Some functions of being fair and just-or not, in clinical psychoanalysis

The author suggests that the concepts of fairness and justice might be psyc hoanalytically useful They are social ideas but often arise clinically Sinc e psychoanalysis is about intimate and internal events, the wide social and legal settings associated with formal justice are not addressed Fairness a nd informal justice arise more intimately and are central here. Fairness is concerned with thorough consideration of an issue. To be fair, the people involved must be considered with impartiality before a decision. Justice ge nerally is more formal, aiming to ensure the integrity of a system, its par ts and individual members. ft is noted that psycho-pathogenic conditions ca n arise in conflicting situations involving fairness and justice. Clinical illustrations suggest that the psychoanalytic process can implicitly aim to resolve their after-effects. Technique is addressed in this light. A centr al suggestion emerges here. The philosopher Jurgen Habermas proposes that j ustice vests essentially upon opportunity for argumentation between all tho se affected The author suggests that psychoanalytic therapy is likewise a c onstructive argumentation.