my opinion, the therapist firstly must comply with the measures permitted, depending on the situation and the client. What we can ask one person, we cannot another, because it may affect his feeling. Therefore, the methodology and approach must be individual. Since the boundary in such a relationship is not an exact and constantly changes, then the question becomes only more difficult. Relying on the feelings of the client, the therapist is responsible for determining the measure of opportunity that should not in any way adversely affect the state of mind of the client.
As an example, I would like to mention one very glaring case of violation of professional ethics of psychologist. In the US, a famous actor and producer, after referring to the therapist, was forced to divorce his wife and lost a significant part of his vast fortune. The fact that his wife found out about his infidelity from the Internet, which was posted as confidential information learned in the sessions. Psychotherapist, after the first intercourse with a star, sold all the information to media. After many trials, it became clear that the motivation for the commission of such an offense has occurred because of the own divorce of female therapist reasoned by the constant cases of her husband’s unfaithfulness. Naturally, after such events, she could not distinguish between their personal and professional lives. Experiencing persistent hostility to the male apostate, she decided to take revenge on all of them, by exposing this unfortunate actor and producer.
I would like also to refer to my personal experience of interaction with psychologists. My example is not as bright as previous but nevertheless it took place and made me fill inconvenient. Everyone has some personal problems or internal unsolved bundles of contradictions unsolved. I am not unique according to that that is why, my visit to psychologist was arranged. Undoubtedly, people sometimes require emotional maintenance and aid in looking for internal balance. And when appointed to the psychologist, the one often formulates his problem well enough and with those feel of significance, which means his problem to be important. Moreover, it is understood, because the patient will not appoint to specialist unless having certain issues, which cannot be resolved by his efforts. Thus, I went to the psychologist with serious attitude. The first our meeting was a kind of acquaintance I told a lot and the doctor listened. Than his task was to work out personal plan for dealing with me. After several sessions I have noticed that my issues didn’t bother him at all – his behavior was indifferent and phrases general. I could easily talk the same things to myself alone. So in my situation I was just disappointed in psychology and in future, I bet not to visit a psychologist again. This is an example of how one insufficiently professional specialist made the customer to turn away from the whole, large professional area.
More complaints concerning violations of the borders after the termination of the professional relationship began to appear not only in psychological relationships, but also at the conclusion of the business and financial transactions. Attacks on such transactions may be followed from patients, relatives or business partners, who believe that they have lost money or feel cheated and used the argument that it is not complied with clear boundaries in relationships. Undue influence, acting in such situations, considered from the point of view regarding the impaired ability of former patients to give or not the consent to a transaction (for example, to transfer money to charities, public and religious organizations, trusts, educational institutions), which should be repealed.
If we consider the question of the boundaries between the relationship between the employer and the employee, the principles of business ethics should form the basis for the development of each employee of any firm its personal ethical system. Personnel professional ethics of management includes general principles and categories, but the form and content of activity has specific features.
The desire of the employer to control the activities of their employees is understandable. Given that today the two main resources of any company are considered people and information, it is logical that the business wants to know what people are doing and where the information is transferred. So, the issue of corporate boundaries arises there. Totally, the answer to the question of the possibility to control employee, can be briefly summarized as follows “it is possible, but under certain conditions”. Fundamentally, control methods do not violate relational boundaries, if they are acceptable.
So, what threatens their violation? Many do not even think about. I would like to cover it referencing to major ethical principles set in Marilyn Peterson’s “At Personal Risk, Boundary Violations in Professional-Client Relationships.” and summarizing them in following list.
Enumerating the major ethical principles:
1. Do no harm! Or the principle of not harming the subject.
2. does not evaluate! You shall not bear negative evaluations in loud!
3. The principle of impartiality. Impermissible bias against client, whatever subjective impression he produced by his appearance, legal and social position.
4. The principle of informed consent. You must notify the client about ethical principles and rules of your activity and the truth is that it really works.
5. The principle of confidentiality - professional secrecy. (For the professions such as a psychologist, whose work with the client takes place on the basis of trusting relationship, is not subject to conscious or accidental disclosure and should be presented in such a way that he could not compromise any client or customer or a psychologist or psychological science).
6. Respect your co-workers, their right to creativity and professional (It is unacceptable showdown between colleagues and employees in the presence of customers).
7. The principle of professional competence. (108-127)
Marilyn Peterson, in her book, recalls the casual professional faults such as sexual harassment and related problems of boundary violations in a relationship at work, which occur in these actions.
The issue of sexual harassment in the workplace has an increasing focus of media and public. This concept has nothing new. However, in the past it was considered a personal problem or simply denied that did not leave for victim any choice unless dismissal. With the increasing number of working women sexual harassment has become so common that it was recognized as a violation of human rights, and the wall of silence surrounding this phenomenon, began to collapse.
How to define the line between ordinary friendly relations, flirting and actually harassment? The question is very difficult.
Sexual harassment is one of the factors, which not only spoils the relationship with the victim, but also changes the perception and attitude of all the staff. This has an impact on human physiological nature, which, in my opinion, is much worse than the psychological manipulation of employees in order to obtain from them the necessary information and the desired performance.
The company should be responsible for the behavior of personnel; regardless of whether or not know about this behavior. In addition, the company is responsible for the behavior of co-workers, if know or should have known about this behavior and does not take immediate action. Thus, the in-company relations between employees as well as relations between employers or managers are the issue of ever-increasing meaning in conditions of current international companies’ development with their wide branch models of management. Google is a bright example of how such a cumbersome, because of the scale, model of professional relations exercise its functions bringing large profit computable in millions of dollars. Nevertheless even the model of such efficiency may fail that it why, one shall never underestimate this issue.
One of the other issues, described in the book, is the problem of non – appropriate use of professional privileges. This case is applicable to a lot of issues mentioned above. Psychological and working violations of boundaries include improper use of professional benefits. Having more rights, people feel themselves being on the higher level than others and, as a consequence, allow themselves to act in a manner whatever they want. Nevertheless, it is impossible for real professionals to forget about corporate and exactly individual relations. Everybody should remember that illegal use of its rights may cause the violation of existing boundaries in relationship between people. (162)
In life, it often happens that a man who breaks your personal space, in fact, showing thereby that he does not appreciate you; it is very difficult, almost impossible to explain or to prove something to him. Then you have to have to think what is the more important for you: to keep yourself, your self-esteem, and your borders or to maintain a relationship with that person. Everyone has a right not to communicate or have any relations with someone who does not appreciate you, does not respect your right to personal choice on your own beliefs and your own mistakes.
Therefore, after analyzing the various aspects of violations in the book “Analysis of the book “At Personal Risk, Boundary Violations in Professional - Client Relationships”, it is clear to say that there is a great need in each case to create reasonable, appropriate and effective borders for each subject. The border is set with a condition of not – getting out over the limitation, i.e. person is not going to tolerate more, longer and farther than he represents. And you cannot establish an obstacle for the future development of relations and separating wall for the professional and the client. It would be more efficient to create a neutral and safe environment for interaction.
Source:
Peterson MR. At personal risk: Boundary violations in professional-client relationships. 1 edition. New York: W.W Norton and Company; 1992. Apr 17
