Disturbance of the sense of
self in DID reconsidered
Do personalities of DID have
any serious disturbance of the sense of self? Let us take a flesh look at this
issue from a standpoint of psychiatric symptomatically.
Jaspers, K., Hoenig, J.,
& Hamilton, M. W. (1997). trans. General psychopathology. London: John
Hopkins University Press.
Consider the clinical example discussed above. In reference to the sense of self-presence, it is certain that A and B are going through their own experiences without any sense of intrusion. It is because of her intact sense of agency that A feels vexed with complaint of B who resents A’s behavior. Their sense of agency enables A and B to assert herself/himself and attempt to protect her and his own interest around the third party C. As for their sense of singleness, certainly, A and B feel that they are on their own and C feels that she needs to treat A and B separately and independently. As regards to their sense of temporal continuity, A would still claim that, even if she is amnestic about events that occurred while B is out and active, she could provide an ‘‘alibi’’ for herself, such as that she was gone or asleep and therefore she has nothing to do with B’s deeds. B himself would maintain his own temporal continuity, stating that he was “there” watching the interaction between A and C “from inside” at least during the time that he is not “asleep”. The sense of demarcation of A and B certainly exists although B himself has a peculiarly distorted sense of his own body as he is not aware that he is “very big” as a five year old boy and tries to snuggle up to C’s lap, each time literally knocking her away with his adult body size. Although A does not feel that B is inside or out side of her body or anywhere else, B feels that he is outside of A and C interacting each other and observe them with frustration and resentment.
