Chapter Fourteen Psychological Disorders

D. Dissociative Disorders

A class of disorders in which people lose contact with portions of their consciousness or memory, resulting in disruptions of their sense of identity.

1. Dissociative Amnesia and Fugue
2. Multiple-Personality Disorder
3. Etiology of Dissociative Disorders

Contents

Dissociative Amnesia and Fugue

Both are characterized by serious memory deficits.

• Dissociative amnesia - sudden loss of memory for personal events.
• Fugue - we forget who we are!

Overview of Spectrum of Dissociative Disorders.

International Society for the Study of Dissociation.

Multiple-Personality Disorder

Coexistence of two or more usually very different personalities. Often confused with schizophrenia ()

Was it rape?
Debate: Is MPP a socially-created behavior disorder?

Etiology of Dissociative Disorders

There is lots of confusion about multiple personality disorders because they are faked with some regularity. This obscures common features of authentic cases.

Personality Traits

• Fantasy proneness.
• Tendency to become absorbed in personal experiences.

Environmental Factors

• Severe emotional trauma in childhood.

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