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What is the attitude of psychoanalysts and psychoanalytically oriented practitioners toward the possibility of post-termination sexual involvement with former patients? By probing the responses of even a very limited non-random sample of practicing psychologists on this subject, Drs. Shavit and Bucky succeed in exposing a wide range of expected and unexpected views, and not a little amount of professional confusion and contradictory opinions on the question. They are to be commended for being able to craft a semi-structured interview (albeit given to an inadequate research sample of six psychologists) that taps into apparently still unprocessed attitudes of psychoanalytic practitioners on this important ethical issue.
Although all of the clinicians agreed on the great potential for harm stemming from post-termination sexual involvement and all also agreed that “transferences did not resolve with termination”, there was still no agreement on the degree to which ethical behaviour should be mandated in these areas. In this, the attitude of the small sample of psychologists was little different from the official position of the American Psychological Association. As pointed out by the authors, in 1992 the APA amended its Code of Ethics in Standard 4.07 to prohibit sexual involvement with former patients within a time frame of two years. Even after the two-year time frame, the Code states that except “in the most unusual circumstances,” the behavior is still considered to be unethical. However, as the authors also pointed out, this APA position was an uneasy compromise taken after 15 earlier internal revisions of the Code on this subject. It appears that whatever professional