Eliza Deguzman

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1104

03 Feb 2017

Topic Proposal: The Mysteries of Multiple Personalities

Introduction/Overview

The topic that interests me is the disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder or more

commonly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. I was aspired to choose this topic after

watching the movie Split. To summarize the film- if you have not seen it, one of the main

characters has this disorder due to traumatic events in his past and he carries out his ultimate plan

to become a higher being. After the film, I left the theater with curiosity. Beforehand, I already

knew what the disorder was but I never really knew what caused it or how it was treated. Initially

I picked this topic blindly, my only influence being my curiosity but after further research I

learned that treatment for patients with multiple personalities isnt definite and that researchers

and medical professionals often debate whether the disorder is real or not. Thats what I want to

cover, whether Dissociative Identity Disorder is fact or fiction and the uncertainty of delving into

a life with multiple minds affects a patients treatment.

The first recorded case of multiple personality disorder was written in 1865, then four

years later a French neurologist named Pierre Janet discovered different personalities whenever

he would hypnotize his female patients. Soon after, William James, discovered a similar event

and named the condition but it wasnt until 1980 did the American Psychiatric Association

officially recognize multiple personality disorder as a genuine illness. Today, MPD is a relatively

common diagnosis with about 20,000 cases reported between 1980 and 1990. Since the amount
of cases of MPD continue to arise, many experts believe that symptoms of this disorder could be

caused by media attention or by therapists unknowingly encouraging patients to display

symptoms whilst under hypnosis. MPD has a notorious reputation, its popularity creating myths

that skew peoples thoughts on whether it is real or not. I want to delve into both sides of this

argument, displaying how MPD could possibly be fiction and how MPD is real based on what

medical experts say. I also want to engage the readers mind and see where they stand on this

ongoing and controversial debate.

To start, I simply went on google to search up the textbook definition of Dissociative

Identity Disorder/Multiple Personality Disorder in order to gather up the general information I

needed about the disorder. After that, I went to the schools library database and began searching

anything they had pertaining to the subject. When it came to general information about the

disease, I found what I wanted in medical textbooks but when it came to what I wanted to focus

on, I found sources that come from articles and films. I also found fictional novels that will aid as

additional resources too. Prior to my preliminary research, I had no clue how I wanted to narrow

my topic so it really helped scouring through the librarys database.

Dissociative Identity Disorder is controversial within medical experts. The disorder is

apparently a result from traumatic events from childhood, but some experts say that there isnt

really a valid way to prove that. The major people involved with this argument are scientists,

researchers, and medical experts. Patients and potentially the relatives of the patient can be

involved.

Initial Inquiry Question(s)

 Is there an actual correlation to traumatic childhood events to Dissociative Identity

Disorder? Does the amount of personalities a patient have affect how long treatment will be? Is

treatment affective and what are the success rates? How do relatives of the patient cope? Can

different personalities have different effects on the patients body?

My Interest in this Topic

Im interested in Dissociative Identity Disorder/Multiple Personality Disorder because I

find the human mind very intriguing. Everyone has a brain and ultimately has the same

functions, yet we act different, have different personalities, and have different moral aspects. Its

a mystery and I love mysteries. Though the mystery behind multiple personalities is close to

unsolvable, I find it interesting to see how one brain can see in different colors. Although I may

not be able to provide a solid solution to the mystery, I believe that this topic can take me far.

Next Steps

My next steps to take me further into my research is to utilize the schools library, both

the physical text and online database. I want to gather information from medical textbooks and

any research conducted concerning the disorder. I also want to gather additional resources such

as films and fiction novels. I believe films will be a more visually appealing way to gather

information and with fictional novels, I believe that I can experience what a real patient may. I

also want to read any articles that argue whether the disorder is real or not. I want to read both

sides of the argument. If theres any resources that come from the patient themselves, I want to

be able to get my hands on that as well.