The Faustian Physician
This article examines Goethe's Faust through contemporary psychological and medical ethics scholarship, exploring how the archetypal Faustian bargain illuminates moral distress and professional identity crises in modern healthcare. Drawing on Jungian analytical psychology and recent research on physician moral distress, this analysis demonstrates how Faust's psychological journey from knowledge-seeking to moral redemption offers profound insights into the ethical challenges facing contemporary physicians. The article argues that understanding Faust's inner dynamics—his confrontation with the shadow, his alienation from authentic relationship, and his eventual recognition of human limitations—provides a framework for addressing the systemic pressures that drive moral distress in medical practice.