The Sense of Self Over Time: Assessing Diachronicity in Dissociative Identity Disorder, Psychosis and Healthy Comparison Groups
Dissociative experiences have been associated with diachronic disunity. Yet, this work is in its infancy. Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is characterized by different identity states reporting their own relatively continuous sense of self. The degree to which patients in dissociative identity...
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| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.620063/full |
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| author | Martin J. Dorahy Martin J. Dorahy Rafaële J. C. Huntjens Rosemary J. Marsh Rosemary J. Marsh Brooke Johnson Kate Fox Warwick Middleton Warwick Middleton |
| author_facet | Martin J. Dorahy Martin J. Dorahy Rafaële J. C. Huntjens Rosemary J. Marsh Rosemary J. Marsh Brooke Johnson Kate Fox Warwick Middleton Warwick Middleton |
| author_sort | Martin J. Dorahy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dissociative experiences have been associated with diachronic disunity. Yet, this work is in its infancy. Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is characterized by different identity states reporting their own relatively continuous sense of self. The degree to which patients in dissociative identity states experience diachronic unity (i.e., sense of self over time) has not been empirically explored. This study examined the degree to which patients in dissociative identity states experienced diachronic unity. Participants were DID adults (n=14) assessed in adult and child identity states, adults with a psychotic illness (n=19), adults from the general population (n=55), children from the general population (n=26) and adults imagining themselves as children (n=23). They completed the Diachronic Disunity Scale (DDS), the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), and the Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS). Diachronic disunity was not limited to psychiatric groups, but evident to some degree in all adult and child samples. The DID adult sample experienced more dissociation and self-confusion than the psychosis and adult comparison groups, but did not differ on the diachronic measure. DID patients in their child identity states and child comparisons showed disunity and were significantly different from child simulators, who showed relatively more unity. Results suggest that DID patients in either adult or child dissociative identity states, like those in other samples, do not universally experience themselves as having a consistent sense of self over time. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T19:12:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-119216dd31d14b4a8b34e0c8cc514ee7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T19:12:49Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-119216dd31d14b4a8b34e0c8cc514ee72022-12-21T18:53:09ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-01-011210.3389/fpsyg.2021.620063620063The Sense of Self Over Time: Assessing Diachronicity in Dissociative Identity Disorder, Psychosis and Healthy Comparison GroupsMartin J. Dorahy0Martin J. Dorahy1Rafaële J. C. Huntjens2Rosemary J. Marsh3Rosemary J. Marsh4Brooke Johnson5Kate Fox6Warwick Middleton7Warwick Middleton8School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New ZealandThe Cannan Institute, Belmont Private Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaDepartment of Clinical Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, NetherlandsSchool of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New ZealandDepartment of Clinical Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, NetherlandsSchool of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New ZealandSchool of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New ZealandSchool of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New ZealandThe Cannan Institute, Belmont Private Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaDissociative experiences have been associated with diachronic disunity. Yet, this work is in its infancy. Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is characterized by different identity states reporting their own relatively continuous sense of self. The degree to which patients in dissociative identity states experience diachronic unity (i.e., sense of self over time) has not been empirically explored. This study examined the degree to which patients in dissociative identity states experienced diachronic unity. Participants were DID adults (n=14) assessed in adult and child identity states, adults with a psychotic illness (n=19), adults from the general population (n=55), children from the general population (n=26) and adults imagining themselves as children (n=23). They completed the Diachronic Disunity Scale (DDS), the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), and the Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS). Diachronic disunity was not limited to psychiatric groups, but evident to some degree in all adult and child samples. The DID adult sample experienced more dissociation and self-confusion than the psychosis and adult comparison groups, but did not differ on the diachronic measure. DID patients in their child identity states and child comparisons showed disunity and were significantly different from child simulators, who showed relatively more unity. Results suggest that DID patients in either adult or child dissociative identity states, like those in other samples, do not universally experience themselves as having a consistent sense of self over time.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.620063/fulldiachronicitydissociative identity disorderschizophreniaselfdissociation |
| spellingShingle | Martin J. Dorahy Martin J. Dorahy Rafaële J. C. Huntjens Rosemary J. Marsh Rosemary J. Marsh Brooke Johnson Kate Fox Warwick Middleton Warwick Middleton The Sense of Self Over Time: Assessing Diachronicity in Dissociative Identity Disorder, Psychosis and Healthy Comparison Groups Frontiers in Psychology diachronicity dissociative identity disorder schizophrenia self dissociation |
| title | The Sense of Self Over Time: Assessing Diachronicity in Dissociative Identity Disorder, Psychosis and Healthy Comparison Groups |
| title_full | The Sense of Self Over Time: Assessing Diachronicity in Dissociative Identity Disorder, Psychosis and Healthy Comparison Groups |
| title_fullStr | The Sense of Self Over Time: Assessing Diachronicity in Dissociative Identity Disorder, Psychosis and Healthy Comparison Groups |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Sense of Self Over Time: Assessing Diachronicity in Dissociative Identity Disorder, Psychosis and Healthy Comparison Groups |
| title_short | The Sense of Self Over Time: Assessing Diachronicity in Dissociative Identity Disorder, Psychosis and Healthy Comparison Groups |
| title_sort | sense of self over time assessing diachronicity in dissociative identity disorder psychosis and healthy comparison groups |
| topic | diachronicity dissociative identity disorder schizophrenia self dissociation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.620063/full |
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