Sybil Essay

Words: 3108
Pages: 13

Video Case Report

PSY 281 – Abnormal Psychology

Guilford Technical Community College

For Dr. Stephen Ash

Student Name(s): Kallie Roberts, Porsha, and Jarvis Date: 15, April 2013
1. Name of Video: Sybil
2. Assigned Case Character: a. Character Name: Sybil Dorsett b. Played by Actor/Actress: Sally Field 3. DSM-IV-TR Diagnoses:

Axis I: Dissociative Identity Disorder (300.14)
Axis II: N/A
Axis III:
Axis IV (External Stressors): Screeching sounds, like the one from the swing that triggered her flashback, and also any woman with the same hairstyle as her mother like the woman pushing the swing that caused her to flashback and lose her substitute teaching
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It is the emergence of two or more personalities. In dissociative disorders, the massive use of repression “resulting in the ‘splitting off’ from consciousness of unacceptable impulses and painful memories”(p.221). Those with DID express the impulses through the development of alternate personalities. In some with dissociative identity disorder their main or “host” personality does not know about the alternates, but the alternates do know about the main personality. Also the alternates sometimes won’t know what other alternate personality-part has done, or even that they exist. There can be at least two controllers of the of the person, and even the different personalities can have different ages and sexual preferences. The rate of DID is higher in women than men and females also tend to have more “splits” than males, averaging about 15 or more, than do men, who average about 8 alter personalities”(p213).
The psychodynamic approach to the causes of DID, according to Nevid et al., “Dissociative disorders include ‘massive repression’, resulting in the ‘splitting off’ from consciousness of unacceptable impulses and painful memories”(p221). They may portray these painful memories and impulses through the development of alternate personalities. From the social-cognitive theory