Possession Trace Essay

Words: 630
Pages: 3

Additionally, Spanos (1996:301) exemplifies that cultures develop their own local principle of multiple-identity portrayals and it is these theories which reflect local social structures and biomedical frameworks as they become translated into culturally specific expectations that guide both the performance of dissociative identity depictions and the responses of audiences to these enactments. It has been established that once people believe in spirit possession, then those entering dissociative states, will believe themselves to be possessed, as will those in their society (Erchak 1992). For instance, illustrated in Balinese possession trace, this phenomena occurs in numerous contexts and among these, some consider as biomedical intervention with incidents of collective dissociation which ensues conflict between two explanatory models (Ember & Ember 2004:143). Ember and Ember (2004:143) illustrate that possession trace is linked to one or more spirits as it involves the development of alternative personalities which are viewed by psychiatrists as bizarre behaviour and psychotic forms of speech, essentially what can constitute one with a diagnosis with DID. Ultimately, the roles recognised by institutionalised contexts can effectively encourage, shape, and legitimate the portrayals of multiple identities …show more content…
Specifically, as Conrad & Barker (2010:s73) suggest, what qualifies as biomedical evidence and illness is often socially negotiated and interpreted. In relation to the healing and therapeutic process of DID, these too, are constituted by cultural and biomedical frameworks. Hay (2010) illustrates that reactions to suffering remain active and meaningful to the patient as their actions are informed by personalised cultural expectations (Hay 2010). An example of this can be shown in the following