Constructed by culture
Examining the cultural origins of dissociative experiences
This series investigates culturally-driven elements of DID that were shaped more by social context than by clinical necessity. It looks at how therapeutic trends, moral panics, and collective narratives generated symptom structures that were later mistaken for clinical discoveries.
Posts in this series
The sensationalized conceptualization of DID I differentiate between the genuine phenomenological experience of DID and the cultural framework often used to describe it.
DID is (mostly) a culture-bound disorder There is a huge cultural component to the modern-day conceptualization of DID, which I believe is actively harmful to those who actually have DID.
Looping kinds and dynamic nominalism: the feedback loop of diagnostic labels and cultural influences in DID I discuss two concepts by the late philosopher Ian Hacking—looping kinds and dynamic nominalism—which are important for understanding how DID is conceptualized and portrayed.
Can you have DID without "alters"? Yes. "Alters" are a cultural interpretation of dissociation, not an inherent feature of DID. I explore how DID is better understood as compartmentalization rather than identity fragmentation.
Coming soon in this series
- What is "polyfragmentation"?
- Tracing the origins of the "inner self helper" alter
- Satanic ritual abuse: from courtroom panic to symptom schema
- Programming and the concept of "mind control"
- The rise of "plurality"
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