Free will and authority are highly relevant and complex concepts in counselling psychology, but rarely discussed in any depth. In my psychoanalytic training, one of the readings for a class before the summer break was ‘Before The Law’ by Kafka. In essence, it’s about a man who comes to find the law, meets a gate and a (first) gatekeeper, and sits outside the gate with the gatekeeper, patiently, until he dies. He found his own relationship with the law – unquestioning obedience. But there are others to be found. Who ‘has’ the law in this story? Who has free will? Check out this interesting commentary here and see how your thinking changes.
Dr Russel Ayling
http://www.russelayling.co.uk
