This movie is told from Augustan 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 Deirdre Burroughs, who has gone insane after her divorce from his father, gives him up for adoption to her psychiatrist, Dry. Finch. She comes to their house quite often throughout the movie and asks why he spends so much time with them.
Dry. Finch has two daughters and an adopted son some of who were at one time his patients. At the age of twelve, Augustan engages in a romantic relationship with Neil Bookmark who is thirty-three years Old and is one Of Dry. 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. Dry. Finch’s wife is nonchalant throughout the movie despite the fact that you can ell she does not agree with the decisions that Dry.
Finch makes. Deirdre continues to see Dry. Finch as a patient even though there is obviously no progress being made; it seems to actually get worse as the movie continues. Eider’s ex husband informs her of Dry. Finch stealing her money and Deirdre becomes very angry and Dry. 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 Dry. Finch has with his patients.
He adopts or shelters many of his patients which according to Standard 3. 5 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 adoptive parent. Another issue in this movie would have been avoiding harm section 3. 04. Psychologists are supposed to avoid arming their clients however by taking in patients into his home he has done more harm to them then leaving them where they were.
Instead of fixing Eider’s psychological issues Dry. Finch created more issues between her and Augustan. Also allowing him to engage in a romantic relationship with a male twice his age caused him more psychological harm than benefit. Augustan wanted someone to speak up and tell him what he was doing was wrong. He wanted to be treated like a child with a mother and father and instead of building a family Dry. Finch tore it apart. Dry. Finch tricked Deirdre into signing over power of attorney to his self so he could steal her money it was a violation Of codes 3. 6 and 3. 08 conflict Of interest and Exploitative Relationships.
Dry. Finch gained Eider’s trust as her psychologist and used It in a very dishonest way. When Deirdre found out what he had done she tried to confront him but he turned everything around to make her think she conjured the scenario up. He tried to have her committed for insanity. Dry. Finch should not have had his license because he broke so many rules. He ad no regards for ethics and he may have been psychotic himself.
He broke all five of the principles of ethics. He had no sense of care for his patients. He seemed to be working for the money not to actually help people. He never actually helped any of his patients in fact he made many situations worse. He condoned unhealthy relationships with his patients as well as his own children. He brain washed the members of his household to make them think that certain bowl movements were signs of prosperity. He was very ill and should not have been in charge of people’s lives.
