Multiple personality-the mysterious capture of the body by alien, unseen personalities, or "alters"-is the stuff of courtroom drama and the basis of riveting accounts like Sybil. It's also a staple in horror movies, and that, according to Nicholas Spanos, is where it should stay. In Multiple Identities and False Memories, Spanos, one of the world's leading experts in the study of hypnosis, delivers a blistering rebuttal to long-held assumptions about multiple personality disorder (MPD) or dissociative identity disorder (DID). Written in a forceful, unapologetic style, and bolstered by a thorough examination of the relevant science, this book argues that MDP, or DID, is not a legitimate psychiatric disorder but a cultural construct, one with roots in earlier beliefs about demonic possession and upheld today by misguided psychotherapists and their patients. Multiple Identities is a vivid, scholarly statement on a subject that fascinates psychology professionals, sociologists, cultural critics, and lay readers alike. This softcover edition is a re-release of the 1996 hardcover edition.
Preface - John F. Chaves and Bill Jones About the Author Introduction I. The Use of Hypnosis as a Therapeutic Tool Hypnosis: Mythology Versus Reality High Hypnotizability and Dramatic Behaviors Hypnotic Amnesia, Posthypnotic Response, and "Brainwashing" II. Creating False Memories Distortions of Memory The Seduction Theory: Old and New Versions Child Sexual Abuse and the Fate of Abuse Memories Hypnosis, Age Regression, and Memory Complex False Memories, Body Memories, and Hypnosis UFO Abduction: An Example of Complex False Memory The Experimental Creation of Multiplicity III. Multiple Identities in Other Cultures and Times Cross-Cultural Studies of Spirit Possession Historical Manifestations of Demonic Possession The Social Functions of Possession From Possession to Dual Consciousness From Dual Consciousness to Multiple Personality The History of Dissociation IV. The Theory of Multiple Personality Disorder Multiple Personality Disorder and Social Learning Correlates of Multiple Personality Disorder Child Abuse and Multiple Personality Disorder Multiple Personality Disorder, Recovered Memories, and Sociopolitical Considerations V. Conclusion Final Thoughts References Author Index Subject Index
