Abstract

THOMAS, Marie-Claude. Introduction to a genealogy of autism.Translated byJosé Durval Cavalcanti de Albuquerque. Tempo psicanal. [online]. 2013, vol.45, n.2, pp. 339-366. ISSN 0101-4838.

This article proposes a critical review of the currently dominant conception of this new phenomenon called "infantile autism". Inspired by the method of M. Foucault, autism is situated in the épistémé from which it is a product. The psychopathological entity "autism" was built by L. Kanner in the specific context of behaviorism dominant at that time, specially the linguistic behaviorism (L. Bloomfield). It also questions the effects of name "autism", the expression "autistic child". This kannerienne construction, disseminated among children psychiatrists and psychoanalysts, involves a conception of causality which justifies the multiple researches in genetics and neurosciences, but that is not the conception of causality specific to psychoanalysis. Therefore it raises the question: is it legitimate that psychoanalysis and the psychoanalysts contribute to this Autistic Psychopathia?

Keywords : autism; psychoanalysis; psychopathology; causality.

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