The Bifurcation of the Self

The History and Theory of Dissociation and Its Disorders

By: Robert W. Rieber

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Hardcover | 27 March 2006

At a Glance

Hardcover
328 Pages

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23.5 x 15.88 x 1.27

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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.

Industry Reviews

From the reviews:

"Reiber attempts to locate the history of the idea of dissociative states in a social context that owes much to popular hypnotism, Freudian and pseudo-Freudian psychodynamics and concepts of identity. ... On reflection, a reader is likely to feel better informed and most likely stimulated by some of the questions Reiber poses. ... It asks good questions and keeps the reader asking them long after the book is laid aside." (Mark Welch, Metapsychology-online, September, 2006)

"Book seemingly addresses to psychologists and psychiatrists is Robert W. Rieber's The Bifurcation of the Self: The History and Theory of Dissociation and its Disorders. ... This book will be useful to mental health professionals looking for an overview of selected past ideas and cases of dissociation, particularly DID." (Carlos S. Alcarado, Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 21 (1), 2007)

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Medicine Other Branches of Medicine Clinical Psychology Psychology The Self, Ego, Identity, Personality Clinical & Internal Medicine Neurology & Clinical Neurophysiology Abnormal Psychology Psychiatry History

Introduction	p. 1
A Brief History of Multiplicity
The Roots of Multiple Personality Disorder/Dissociative Identity Disorder	p. 11
Seizures, Hysteria, and Dissociation: Making Sense of Mind and Brain	p. 11
Early Case Histories: Looking for Ansel Bourne in All the Wrong Places	p. 14
The Neurophysiology of the Inhibition-Excitation Continuum	p. 18
Pierre Janet	p. 19
F. W. Myers	p. 24
Morton Prince	p. 25
Boris Sidis	p. 27
Conclusion	p. 29
"Nothing but God and the Brain"	p. 31
A Brief Look Back	p. 31
Nothing but God and the Brain	p. 34
What Did Gall Actually Believe	p. 34
Faculties in the Brain: How Much Is Enough?	p. 37
Prying Open the Lid: The Origins of Hypnosis	p. 43
Animal Magnetism and Its Links to MPD	p. 43
Conclusion	p. 51
Looking Inside the Box, Thinking Outside the Box	p. 53
Freud and Hypnosis: Uncovering False Memories	p. 53
The Free Association Technique	p. 56
Overdetermination	p. 58
Repression	p. 59
Sexuality	p. 60
Sybil: A Case of Multiple Personalities and the Natural History of a Myth
The Case of Sybil: The Wilbur/Schrieber Version	p. 67
The Publication of a "Psychiatric Masterpiece"	p. 85
Prelude to a Mystery	p. 85
Publication of Sybil	p. 86
The Aftermath	p. 95
The Book and the Movie: A Comparison	p. 95
The Myth Explodes	p. 105
The Multiplicity of Multiples	p. 105
The Forgotten Tapes	p. 107
Flora	p. 108
An Analyst on Park Avenue	p. 109
The Criminal Illusion of an Experimental Principle: The Primal Scene	p. 110
The Trinity of Affinity	p. 111
What Hypnosis Is-and Is Not	p. 112
The Crucible of the Sixties	p. 118
Highlights and the Implications of the Tape Recordings	p. 121
The Reaction	p. 126
Who Is Sybil and What Is She?	p. 129
Conclusion	p. 130
Seminal Cases of Multiplicity: A History
Fourteen Seminal Cases	p. 135
Mary Reynolds	p. 135
Rachel Baker	p. 137
Mollie Fancher	p. 138
Ansel Bourne	p. 140
Felida X	p. 141
Marceline	p. 143
Mary Beauchamp	p. 144
Helene Smith	p. 150
Thomas Hanna	p. 151
Doris Fischer	p. 155
Norma	p. 164
John Charles Poultney	p. 165
Bridey Murphy	p. 171
Eve White/Chris Costner	p. 172
Bifurcation of Self: Retrospective and Prospective	p. 183
References	p. 197
Appendices	p. 203
Three Tape Excerpts	p. 207
Excerpt from the TV movie Sybil	p. 285
Sybil's Letter of Denial to Dr. Corneila Wilbur and Sybil's IQ Report	p. 289
Schreiber's PR Bio and Dr. Ralph Allison's Letter	p. 297
Name Index	p. 301
Subject Index	p. 303
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

The Bifurcation of the Self

The History and Theory of Dissociation and Its Disorders

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

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How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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