Definition and Background
At some point in life, everyone questions exactly who they are as a person. People wonder what is important to them, what they want to be and how they want to be seen by others. This is a completely normal confusion that most people experience when discovering themselves. However, some people have a much different struggle with identity; they find themselves lost in several personalities. This condition is called Dissociative Identity Disorder and leaves sufferers with what appears to be many different characters all contained in one individual (notes), similar to a matryoshka doll. This disorder is so rare and fascinating that it grabs the attention of droves of people and has been the topic of many movies and stories, including the popular films Identity and Fight Club. Although such movies bring entertainment or fear to those who enjoy them, people dealing with the disorder may have a very different experience. Though it is not a common disorder, those who are affected face serious challenges and difficulties in everyday life.
Dissociative identity disorder, once known as "multiple personality disorder", is exactly as it sounds; a disorder in which one individual has two or more complete personalities (Baron,Byrne,Kantowitz 1977). It is a form of dissociation disorder, which causes a lack of connection in one's thoughts, feelings, memories, and even actions (notes). This particular dissociation disorder is extremely rare, only .01% to .1% of the general population is diagnosed with it and 7% potentially have it without being diagnosed. It is also the most severe dissociation disorder (Johnson, Kimball, MD2012 ). Dissociative identity disorder is severe enough to cause people to experience fragmented...
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For my research paper, I chose to utilize a disorder known as “Dissociative Identity Disorder” (DID). This disorder is also coined as Multiple Personality Disorder. When defining the actual meaning of this disorder, it is defined as “a severe condition in which two or more distinct identities, or personality states, are present in—and alternately take control of—an individual” (1). Specifically, “DID is a disorder characterized by identity fragmentation rather than a proliferation of separate personalities. In addition, the disturbance is not due to the direct psychological effects of a substance or of a general medical condition” (1). Based off of this knowledge, I chose to look at two individuals who have obtained this disorder
Austin is just an example of the millions living with Dissociative Identity Disorder, an often times misrepresented disorder. Novels, films, and the media have turned a personality disorder into a spectacle of false symptoms and misinterpreted treatments. I am arguing that Dissociative Identity Disorders is prevalent but treatable and not at all like the disorder portrayed in books and movies. In 1957 Dr. Corbett H. Thigpen wrote a nonfiction book about his case study of Eve White. For most people it was their first glimpse of Dissociative Identity Disorder, then known as Multiple Personality Disorder. In The Three Faces of Eve, Thigpen goes into detail about Eves two alter personalities, Eve Black and Jane. He discovers her personalities formed due to the traumatic death of Eve’s grandmother when she was age six. The book on his case study was such a hit that it was made into a major motion picture. Hollywood, however, took an interesting case st...
People often act and feel differently in various settings. For example, teenagers may act differently at a party than they do at school. However, people in good mental health maintain constant awareness of themselves no matter what the situation. Individuals with dissociative identity disorder do not. They experience sudden changes in consciousness, identity, and memory. They may discover new clothing in their closet without knowing where they got it, or even find themselves in a strange place and not remember how they got there. Their identity is broken into pieces consisting of different emotions, memories, and styles. They may shift from being passive and accepting to being hostile and uncooperative. Sometimes one personality may cause the individual to inflict physical harm on his or her own body.
Dissociative identity disorder or DID for short, was previously referred to as multiple personality disorder. DID is a dissociative disorder involving a disturbance of identity in which two or more separate and distinct personalities or identities, control an individual's behavior at different times (National Alliance of Mental Illness). Meaning, that the person with DID has to have more than one separate identity that “inhabits” them for a period of time.
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My topic of choice for this research paper is Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID. This appellation is rather new; therefore, most are more familiar with the disorder's older, less technical name: Multiple Personality Disorder or MPD. When first presented with the task of selecting a topic on which to center this paper, I immediately dismissed Dissociative Identity Disorder (which for the sake of brevity will be referred to as DID for the remainder of this paper) as a viable topic due to the sheer scope of the disorder. However after an exhaustive examination of other prospective topics, I found myself back at my original choice. There are several reasons why I chose DID. The foremost of which is the widespread fascination of this disorder by many different types of people; most of whom otherwise have no interest in psychology or its associated fields. One would be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t been captivated at one time or another by the extraordinary, all too well known symptoms of this disorder. This fascination… dare I say ‘allure’ to this disorder is exemplified by the myriad of motion pictures that have been produced based on cases, real or fictitious, of DID. Another reason for my choice is what I feel is the insufficiency of effective treatments for DID. Despite what is known about this disorder, (which is relatively a lot) there are only two chief treatments for DID; the first and most prevalent is psychotherapy; also known as ”talk therapy”, the second is medication. The third and final reason for my choice is my own enchantment with DID. I must admit that ever since I read about Sue Tinker, a woman who was diagnosed with over 200 different personalities. In writing this paper I hope to discover more about this disorder and perhaps be able to identify a few areas that I feel might require more research on the part of psychologists specializing in DID.
According to Barlow, Durand & Stewart (2012), Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is one of several dissociative disorders in which a person experiences involve detachment or depersonalization. They go on to explain that people with DID ha...
In 1974, a book came out to educate the masses about a rare disorder. The book’s name was Sybil and the disorder was Multiple Personality, now known as Dissociative Identity. By definition Dissociative Identity Disorder is when a patient has two or more distinct identities that switch in taking control of behavior. (Butcher 241). Even though Dissociative Identity Disorder is classified as a mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders third edition (DSM), it has not been fully accepted by the world of psychology as a whole.
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