Question 1

In soap operas, characters often forget their past experience following some trauma. They don't merely forget the traumatic event, they forget who they are, where they came from - they lose almost all memory of their lives. They then move to a new place and start a new identity. This would best be described as an instance of

Accepted Answer

This is a case of dissociative fugue, where a person forgets their past experiences, including their identity, and creates a new one. Anterograde amnesia refers to difficulty in forming new memories, continuous amnesia is when all memories are lost without any gaps, and generalized amnesia is when memories of specific events or people are lost.

Question 2

The text presented the case of Mary Kendall, who suffered from dissociative identity disorder. She is typical of individuals with this disorder in that

Accepted Answer

Individuals with dissociative identity disorder often experience "lost time," where they cannot recall periods when another identity was in control.

Question 3

The German man, in the study mentioned in the text, who had dissociative fugue, denied that he could speak German. However, he learned German-English word pairs much faster than control words. This supports that

Accepted Answer

The case suggests that while the man denied knowledge of German (episodic memory), his ability to learn German-English word pairs quickly indicates that his implicit memory, which involves skills and conditioned responses, remained intact.

Question 4

Brigid has been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. Brigid is the host personality. We can expect that the alter identities

Accepted Answer

Dissociative identity disorder is characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states, each with its own way of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about oneself and the environment. These alter identities are often strikingly different from the host personality, with unique behaviors, mannerisms, and even distinct voices or patterns of speech. This is why dissociative identity disorder was previously known as multiple personality disorder. The alters can also fluctuate in terms of which one is in control, and they may emerge in response to stress or trauma. Therefore, it is unlikely that they only come out when there is no stress in the environment, and they are not necessarily very much like Brigid or one another.

Question 5

Which of the following is true of opposite sex alters in DID?

Accepted Answer

Opposite sex alters (or alters of a different gender than the individual's biological sex) are actually quite common in DID. This is likely due to the fact that many individuals who have experienced trauma, particularly sexual abuse, may dissociate from their body and develop alter identities as a means of coping. These alter identities may take on different genders or sexes as a way of distancing themselves from their traumatic experiences. However, it is important to note that not all individuals with DID have opposite sex alters, and having one does not necessarily indicate a history of sexual abuse.

Question 6

Gerard became amnesic, wandered away from home and assumed a completely new identity as a shoe salesman. He suffers from

Accepted Answer

Gerard's symptoms are consistent with dissociative fugue, which is a rare and temporary form of dissociative amnesia where individuals experience complete loss of identity and wander away from their usual environments. They may assume a new identity and may be unaware of their past. This seems to fit Gerard's situation as he assumed a new identity as a shoe salesman and has no memory of his past life. Dissociative identity disorder involves the development of two or more distinct identities, while malingering identity disorder is characterized by faking or exaggerating symptoms for external gain. Depersonalization refers to feeling detached from oneself or one's surroundings, which is not the best description of Gerard's situation.

Question 7

Which of the following is most suggestive of dissociative identity disorder?

Accepted Answer

Kyla's inability to recall her activities or whereabouts suggests dissociative amnesia, which is often seen in dissociative identity disorder. The other options do not necessarily suggest dissociative identity disorder.

Question 8

Assuming a new identity in a new place is characteristic of

Accepted Answer

Assuming a new identity in a new place is characteristic of dissociative fugue. In dissociative fugue, individuals may suddenly and unexpectedly travel away from their homes or places of work, taking on a new identity and often not remembering their previous life. This is usually caused by severe stress or trauma.

Question 9

Octavia has been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder DID). She has seventeen different "alters," which are strikingly different from her host personality. Some of her alters are not full personalities, but fragments and memories. Some of the alters are children. What aspect of this case is unusual?

Accepted Answer

Dissociative Identity Disorder often involves multiple alters, which can vary significantly in age, personality, and completeness, including fragmentary alters.

Question 10

Jeremy suffers from psychogenic amnesia. He probably

Accepted Answer

Psychogenic amnesia, often resulting from psychological stress or trauma, typically affects memory but does not usually impair other cognitive functions or skills, so the individual may appear normal aside from the memory loss.

Question 11

Dissociative identity disorder was formerly known as

Accepted Answer

Dissociative identity disorder was formerly known as multiple personality disorder.

Question 12

Jill did not remember the accident happening or the following two days. What form of amnesia is this memory loss characteristic of?

Accepted Answer

Jill's memory loss is limited to a specific event (the accident) and a specific time period (the following two days), indicating a localized form of amnesia.

Question 13

Although Charlie remembered most of the main issues of the meeting, he had no recollection of the decision to eliminate the department that he headed. Which form of psychogenic amnesia would this be characteristic of?

Accepted Answer

Charlie remembers most of the meeting, indicating a localized memory impairment, but is specifically unable to recall the decision to eliminate his department, indicating selective amnesia.

Question 14

A person with two or more well-developed identities has the disorder called

Accepted Answer

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a disorder in which a person has two or more distinct identities or personalities, each with its own pattern of thinking and behaving. DID was formerly called multiple personality disorder. Fugue state refers to a dissociative disorder where an individual may suddenly and unexpectedly travel away from their usual surroundings and lose their personal identity. Depersonalization disorder involves feeling detached from one's own thoughts, feelings, and sensations. Localized psychogenic amnesia is when someone is unable to recall specific events or detailed personal information due to psychological reasons. None of these disorders specifically involve having multiple well-developed identities.

Question 15

Why has there been little systematic research conducted on dissociative amnesia and fugue?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why has there been little systematic research...

Question 16

In the individual with DID, "switches" between identities

Accepted Answer

Switches between identities in individuals with DID often produce gaps in memory, meaning that the individual may not remember what occurred while in a different identity state. The timing of switches can vary widely, sometimes happening suddenly and sometimes taking longer periods of time. Control among identities can also vary, with some identities having more control than others.

Question 17

Which of the following is most commonly true of the host identity in DID?

Accepted Answer

The host identity in DID is not necessarily the original identity, as multiple identities or alters can develop before the host identity takes over as the primary identity.

Question 18

Once a dissociative fugue ends, people

Accepted Answer

People experiencing dissociative fugue can't remember what happened during the fugue but can remember their past.

Question 19

Which of the following has been demonstrated about the effects of psychogenic amnesias on memory?

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that in cases of psychogenic amnesia, implicit memory remains intact while explicit memory is affected. Episodic memory may also be compromised, but to a lesser extent than semantic memory.

Question 20

When a person experiences psychogenic amnesia, only one portion of memory is usually affected. Which?

Accepted Answer

Psychogenic amnesia typically affects episodic memory, which is the memory of autobiographical events and experiences. Other types of memory such as semantic and procedural memory are usually preserved. Perceptual memory, while not typically affected by psychogenic amnesia, is a separate type of memory related to recognition of objects and is not relevant to this question.

Quiz 8: Somatoform and Dissociative Disorders