TOWARDS AN INTEGRATION OF PSYCHOANALYSIS AND THE NEUROSCIENCES - PART1 - NEUROSCIENTIFIC ROOTS OF PSYCHOANALYSIS

This paper considers the current relationship between psychoanalysis a nd neuroscience. In the first part, which is published here, the signi ficance of Freud's early contributions to the dynamic school of behavi oural neurology is discussed. It is demonstrated that Freud, who first ly worked asa neurologist, took over from neurology the method of clin ical-anatomical correlations, but he refused the crucial basic assumpt ion of neurosciences of his time that the physiological correlates of complex dynamic processes are to be found in certain anatomical center s of the brain. Transferring that assumption to psychopathology, Freud inaugurated the development of psychoanalysis, but also laid the basi s for the following divergence between psychoanalysis and neuroscience .