The Bifurcation of the Self: The History and Theory of Dissociation and Its Disorders Contributor(s): Rieber, Robert W. (Author) |
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ISBN: 1441938974 ISBN-13: 9781441938978 Publisher: Springer OUR PRICE: $104.49 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: November 2010 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Psychology | Psychopathology - General - Psychology | Personality - Psychology | History |
Dewey: 616.85 |
Series: Library of the History of Psychological Theories |
Physical Information: 1" H x 6" W x 9" (1.25 lbs) 304 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: 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. |