Sybil The most widely used classification system for
Sybil The most widely used classification system for psychological disorders is the A. Scale of Maladaptivity B. Socially Unacceptable Behaviors Manual C. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders D. American Psychological Disorder Manual
Shirley Ardell Mason 1923 -1998 Dodge Center, MN Went to Columbia University – worked as a substitute teacher Suffered from blackouts and breakdowns
Mother was seen as strange by neighbors “diagnosed” with schizophrenia Mason entered therapy in 1954 with Dr. Cornelia Wilbur – Freudian psychiatrist who used hypnosis Diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder – formerly Multiple Personality Disorder – 16 personalities
DID Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly Multiple Personality Disorder) reflects a failure to integrate various aspects of identity, memory, and consciousness. Each personality state may be experienced as if it has a distinct personal history, selfimage, and identity, including a separate name. Usually there is a primary identity that carries the individual's given name and is passive, dependent, guilty, and depressed Individuals with this disorder experience frequent gaps in memory for personal history, both remote and recent Individuals with Dissociative Identity disorder frequently report having experienced severe physical and sexual abuse, especially during childhood. Controversy surrounds the accuracy of such reports, because childhood memories may be subject to distortion and individuals with this disorder tend to be highly hypnotizable and especially vulnerable to suggestive influences. " DSM-V
Personalities as listed in book “Sybil”
Victoria Antoinette Scharleau (1926): nicknamed Vicky; a self-assured, sophisticated, attractive blonde; the memory trace of Sybil's selves.
Peggy Lou Baldwin (1926): an assertive, enthusiastic, and often angry pixie with a pug nose, a Dutch haircut, and a mischievous smile.
Peggy Ann Baldwin (1926): a counterpart of Peggy Lou with similar physical characteristics; she is more often fearful than angry.
Mary Lucinda Saunders Dorsett (1933): a thoughtful, contemplative, maternal, homeloving person; she is plump and has long dark-brown hair parted on the side.
Marcia Lynn Dorsett (1927): last name sometimes Baldwin; a writer and painter; extremely emotional; she has a shield-shaped face, gray eyes, and brown hair parted on the side.
Vanessa Gail Dorsett (1935): intensely dramatic and extremely attractive; a tall redhead with a willowy figure, light brown eyes, and an expressive oval face.
Mike Dorsett (1928): one of Sybil's two male selves; a builder and a carpenter, he has olive skin, dark hair, and brown eyes.
Sid Dorsett (1928): one of Sybil's two male selves; a carpenter and a general handyman; he has fair skin, dark hair, and blue eyes.
Nancy Lou Baldwin (date undetermined): interested in politics as fulfillment of biblical prophecy and intensely afraid of Roman Catholics; fey; her physical characteristics resemble those of the Peggys.
Sybil Ann Dorsett (1928): listless to the point of neurasthenia; pale and timid with ash-blonde hair, an oval face, and a straight nose.
Ruthie Dorsett (date undetermined): a baby; one of the lesser developed selves
Clara Dorsett (date undetermined): intensely religious; highly critical of the waking Sybil.
Helen Dorsett (1929): intensely afraid but determined to achieve fulfillment; she has light brown hair, hazel eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips.
Marjorie Dorsett (1928): serene, vivacious, and quick to laugh; a tease; a small, willowy brunette with fair skin and a pug nose.
The Blonde (1946): nameless; a perpetual teenager; has blonde curly hair and a lilting voice
The New Sybil 1965): the seventeenth self; an amalgam of the other sixteen selves.
Dr. Wilbur 1908 -1992 – from Ohio Met Sybil at University of Nebraska Moved to New York and Sybil followed Invited to come to UK in 1967. She asked English professor, Flora Schreiber, to write the story of Sybil Founded a shelter for DID patients in Lexington
Later life Mason moved to West Virginia for a while, but later moved to Lexington, KY Many believe she came here to be near Dr. Wilbur, who was a professor at UK Mason lived on Henry Clay Blvd. for 25 years and operated an art business out of her home. No one knew that Mason was Sybil until after her death from breast cancer in 1998.
Controversy Robert Rieber of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 1998 presented a paper where he claimed that Wilbur created the ideas to secure a book deal. He claimed based on his hearing of the tapes provided by Dr. Wilbur, that “sybil” did not have multiple personalities, but was highly suggestible and Dr. Wilbur manipulated her.
Paintings of Mason
- Slides: 28