Abstract: For decades, dissociative identity disorder (DID) has perplexed psychologists worldwide. Since DID was first introduced in the field of psychology, its validity has been in question for decades. Opponents of DID claim that therapists use suggestive practices, such as hypnosis, to influence patients into believing that they have multiple identities. However, advancements in neuroimaging have revealed that within one person, brain scans of one ‘alter’ can differ from another depending on the alter’s physical and mental condition. Furthermore, it has been found that DID is associated with prolonged child abuse. As such, DID patients struggle with autobiographical memory given the individual’s primary objective is to protect the the core self from the trauma that they have experienced as a child. In an effort to promote DID education, the International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation has actively worked to promote DID research and has devised a standardized treatment method which is being applied worldwide today. For this literature review, journal articles from the Journal of Mental Health Counseling, the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Psychiatry, and others were used for a critical analysis and review.
Keywords: dissociative identity disorder, mental health, dissociation, prolonged child abuse.
Title: A Break in Identity: A Case for Dissociative Identity Disorder
Author: Junesoo Jun
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
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