[Psychodynamic theory of childhood psychoses]

A review of the different concepts of childhood psychoses is made. Margaret Mahler's observations of normal and psychotic children concerning their relationship with their mothers during their first years of life are reviewed. Through the discussion of the concepts that Mahler has reached, understanding the dynamics of growth and their alterations, we obtain a clear understanding of the defects in psychological functions observed in the psychoses, including early infantile autism (Kanner) and symbiotic psychosis (Mahler). A correlation of events occurring at different levels of growth: object relations, cognitive growth, psychosexual development, growth of anxiety, etc., is attempted.