Dissociative Identity Disorder
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly called multiple personality disorder, is a severe psychological condition in which two or more distinct identities are present in an individual. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of diagnosed cases of DID in the past 30 years. There has also been an increase in the number of different personalities reported, as well as more unusual personalities. This may be due to an increased awareness of the disease among clinicians. However, it might also be because there have been so many sensational portrayals of DID in popular media.
Some believe that people fake the disorder in order to absolve themselves of guilt or gain attention. However, there is a good deal of research that suggests that DID is a legitimate illness. One of the strongest pieces of evidence is the fact that it is found all over the world. There have been cases of DID reported in cities and villages across Turkey, Nigeria, Ethiopia, China, and India, among other places. It is unlikely that people living in rural or remote places have been influenced by portrayals of DID in films or television shows.
Others argue that DID is the creation of overzealous clinicians who (unwittingly) induce highly suggestible clients to believe they have multiple personalities. These clinicians encourage clients to "bring out" the other personalities during hypnosis and reward them with praise for doing so, which then makes the clients more likely to believe that the other personalities are real. If this is the case, it may not be a "genuine" illness in that the clinicians have created it, but is this any different than a "genuine" mental illness that is fostered by other people's influences on a client's life? No matter what has caused the illness, it causes significant distress to the client, and therefore must be treated as a serious and "genuine" problem.
Question: What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?

Question

Dissociative Identity Disorder
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly called multiple personality disorder, is a severe psychological condition in which two or more distinct identities are present in an individual. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of diagnosed cases of  DID in the past 30 years. There has also been an increase in the number of different personalities reported, as well as more unusual personalities. This may be due to an increased awareness of the disease among clinicians. However, it might also be because there have been so many sensational portrayals of DID in popular media.
Some believe that people fake the disorder in order to absolve themselves of guilt or gain attention. However, there is a good deal of research that suggests that DID is a legitimate illness. One of the strongest pieces of evidence is the fact that it is found all over the world. There have been cases of DID reported in cities and villages across Turkey, Nigeria, Ethiopia, China, and India, among other places. It is unlikely that people living in rural or remote places have been influenced by portrayals of DID in films or television shows.
Others argue that DID is the creation of overzealous clinicians who (unwittingly) induce highly suggestible clients to believe they have multiple personalities. These clinicians encourage clients to "bring out" the other personalities during hypnosis and reward them with praise for doing so, which then makes the clients more likely to believe that the other personalities are real. If this is the case, it may not be a "genuine" illness in that the clinicians have created it, but is this any different than a "genuine" mental illness that is fostered by other people's influences on a client's life?  No matter what has caused the illness, it causes significant distress to the client, and therefore must be treated as a serious and "genuine" problem.
Question: What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

From the context of both the second and third paragraphs, we can see that the author considers DID to be a real condition.
The author's purpose in this passage is to address the fact that people don't believe DID is a real disorder. Although he argues the disorder is real by presenting information, it is used to support his argument, not simply to inform readers about the disorder.
The author mentions that some people think that DID is a fake disorder brought on by "overzealous clinicians." However, the author feels that even if this is true, the condition should be treated as a real disorder because it causes distress.
This passage does not teach a life lesson of any kind. Fables are the most common means of conveying a lesson, and this passage is not a fable.

Dissociative Identity Disorder Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), Formerly Called Multiple Personality Disorder, Is