The Bifurcation of the Self : The History and Theory of Dissociation and Its Disorders Paperback / softback
by Robert W. Rieber
Part of the Library of the History of Psychological Theories series
Paperback / softback
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.
Information
-
Out of stock
- Format:Paperback / softback
- Pages:304 pages, 7 Illustrations, black and white; XX, 304 p. 7 illus.
- Publisher:Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
- Publication Date:23/11/2010
- Category:
- ISBN:9781441938978
Other Formats
- Hardback from £89.99
- PDF from £76.08
Information
-
Out of stock
- Format:Paperback / softback
- Pages:304 pages, 7 Illustrations, black and white; XX, 304 p. 7 illus.
- Publisher:Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
- Publication Date:23/11/2010
- Category:
- ISBN:9781441938978