Dissociative Disorders and the Self

Paper Summary:

This paper provides an insight into dissociative disorders and dissociative identity disorder (DID, or formerly called multiple personality disorder)and the separation of mental processes such as memory or consciousness that are normally integrated. It discusses how through the analysis of several findings and theories regarding dissociative disorder, the close connection between development of dissociative disorders and the self can be observed. It shows how the most significant implication might be that, in childhood, circumstances that create a conflict in the self undermine healthy development of the self and personalities and how in the worst cases, this conflict possibly leads to dissociative disorders as intrafamilial abuse exemplifies.

From the Paper:

"Dissociative disorders have intrigued not only mental professionals but also the public with their extraordinary symptoms. In fact, there are a number of books and movies that deal with dissociative disorders such as the famous book by Thigpen and Cleckley (1957), "The Three Faces of Eve," which later became a motion picture. Dissociative disorders are characterized by "persistent, maladaptive disruptions in the integration of memory, consciousness, or identity" (Oltmanns & Emery, 2001). Due to the limited methodology to empirically test dissociative disorders, the entire concept of these psychological disorders is still controversial, and researchers can only offer theoretical ideas about how they work and are developed."

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