Gurevich, P. S. Affects and Child’s Development

Abstract: The article is devoted to the analysis of the ideas of F. Alexander who created a so-called medical psychoanalysis. Alexander tried to establish the direct but in many ways correct connection between physical sickness and psychological state of a man. Being the follower of Freud, Alexander nevertheless spoke against many statements of classical psychoanalysis and was quite independent in developing his own theory. Appearance of psychosomatics as an independent branch of psychology and science in the 30th of the last century was not an accident, either. It was the time when medicine was criticized for a mechanic approach to human when an individual was explained just as a simple combination of cells and organs. The idea of human as the integration of mind and body was developed and later undertaken by the founders of humanistic psychology and neofreudism. In his article the author uses methodology of classical psychoanalysis that proves the psychogenic nature of many physical diseases. The author also bases himself on neofreudistic methods and considers achievements of social psychology on the matter. He also uses the principle of historicism that allows to interpret Alexander’s teaching in close connection with achievements of modern psychoanalysis. The novelty of the article is in the attempt to understand Alexander’s theory taking into account the current condition of medicine and psychology. This allows to prove that the psychoanalytical method offered by Alexander cannot be limited to simple correlation of statistical data proving that there is a certain connection between human body and mind. Alexander’s method allows to understand the deep sources of pathology.

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