The Myth of Autism and Chess

I used to diagnose it as schizophrenia, but didn't know then the correctt term was "autism."  Science advances.  Too bad nobody was able to help Fischer.

I was unaware that the diagnoses of autism and schizophrenia intersect. Perhaps you could explain.

Also, do you think that "science" could now help people like Fischer?

If you would grant that psychology is a science, then you may agree that Bobby exhibited two main symptoms of schizopherina (adult onset).  Those two would be delusions of persecution and delusions of grandure.  What makes this tricky is, he was the greatest and he was under attack.  This does not necessarily justify wearing aluminum foil in your hat and having all of the fillings removed in your teeth to prevent the government from controlling your brain with radio waves as he did.  Furthermore, Bobby's arrogance and obsessional behavior in many situations was inappropriate and indicated his over-inflated opinion of his intelligence.  Like many austic people, Bobby had trouble with relationships and lacked empathy.  He never managed a successful marriage or became a parent and lacked most of the qualities normal people value.  Generally, he was out of touch with people and appears to lack the ability for pleasure (except chess).  And even in chess, was that a normal pleasure for Mr. Fischer?  Or was it like neurotic and compulsive sex to the mentally ill...the behavior is there but the intimacy and emotion is missing.  In many ways, he was a idiot-savant and upon reflection, due to his childhood and his single parent mother situation, he can be examined clinically instead of dismissed as a mere eccentric.  In today's world, he could have easily been diagnosed as an austic child.  Perhaps a more accurate term for autism is "pre-schizophrenia," but no mother wants to admit that her child has this dreaded condition.  So a more palative term has been resurected.  Freud, in spite of his politically incorrect fall from fame, is still one of the greatest minds in psychology.  Remember, he was first a medical doctor.  Freud said, "There is an organic (physical) cause for mental illness."  And many young professionals have been quick to instruct me to the differences in brain structures in austic children verses normal brains.  Well, there are differences in the brains of schizophrenics verses normal brains too.  Whether these differences are the same is for future research by neurologists.  That was never my job and I have retired from the game.  I really just wanted to opine about Autism and my reference to "science advancing" was intended to be biting scarcasm.  Putting a new name on an old problem is just putting old wine into a new bottle.  What irritates me most is the disintigration of the line between right and wrong, good and bad, and healthy and sick.  For example, we can all look forward to the day when the term "criminal" is obsolete.  I predict in the future, people will not be labeled with such a prejudicial term but instead be accepted in society as "judgement impaired," or a victim of situational ethics.

If everyone had normal brains we'd still be living in caves. 

I heard, "If women controlled the world, we would still be living in caves."

The ax I am grinding here has two components.  First, nomenclature is meaningless without a cause and effect relationship.  It is like the Flagiston theory of fire.  If something burns longer than another thing, it had more Flagiston in it.  This is not knowledge or understanding of oxidaztion or combustion or chemistry, but it is generally acceptable as an explanation to "the people."  Second, a friend of mine recently had a date with a very intelligent and successful female author who was now ready to settle down and start a family--at the age of 46!!!  Sorry honey, but that ship has sailed and those eggs are no longer fit for reproduction.  "Oh, but People magazine and the US Congress and the Surgeon Gereral all said it is perfectly OK for women to conceive in the last half of their lives."  Sorry to burst your ovum, baby, but biology cannot be legistlated.

re: posts:

autism is defined by a spectrum of behaviors

biology is legislated (number of children in some countries, affirmative action programs, ethics + health controls in science etc)

there are several types of schizophrenia that manifest themselves quite differently depending on the type

Psychology is very complex because the brain is very complex, and diagnosing a deceased person is practically impossible. Granted Bobby Fischer had a lot of symptoms pointing towards psychosis, but we now know that there are multiple mental disorders that can trigger this. Lack of empathy and poor relationship skills could also be signs of antisocial personality disorder, etc. 

He may have been autistic and he may have been schizophrenic, but to outright state that he was, both, and conclude that therefore autism and schizophrenia are the same thing. Well, let's just say I think we would give even Fischer's crazy ideas a run for his money...

Point well taken, Harmbtn.  Thank you for your contribution.  You have touched on the heart of the problem:  diagnosis.  I am well aware of the full range of behaviors manifested by schizophrenia.  In my day, I was called upon to consult on cases in the locked wards of the State mental hospitals.  As a result, fortunately or unfortunately, I have acquired a jaded and cynical point of view.  That's my problem.  But to return to the issue/topic in question, there is an unavoidable destination.  A patient is either "on the bus" or "off the bus."  In other words, you are either within socially acceptable guidelines or gone.  What was the characterization of Captain Kurtz in "Apocalypse Now?" ...he got off the boat a long time ago.  So it is with autism/schizophrenia.  Mental health is not something easily recovered.  Suggesting an alternative dianoses only blurs and obscurses the point.  To clarify, you can put all of the explanations for aborhent behavior into a bag, and regardless of what you pull out, be it autism, schizophrenia, obsessive/compulsive disorder, sexual perversion and all the "philias," or nail biting etc, you still have a neurotic or possibly psychotic individual who can only be severly medicated.  The Spartans had the right idea.

...the spectrum is very narrow.  Another major similarity between autism and schizophrenia is the subject's inability to distinguish facial expressions and emotions.  And I would go further to say, this is probably due to the current (since the end of WWII) idea that woman can abondon their roles as mothers, leave the child in daycare, and join the workforce.  Not all social change is progress.  Freud again:  Anatomy is destiny.  If women accepted their primary role as nuturing mother, we would see the virtual elimation of childhood developmental imfirmaties.

The mental midget Popper wasn't in position to judge Freud's great achievements. So aren't you.

You must have been very popular with your female colleagues.

Squarly, it would be easier to diagnose you from your posts than to diagnose Fischer from things you've heard and read about him.

Freud has been disproven in just about everything he ever said.

That is absolutely 100% untrue. Yes, some things have been disproven, but his work is still a mainstay in university psychology education today.

It's amazing how many people insist on talking out of their asses when it comes to psychology.

Actually I was troll-mirroring. 

But seriously, regarding their achievements, Freud and Popper can't be compared. Freud is the father of psychoanalysis, the basic stone of modern psychology, despite being proven wrong in some minor details. OTOH, Popper is hardly more than cheeky detractor with absurd opinions. His "theory", i.e. unfounded assertions about falsifiability as main criterium of science and falsification as main scientific method, is just ridiculous. Induction and verification deserve priority all day long. But the main problem isn't Popper himself, it is the promotion of such bullshit by dummy useful idiots to have an artificial tool to denounce and reject inconvenient valid theories and ideologies as so-called "pseudoscience".

Any 1st year psychology student can tell you that Freud's work is not only still very prominant in its own right, but is the basis of lots of work in the field of psychology today. Your last sentence is especially hilarious becuase chgnative psychology has very little if anything to do with analytical psychology.

Really, you guys (Rdecredio, Squerly and Conflaguration_planet) should stick with things you actually know about instead of dabbling in a complex field that requires actual knowledge and experience to understand.

That's not a bad idea in todays disposable cultures.

All this psychology stuff... looks like I'm still too Jung for this.

Squarely wrote:

 The Spartans had the right idea.

Big fan of eugenics as well?