Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Autism, formally known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), constitutes a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent differences in social interaction, communication, and patterns of behavior. While the term “autistic thinking” was historically employed in early psychiatric nomenclature to describe a preoccupation with inner fantasy and a detachment from reality, […]
Definition and Historical Context The term autistic thinking denotes a specific pattern of cognitive function characterized primarily by its detachment from external, objective reality. Initially introduced into the psychological lexicon by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1911, alongside the concept of autism itself, it described thought processes highly concentrated on internal desires, fantasies, and subjective […]
Bleuler’s Fundamental Symptoms of Schizophrenia The Core Definition of Fundamental Symptoms The concept of Fundamental Symptoms refers to the four primary, persistent characteristics of schizophrenia as defined by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in the early 20th century. Bleuler introduced these symptoms—often colloquially remembered as the “Four A’s”—to distinguish the core, underlying pathology of the disorder […]