Dissociative identity disorder and the sociocognitive model: recalling the lessons of the past

Lilienfeld, S. O.; Kirsch, I.; Sarbin, T. R.; Lynn, S. J.; Chaves, J. F.; Ganaway, G. K.; Powell, Russell A.

Dissociative identity disorder and the sociocognitive model: recalling the lessons of the past

Author

Date

1999

Keywords

Dissociative Identity Disorder, literature review, models, adult, child, child abuse, cognition, humans, models, psychological, Multiple Personality Disorder, social behavior, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Abstract (summary)

In a recent article in this journal, D. H. Gleaves (1996; see record 1996-01403-003 ) criticized the sociocognitive model (SCM; N. P. Spanos, 1994) of dissociative identity disorder (DID) and argued in favor of a posttraumatic model (PTM) in which DID is conceptualized as a consequence of childhood abuse and other traumatic events. The present authors demonstrate that (a) many of Gleaves's arguments were predicated on misunderstandings of the SCM, (b) scrutiny of the evidence regarding the psychopathology and assessment of DID raises questions concerning the PIM's conceptual and empirical underpinnings, (c) the treatment literature suggests that iatrogenic factors play an important role in the etiology of DID, and (d) the evidence linking child abuse to DID is more problematic than implied by Gleaves. The present authors conclude that Gleaves's analysis underemphasized the cultural manifestations of multiple role enactments and that the history of DID imparts a valuable lesson to contemporary psychotherapists.

Publication Information

Lilienfeld, S. O., Lynn, S. J., Kirsch, I., Chaves, J. F., Sarbin, T. R., Ganaway, G. K., & Powell, R. A. (1999). Dissociative identity disorder and the sociocognitive model: recalling the lessons of the past. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 507-523.