Multiple identities & false memories : a sociocognitive perspective

Author(s)

Bibliographic Information

Multiple identities & false memories : a sociocognitive perspective

Nicholas P. Spanos

American Psychological Association, c1996

  • : pbk

Other Title

Multiple identities and false memories

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Note

Bibliography: p. 305-353

Includes index

Description and Table of Contents

Volume

ISBN 9781557983404

Description

Spanos rejects the traditional view by arguing that MPD is in large part a sociohistorical product. To reinforce his case, he marshalls an extensive body of research that supports a sociocognitive alternative to the disease model. The book critically examines commonly held views about hypnotic amnesia as an "altered state", which some investigators link with the amnesia purportedly experienced by MPD patients. It investigates the nature of memory and the complex issues surrounding the reported recovery during psychotherapy of memories of childhood abuse. It also explores the parallels between MPD and posits their relation to such historical and sociocultural phenomena as spirit possession, witchcraft, glossolalia and hysteria. And it evaluates the role of social learning and validation in the development of MPD. This book should be of interest to clinicians, researchers and all individuals intrigued by the psychology of altered states.

Table of Contents

  • Hypnosis - Mythology Versus Reality
  • High Hypnotisability and Dramatic Behaviours
  • Hypnotic Amnesia, Posthypnotic Response and "Brainwashing"
  • 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
  • Crosscultural 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 the Concept of Dissociation
  • 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.
Volume

: pbk ISBN 9781557988935

Description

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.

Table of Contents

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

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