Bruno Bettelheim
Bruno Bettelheim was an Austrian-born self-educated psychoanalyst in generally the Freudian tradition. A survivor of the Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps, he emigrated to the United States in 1939 and spent the bulk of his academic career as a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago. For more than 40 years, Bettelheim wrote a number of articles and books on psychology and had an international reputation for his work on Sigmund Freud, psychoanalysis and emotionally disturbed children. He served as the director of the Orthogenic School for Disturbed Children from 1944 to 1973.
Bruno Bettelheim's work has raised controversy. He generally blamed mothers for autism, in The Empty Fortress and other texts, although autism spectrum conditions are now currently regarded as having multiple and overwhelmingly physical causes. He is best known for The Uses of Enchantment, which applied Freudian psychology to fairy tales and won several awards, but for which he was accused of plagiarism. It was also revealed that he frequently hit students even though he spoke and wrote against corporal punishments.
Bruno Bettelheim's work has raised controversy. He generally blamed mothers for autism, in The Empty Fortress and other texts, although autism spectrum conditions are now currently regarded as having multiple and overwhelmingly physical causes. He is best known for The Uses of Enchantment, which applied Freudian psychology to fairy tales and won several awards, but for which he was accused of plagiarism. It was also revealed that he frequently hit students even though he spoke and wrote against corporal punishments.
