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Dissociative Multiplicity and Psychoanalysis.

John A O'Neil1

  • 1FRCPC, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

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|November 21, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Psychoanalysis struggles with dissociative multiplicity, a complex trauma response seen in Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Classic theories inadequately explain this condition but remain relevant for understanding trauma survivors.

Keywords:
Dissociationattachmentmultiplicityrepressionsplitting

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Trauma Studies

Background:

  • Dissociative multiplicity, characterized by multiple consciousness centers, is a core feature of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and Other Specified Dissociative Disorder (OSDD-1).
  • This complex presentation poses significant challenges to traditional psychoanalytic frameworks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically evaluate the capacity of established psychoanalytic constructs to explain dissociative multiplicity.
  • To explore the applicability of these theories despite their limitations.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of classic psychoanalytic concepts including splitting, repression, triadic views (oedipal, topographic, structural, Fairbairnian, Kohutian), object relations, and attachment theory.
  • Examination of their relevance to understanding dissociative multiplicity.

Main Results:

  • Classic psychoanalytic constructs, while foundational, do not fully account for the complexities of dissociative multiplicity.
  • These traditional theories, however, retain a degree of applicability in addressing aspects of multiplicity.

Conclusions:

  • Reintegration of dissociation into mainstream psychoanalytic theory and practice requires further development.
  • Addressing dissociative multiplicity necessitates an evolution of psychoanalytic thought and clinical approaches.