The “refrigerator mothers”, the controversial theory of the 1940s

Few theories have done as much damage as that of the refrigerator mothers. It is one of those facts that continue to generate astonishment in the scientific community. Also in the general population, who still remember it. The Austrian psychologist Bruno Bettelheim gave explicit form to the controversial idea that autism had its origin in the absence of affection in childhood, especially from the maternal figure.

Fortunately, This pseudotheory was debunked in the 1970s.. Currently, although we do not know exactly what causes autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the hypotheses that we consider most likely go along completely different paths. However, never and under no circumstances is the focus focused on the parents, and even less so on the love of a mother.

As we can deduce, this fact had a great social impact. There were thousands of families who went through a real ordeal. The mothers of those children with autism carried the weight of public shame and desperate helplessness. Not only his affection for his children was questioned, but also his mental balance..

Let’s delve a little deeper into this dark past of understanding autism.

Bruno Bettelheim was the psychologist who proposed the theory of refrigerator mothers, causing irreparable damage to many families.

The “refrigerator mothers”: the women who “supposedly” did not know how to love their children

To talk about the refrigerator mother theory is to describe a series of horror stories that spanned more than two decades.. It was not until research began with autistic twins that it became clear that there was a genetic and cerebral etiology. The child’s upbringing, attachment styles, and psychosocial environment had nothing to do with it.

However, until this pseudoscientific theory was invalidated, too many years passed. One of them was the creation of the Chicago Orthogenic School, whose objective was to separate mothers from their children to reeducate the latter.

For many years, Dr. Bettelheim was a reference figure for all those who wanted to know more about the etiology of autism. Your book The Empty Fortress: Childhood Autism and the Birth of the Selfalong with his appearances on television, made him a supposedly renowned professional for a time.

Origin of the theory: Freud, Leo Kanner, Hans Asperger and Bettelheim

Multiple factors came together in the conception of the theory of refrigerator mothers. Let’s get into context first.

We are in the late 1940s and psychoanalysis dominates all perspectives in the field of mental health and the understanding of human behavior. Sigmund Freud stipulated that most traumas had their origin in childhood.

Given that autism was conceived as a mental illness, it was deduced that this clinical condition was due to a traumatic event..Later, both Leo Kanner and autism expert Hans Asperger investigated this disorder in upper-class people. According to their own conclusions, in all cases the parents (and especially the mothers) were cold in the education of their children. In fact, they coined the term “autistic affective contact disorder”.Leo Kanner published an article in 1949 in which he pointed out that autism could be related to a “genuine lack of maternal warmth.” Now, It was Bruno Bettelheim who was most interested in the “refrigerator mothers” thesis and who popularized it.. She went to television sets, wrote books and articles reinforcing the thesis of maternal distancing as a cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

“Refrigerator mothers”, a generation of traumatized women and children

The concept of cold motherhood, as a direct cause of childhood autism, caused irreparable damage. In 2003, a documentary titled Refrigerator Mothers was broadcast, which chronicled the stark personal journey of many American families who experienced this stigma.

These women were not only identified as “bad mothers, cold, severe or carefree mothers.” Furthermore, his psychological balance was called into question. They lived with shame and also sometimes with the inexplicable weight of guilt. More than one questioned herself, even wondering what she could have done wrong.

On the other hand, it is also worth noting that There were thousands of autistic children who were subjected to harsh and questionable therapies. Not to mention that, later, it was found that many of these children suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Bruno Bettelheim.

Mothers and fathers are the best support, help and references for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Bernard Rimland, the man who demolished the myth

Bernard Rumland was an experimental psychologist, researcher and activist for children with developmental disorders. His own son had autism. It was in 1964 that she published her best-selling book Childhood Autism: The Syndrome and Its Implications for a Neural Theory of Behavior.

In that work he provided evidence that we were facing a genetic and neurological disorder, in which the type of upbringing had nothing to do with it. Her message, debunking the myth of “refrigerator mothers,” resonated deeply in society. Later, he created the Autism Society of America (ASA). An organization to defend and care for parents of autistic children.

It was not until 1969, when figures like Leo Kanner had to recant. It was at an American convention for parents of children on the autism spectrum that he publicly stated: “I hereby officially absolve the fathers and mothers of the cause of this disorder.”

However, the damage had already been done and, in many cases, was irreparable. From then until today, the scientific community has only one purpose: to achieve effective biomedical interventions. Fathers and mothers are the best support for children with ASD and deserve all our admiration and support. Also our apologies.

You might be interested…