The Ethical Issues of Running with Scissors
Ethical Issues of “Running with scissors”
This movie is told from Augusten Burroughs' point of view of his childhood. He was very close to his mother; he skipped school to stay with her. To him he seemed to have an ordinary life. His house was very clean and he would polish things because he liked it so clean. His mother Deidre Burroughs, who has gone insane after her divorce from his father, gives him up for adoption to her psychiatrist, Dr. Finch. She comes to their house quite often throughout the movie and asks why he spends so much time with them.
Dr. Finch has two daughters and an adopted son some of who were at one time his patients. At the age of twelve, Augusten engages in a romantic relationship with Neil Bookman who is thirty-three years old and is one of Dr. Finch’s adoptive children. The Finches house is unconventional. His house is opposite of the Burroughs’, there are no rules, it’s very dirty, and at age thirteen children are seen as adults and can do whatever they want. Dr. Finch’s wife is nonchalant throughout the movie despite the fact that you can tell she does not agree with the decisions that Dr. Finch makes.
Deidre continues to see Dr. Finch as a patient even though there is obviously no progress being made; it seems to actually get worse as the movie continues. Deidre’s ex husband informs her of Dr. Finch stealing her money and Deidre becomes very angry and Dr. Finch tries to have her committed.
There are many unethical issues in the movie “Running with scissors”. The biggest ethical issue in this movie is the relationships Dr. Finch has with his patients. He adopts or shelters many of his patients which according to Standard 3.05 human relations in the ethical code of conduct for psychologist this is unethical. This is called a multiple relationship. It happens when a psychologist is in a professional role with a person and at the same time is in another role with the same person. For example if you are someone’s psychologist and an
This movie is told from Augusten Burroughs' point of view of his childhood. He was very close to his mother; he skipped school to stay with her. To him he seemed to have an ordinary life. His house was very clean and he would polish things because he liked it so clean. His mother Deidre Burroughs, who has gone insane after her divorce from his father, gives him up for adoption to her psychiatrist, Dr. Finch. She comes to their house quite often throughout the movie and asks why he spends so much time with them.
Dr. Finch has two daughters and an adopted son some of who were at one time his patients. At the age of twelve, Augusten engages in a romantic relationship with Neil Bookman who is thirty-three years old and is one of Dr. Finch’s adoptive children. The Finches house is unconventional. His house is opposite of the Burroughs’, there are no rules, it’s very dirty, and at age thirteen children are seen as adults and can do whatever they want. Dr. Finch’s wife is nonchalant throughout the movie despite the fact that you can tell she does not agree with the decisions that Dr. Finch makes.
Deidre continues to see Dr. Finch as a patient even though there is obviously no progress being made; it seems to actually get worse as the movie continues. Deidre’s ex husband informs her of Dr. Finch stealing her money and Deidre becomes very angry and Dr. Finch tries to have her committed.
There are many unethical issues in the movie “Running with scissors”. The biggest ethical issue in this movie is the relationships Dr. Finch has with his patients. He adopts or shelters many of his patients which according to Standard 3.05 human relations in the ethical code of conduct for psychologist this is unethical. This is called a multiple relationship. It happens when a psychologist is in a professional role with a person and at the same time is in another role with the same person. For example if you are someone’s psychologist and an