I agree with that particular observation about therapy, having been therapized effectively myself (big ups to therapy!), but I fundamentally trusted that the therapist knew what ze was doing—based on diplomas on the wall, recommendations from trusted sources, and the first session with zir. The time that I did not feel that fundamental trust, I didn’t go back. Thus, when a therapist asked me a question that bothered me, I believed that 1) ze had a good professional reason for asking, so I should figure out the answer and 2) my discomfort about the question was worth investigating as well. And maybe even 3) the discomfort is worth pushing through because it’s a signal of a possible avenue for a breakthrough, and given that I value previous breakthroughs at $2,000 cash or maybe more if I thought hard about it, the discomfort is exciting in a way.
Contrast: If I’m a deponent, and the lawyer asks me a question that bothers me, my (sensible) belief is that the truthful answer is bad for my case, meaning that the amount of money I’m going to {win/lose} is going to go {down/up} when I answer. If you thought that answering a certain question truthfully would cost you $10,000 USD, you wouldn’t answer it if you didn’t have to.
Thus, another crucial distinguishing element of a deposition is that the deponent will face serious consequences if ze doesn’t sit for zir deposition: if the deponent is a party to the lawsuit, a judgment will probably be entered against zir, and if the deponent is a non-party who has been properly served with a valid deposition subpoena, ze will be held in contempt and theoretically jailed until ze does comply. Few people, by contrast, are compelled by sanction of law into therapy or crux-hunting.
I agree with that particular observation about therapy, having been therapized effectively myself (big ups to therapy!), but I fundamentally trusted that the therapist knew what ze was doing—based on diplomas on the wall, recommendations from trusted sources, and the first session with zir. The time that I did not feel that fundamental trust, I didn’t go back. Thus, when a therapist asked me a question that bothered me, I believed that 1) ze had a good professional reason for asking, so I should figure out the answer and 2) my discomfort about the question was worth investigating as well. And maybe even 3) the discomfort is worth pushing through because it’s a signal of a possible avenue for a breakthrough, and given that I value previous breakthroughs at $2,000 cash or maybe more if I thought hard about it, the discomfort is exciting in a way.
Contrast: If I’m a deponent, and the lawyer asks me a question that bothers me, my (sensible) belief is that the truthful answer is bad for my case, meaning that the amount of money I’m going to {win/lose} is going to go {down/up} when I answer. If you thought that answering a certain question truthfully would cost you $10,000 USD, you wouldn’t answer it if you didn’t have to.
Thus, another crucial distinguishing element of a deposition is that the deponent will face serious consequences if ze doesn’t sit for zir deposition: if the deponent is a party to the lawsuit, a judgment will probably be entered against zir, and if the deponent is a non-party who has been properly served with a valid deposition subpoena, ze will be held in contempt and theoretically jailed until ze does comply. Few people, by contrast, are compelled by sanction of law into therapy or crux-hunting.