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On the duty to protect: an evolutionary perspective.

T J Rudegeair¹, P S Appelbaum

¹University of Massachusetts Medical School.

The Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law

|January 1, 1992

Summary

The psychotherapist

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Sociology
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

The legal and ethical obligations of psychotherapists to protect potential victims from patient violence have undergone recent changes, narrowing these duties.
This evolution in duty raises questions about the balance between patient welfare and public safety.
Previous obligations, exemplified by the Tarasoff ruling, mandated a significant level of compelled altruism from therapists.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the recent reformulation of psychotherapists' duty to protect through the lens of sociobiology.
To examine the evolutionary basis of altruism and its implications for professional ethical obligations.
To understand how changes in the duty to protect align with sociobiological principles.

Main Methods:

Sociobiological analysis of altruistic behavior in animal and human contexts.
Examination of the ethical and practical challenges posed by the Tarasoff-like duty to protect.
Review of recent legal and professional shifts in psychotherapists' duty of care.

Main Results:

Altruistic acts are rare in nature and typically occur when reciprocity is probable.
The Tarasoff-like duty compels therapists to prioritize unknown victims over patients, contravening sociobiological norms of reciprocity.
This societal expectation has led therapists to avoid potentially dangerous patients, creating a dilemma.

Conclusions:

The narrowing of the psychotherapist's duty to protect aligns with sociobiological principles regarding altruism.
This shift mitigates the ethical dilemma faced by therapists, making the professional obligations more socially and evolutionarily tenable.
Recent changes reflect an evolutionary understanding of altruism, balancing professional duties with practical realities.

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