What about Multiple Personality Disorder?
Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2006 2:20 pm
Hi I'm new here so apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere.
I am aware that schizophrenia and MPD are not the same thing, however this seemed like the most relevant category to bring it up. I also realize that MPD is a debated phenomenon but I think it has been well documented. I recently read When Rabbit Howls by The Troops for Terri Chase. This was a fascinating book about a woman who developed over 90 distinct personalities. These personalities acted together to create a facade of a functioning normal person. The Troops as they referred to themselves worked together to write the book and try to tell their story.
Having also read the Origin of Consciousness... I was struck by the evidence of the brains ability to compartmentalize and form internal heirarchies of personalities. The personalities communicated apparently in a way that they experienced like a discussion which was often a cacophony. Power struggles were common.
Looking at Multiple Personality Disorder in a Jaynesian context brings up a lot of questions. If MPD is somehow related to Bicameralism, how did it develop? It is not just a situation of a preconscious mind receiving and obeying commands but of multiple "analog I"s existing in the same brain and negotiating decisions. Perhaps MPD is a more likely condition to associate with oracles. The god develops as a separate personality and actually has separate thoughts and knowledge from the oracle. MPD (tragically) is almost always associated with ongoing abuse during childhood. It seems to be a latent defense mechanism that we all have. Could it be that traditions of special initiations, traumatic tests and harsh upbringings for oracles and shamans helped to induce MPD?
I am aware that schizophrenia and MPD are not the same thing, however this seemed like the most relevant category to bring it up. I also realize that MPD is a debated phenomenon but I think it has been well documented. I recently read When Rabbit Howls by The Troops for Terri Chase. This was a fascinating book about a woman who developed over 90 distinct personalities. These personalities acted together to create a facade of a functioning normal person. The Troops as they referred to themselves worked together to write the book and try to tell their story.
Having also read the Origin of Consciousness... I was struck by the evidence of the brains ability to compartmentalize and form internal heirarchies of personalities. The personalities communicated apparently in a way that they experienced like a discussion which was often a cacophony. Power struggles were common.
Looking at Multiple Personality Disorder in a Jaynesian context brings up a lot of questions. If MPD is somehow related to Bicameralism, how did it develop? It is not just a situation of a preconscious mind receiving and obeying commands but of multiple "analog I"s existing in the same brain and negotiating decisions. Perhaps MPD is a more likely condition to associate with oracles. The god develops as a separate personality and actually has separate thoughts and knowledge from the oracle. MPD (tragically) is almost always associated with ongoing abuse during childhood. It seems to be a latent defense mechanism that we all have. Could it be that traditions of special initiations, traumatic tests and harsh upbringings for oracles and shamans helped to induce MPD?