PSY 2012 Lecture Notes - Lecture 31: Fugue State, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Psychogenic Amnesia
Document Summary
Dissociation: psychological states of disconnection from immediate experience. Involve sudden loss of memory or change of identity, under extreme stress or shock. We all experience some dissociation: e. g. being preoccupied when thinking about problems. Pathological dissociation is considered to be and avoidance response that protects the person from experiencing stress. Dissociative amnesia: extreme memory loss caused by extensive psychological stress. Dissociative fugue: amnesia, plus traveling away from home and assuming new identity. Moving to a new location with loss of identity and memory: losing all sense of personal identity, giving up one"s current life, going to a faraway location and creating a new identity. Two or more distinct personalities or selves: each has its own memories, behaviors, relationships, one personality dominates at one time, wall of amnesia separates personalities, shift between personalities occurs under distress. Exceptionally high rate of sexual or physical abuse during early childhood: majority are women, genetic predisposition may exist.
