The Story of Different Minds  ·  The Refrigerator Mother Theory

Bruno Bettelheim

Why professional certainty caused family harm.

A confident theory can still be false.

Simple version

Bettelheim's influence spread a harmful theory of autism that blamed mothers and shaped practice for years.

Why it matters

The damage shows how dangerous professional certainty can be when evidence is weak and families lack power.

Awareverse lens

Awareverse values humility in support work.

Question to ask

When looking at bruno bettelheim, ask: who had power, who was being labelled, and what would have changed if the human being had been seen first?

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