Portrayal Of Dissociative Identity Disorder In Split
The Portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder in “Split”:
Separating Fact from Fiction
Alexander Pierre Berry
[Institutional Affiliation(s)]
The 2016 film “Split” features a character that is afflicted with a condition known as “dissociative identity disorder,” or DID. As the first part of the name implies, this psychiatric disorder is characterized by dissociation, which refers to disruptions in conscious awareness, lapses in memory, and changes in behavior of which the subject is entirely or largely unaware. In subjects with DID. Subjects with DID take on different identities during periods of dissociation; these identities may appear to be fully formed, with their own mannerisms, vocal affectations, and even distinctly different genders or sexual orientations. Such fully-formed identities appear to …show more content…
Per the textbook, subjects with DID do not typically seek treatment while in the guise of their core, or original, personality; in “Split” it appears that it was “Barry” who first sought treatment, while the original personality is named Kevin. Subjects with DID typically develop the disorder in response to serious childhood trauma; in the film, the audience witnesses flashbacks in which Kevin suffers the abuse and rage of his recently-widowed mother. Subjects with DID often have different personalities with different levels of awareness of each other; in “Split,” the most dangerous personalities (“Dennis” and to a lesser extent “Patricia”) appear to have a heightened degree of awareness and control over the other personalities. In real life, subjects with DID switch between personalities quickly, rather than in the slower, exaggerated manner often portrayed in films. “Split” describes this switching as each character taking turns “stepping in to the light,” and Kevin’s different personalities step in and out of the “light”
Separating Fact from Fiction
Alexander Pierre Berry
[Institutional Affiliation(s)]
The 2016 film “Split” features a character that is afflicted with a condition known as “dissociative identity disorder,” or DID. As the first part of the name implies, this psychiatric disorder is characterized by dissociation, which refers to disruptions in conscious awareness, lapses in memory, and changes in behavior of which the subject is entirely or largely unaware. In subjects with DID. Subjects with DID take on different identities during periods of dissociation; these identities may appear to be fully formed, with their own mannerisms, vocal affectations, and even distinctly different genders or sexual orientations. Such fully-formed identities appear to …show more content…
Per the textbook, subjects with DID do not typically seek treatment while in the guise of their core, or original, personality; in “Split” it appears that it was “Barry” who first sought treatment, while the original personality is named Kevin. Subjects with DID typically develop the disorder in response to serious childhood trauma; in the film, the audience witnesses flashbacks in which Kevin suffers the abuse and rage of his recently-widowed mother. Subjects with DID often have different personalities with different levels of awareness of each other; in “Split,” the most dangerous personalities (“Dennis” and to a lesser extent “Patricia”) appear to have a heightened degree of awareness and control over the other personalities. In real life, subjects with DID switch between personalities quickly, rather than in the slower, exaggerated manner often portrayed in films. “Split” describes this switching as each character taking turns “stepping in to the light,” and Kevin’s different personalities step in and out of the “light”