Multiple Personality: An Exercise in DeceptionMultiple personality syndrome is being diagnosed and treated in the United States in ever increasing numbers. Indeed, it is alleged that the incidence of this bizarre and striking disorder has reached epidemic proportions. Clinician/researchers report each seeing individually more than 100 patients whose minds have split into as many as 60 alter egos. Their case histories are typified by sexual and physical abuse in childhood and some have reached notoriety; in films, like Eve and Sybil and in criminal records, like Bianchi, 'the Hillside Strangler'. But does 'multiple personality' exist? This monograph takes as its point of departure the virtual absence of such patients anywhere except the U.S.A. and even then it is a relatively small number of psychologists and psychiatrists who report the overwhelming majority of cases. The book provides the first comprehensive review of the burgeoning literature from the beginning of the century to the present and covers more than 300 articles and books. It should prove of interest to psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists and social workers and is an invaluable reference for students on courses in clinical and abnormal psychology as well as to practising clinicians and social workers. Following an introduction to a selection of the more notable cases, a number of critical issues are examined in ensuing chapters. These are devoted to problems of definition and differential diagnosis; aetiology; psychophysiological, psychometric and experimental studies; attempts at theoretical explanation and the relationship between MPS, hypnosis and dissociation. The author, a practising clinical psychologist and lecturer in psychopathology, gradually develops the hypothesis that MPS is best explained under the rubric of social role theory. It is argued that MPS is a culture-bound variant of hysterical psychosis occurring in individuals with high 'hypnotisability'. The tentative conclusion is that even if one accepts the reality of MPS it is unhelpful to regard it as a discrete clinical entity, and it is being grossly overdiagnosed. |
Contents
Splitting Images | 1 |
The Case of the Hillside Strangler | 17 |
The Voice of the Sceptics | 29 |
How To Bring Up Your Children To Have Multiple Personalities | 43 |
Objective Approaches to Multiple Personality | 53 |
Multiple Personality Hypnosis and Dissociation | 69 |
A Social Perspective | 83 |
Multiple Personality as a Cultural Phenomenon | 97 |
| 111 | |
| 123 | |
| 127 | |
Other editions - View all
Multiple Personality: An Excercise I.e. Exercise in Deception Ray Aldridge-Morris No preview available - 1989 |
Multiple Personality: An Excercise I.e. Exercise in Deception Ray Aldridge-Morris No preview available - 1989 |
Common terms and phrases
abuse aetiology Allison alter egos alternate personalities amnesia amnesic argued behaviour Betty Bianchi Billy Billy Milligan Bliss borderline personality Braun chapter child childhood cites cognitive consciousness Coons criteria cultural described diagnosis of multiple differential dissociation dissociative disorder Ellenberger emerged enactment episodes Eve Black Eve White evidence example experience factors Felida Greaves Gruenewald hallucinations headaches hemisphere Hillside Strangler Hollender and Hirsch hypnosis hypnosis and multiple hypnotic hypnotised hysteria hysterical psychosis individuals Jonah Kenneth Bianchi Kluft Ludwig memory mental MMPI multiple personality disorder multiple personality patients multiple personality syndrome murderer nonmultiples normal Orne Osgood personality disorder present primary personality problem psychiatric psychiatrists psychologist psychotic reality refers regression reported responses role role-playing Rorschach schizophrenic secondary personalities seems semantic semantic differential sexual simulation social Spanos Spiegel splitting Steve suggest Sybil symptoms term theory therapist therapy Thigpen and Cleckley trance treatment Usoffa Wagner Watkins whilst
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