Rorschach Assessment of Two Distinctive Personality States of a Person With Dissociative Identity Disorder

Abstract

This case study used test data from a patient with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID; American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ) to illustrate how two main personality states of the patient ("Ann" and "Ben") seemed to function. The Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS; Meyer, Viglione, Mihura, Erard, & Erdberg, 2011 ) and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-Circumplex (IIP-64; Horowitz, Alden, Wiggins, & Pincus, 2000 ), administered to Ann and Ben in separate settings, exposed two diverse R-PAS and IIP-64 profiles. Ann's R-PAS profile suggested an intellectualized style of information processing with few indications of psychological problems. Ben's profile indicated severe perceptual, cognitive, and interpersonal difficulties combined with suspicion and anxiety. Ann's IIP-64 profile suggested minor interpersonal problems, whereas Ben's indicated serious relational difficulties. The findings were discussed in relation to the theory of trauma-related structural dissociation of the personality (van der Hart, Nijenhuis, & Steele, 2006 ), which implies an enduring split in the organization of the personality with more or less separate entities with their own sense of self, perception of the world, and ways of organizing emotional, cognitive, and social functions. The DID personality structure is seen as a defense strategy and as a pathway in the personality development producing serious psychological pain and symptoms.

Traumatized Refugees in Psychotherapy

“…Many researchers view the Rorschach as useful for assessing traumatized individuals ( e.g. , Arnon et al, 2011 ; Brand et al, 2006 ; Hartmann and Benum, 2019 ; Kaser-Boyd and Evans, 2008 ; Viglione et al, 2012a ). The visual and nonverbal Rorschach images require no translation, thus making it suited for cross-cultural and refugee research ( Allen and Dana, 2004 ).…”

“…The Rorschach is a performance-based method that assesses personality structure and function, with particular weight on evaluating a combination of implicit and explicit underlying psychological processes. Many researchers view the Rorschach as useful for assessing traumatized individuals (e.g., Arnon et al, 2011;Brand et al, 2006;Hartmann and Benum, 2019;Kaser-Boyd and Evans, 2008;Viglione et al, 2012a). The visual and nonverbal Rorschach images require no translation, thus making it suited for cross-cultural and refugee research (Allen and Dana, 2004).…”

A Strange Case of Dissociative Identity Disorder: Are There Any Triggers?

“…More than 70% of people with DID have attempted suicide, and self-injurious behavior is common among this population [ 2 ]. Treatment is crucial to improving quality of life and preventing suicide attempts.…”

“…Dissociative identity disorder (DID), or dissociative personality disorder, is the presence of at least two varied personalities in one person [ 1 - 2 ]. Thus, it is also referred to as multiple personality disorder [ 3 ].…”

Báo cáo ca bệnh: Rối loạn nhân dạng phân ly (đa nhân cách)

“…Lê Thị Thu Hà 1,2, , Nguyễn Việt Hà 1 Vũ Thị Mỹ Hạnh 1 , Nguyễn Văn Tuấn 1,2 1 Trường Đại học Y Hà Nội Rối loạn nhân dạng phân ly (Dissociative Identity Disorder -DID), hoặc rối loạn nhân cách phân ly là sự hiện diện của ít nhất 2 nhân cách khác nhau ở một người. 1,2 Do vậy, nó còn được gọi là rối loạn đa nhân cách. 3 Có một số tình trạng có liên quan đến rối loạn này bao gồm trầm cảm, hành vi tự hủy hoại, rối loạn stress sau sang chấn (PTSD), rối loạn sử dụng chất, rối loạn nhân cách ranh giới hoặc rối loạn lo âu và rối loạn chuyển di hoặc rối loạn dạng cơ thể.…”