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THE VALIDATION of psychoanalytic theoretical propositions is, according to Hartmann, Kris, and Loewenstein (4), "a gradual and slow process in which insight derived from many experiences is weighted; in which many sources of evidence have to be taken into account, foremost among them clinical experiences and the study of child development. Under these conditions neatness in theorizing gains its great importance. It becomes imperative at each step to be aware of the point at which a modification [or retention] of theoretical assumptions is required."
While it is true that every clinical experience is, in a sense, a kind of natural experiment, it is nonetheless evident that certain cases more than others favor us with evidence which clearly and directly supports (or is incompatible with) our basic theoretical models. Helen Keller is just such a favorable experiment of nature. The unique facts of Helen Keller's childhood development—the relative sensory isolation from deafness and blindness, the consequent delay in acquiring language and social habits until relative neurological maturity, and the special qualities of her teacher—combine to offer us evidence of a most compelling nature.
I shall limit myself to just a few of the many issues1 touched