LSAT 116 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q6

LR Question 6 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Therapists who treat violent criminals cannot both respect…

QUESTION TYPE: Weaken

CONCLUSION: Therapists cannot respect both client confidentiality and victim safety.

ANALYSIS: This feels like a fairly strong argument. The conflict between confidentiality and safety is plausible. Since I didn’t see an obvious flaw, I looked straight at the answer choices.

___________

1. It doesn’t matter how the therapists were assigned work. Can they do the work without a conflict of interest?
2. Even if criminals are in jail, they will likely get out sooner if therapists conceal their crimes.
3. Maybe they do, but the conflict is between criminal confidentiality and victim safety.
4. Even if true, this doesn’t resolve the conflict.
5. CORRECT. So, by not violating confidentiality (and gaining trust) therapists could prevent threats to the safety of others. Therapists could keep their clients’ confidences and be sincerely concerned about preventing violence, and achieve both goals at once.

Recap: The question begins with “Therapists who treat violent criminals cannot both respect”. It is a Weaken question. Learn more about LSAT Weaken questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.