AUTISM, PSYCHOANALYSIS AND CEREBRAL DISORDER:

A CRITIQUE

Abstract

This paper uses some recent scientific findings concerning
the etiology of autism as a point of departure for a broad comparison of the
methods of empirical science and those of psychoanalysis. The diverse
origins and traditions of these two orientations are contrasted, and the
implications of the two approaches for the analysis and treatment of
mental illness are discussed. The general failure of the psychoanalytic
approach to comply with the requirements of empirical science is noted,
and specific criticisms, including those by psychoanalists, are cited.