The bifurcation of the self [electronic resource] : the history and theory of dissociation and its disorders / Robert W. Rieber.

The bifurcation of the self [electronic resource] : the history and theory of dissociation and its disorders / Robert W. Rieber.

9780387274140 (electronic book)
0387274146
0387274138

New York : Springer, [2006]

©2006

English

1 online resource (xix, 304 pages) : illustrations, portraits.

RC569.5.M8 R54 2006eb

For more than a hundred years, dissociative states, sometimes referred to as multiple personality disorder, have fascinated the public as well as scientists. The precise nature of this disorder is a controversial one, dividing clinicians, theorists, and researchers. Challenging the conventional wisdom on all sides, Robert Rieber's Bifurcation of the Self traces the clinical and social history of dissociation in a provocative examination of this widely debated phenomenon.At the core of this history is a trio of related evolutions hypnosis, concepts of identity, and dissociation beginning with nineteenth-century "hysterics" and culminating in the modern boom in Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) diagnoses and the parallel rise in childhood abuse/repressed memory cases. Rieber does not argue the non-existence of DID, rather he asserts that it is a rare disorder exaggerated by dissociation advocates and exploited by the media. In doing so, he takes on some of the most difficult questions in the field:- How crucial is memory to a person s identity?- Can two or more autonomous personalities actually exist in the same body?- If trauma causes dissociation, why aren t there more DID cases?- Why are DID cases prevalent in some eras but not in others?- Does dissociative disorder belong in the DSM?The book is rigorously illustrated with two centuries worth of famous cases including Christine Beauchamp, Ansel Bourne, Eve Black/Eve White, and most notably the woman known as "Sybil", whose story is covered in depth with newly revealed manuscripts. And Rieber reviews the current state of DID-related controversy, from the professionals who feel that the condition is underreported to those who consider it a form of malingering, so that readers may draw their own conclusions."

Appendices contain transcripts of conversations between Corneila Wilbur and Flora Schreiber and a therapeutic session with Sybil (Shirley Mason), excerpts from the movie "Sybil", a reproduction of a letter from Sybil to Wilbur, Sybil's IQ test report, a PR bio of Schreiber, and a letter from Dr. Ralph Allison to the author.

Includes bibliographical references (p.197-202) and indexes.

Access limited to authorized users.

Description based on print version record.

Library of the history of psychological theories.

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