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Somatoform and
Dissociative Disorders
Chapter 14, Lecture 4
“It is little comfort to be told that the problem is
‘all in your head.’ Although the symptoms may
be psychological in origin, they are nevertheless
genuinely felt.”
- David Myers
Somatoform Disorders
Psychological disorders in which the
symptoms take a somatic (bodily) form
without apparent physical cause.
With conversion disorder, specific, genuine,
and often significant physical symptoms are
present with no physiological basis.
Hypochondriasis involves the
interpretation of normal physical
sensations as symptoms of a disease.
Dissociative Disorders
Conscious awareness becomes separated
(dissociated) from previous memories,
thoughts, and feelings.
Symptoms
1. Having a sense of being unreal.
2. Being separated from the body.
3. Watching yourself as if in a movie.
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
A disorder in which a person exhibits two or
more distinct and alternating personalities,
formerly called multiple personality disorder.
Lois Bernstein/ Gamma Liason
Chris Sizemore (DID)
DID Critics
Critics argue that the diagnosis of DID
increased in the late 20th century. DID has
not been found in other countries.
Critics’ Arguments
1. Role-playing by people open to a
therapist’s suggestion.
2. Learned response that reinforces
reductions in anxiety.
The Curious Experiences Inventory
Handout 14-13 represents the shortened version of
Lewis R. Goldberg’s The Curious Experiences Survey,
which measures self-reported dissociative experiences.
Total score is simply the sum of the numbers placed
before the 17 items. Thus, scores can range from 17 to
85, with higher scores reflecting more experience with
dissociation.
The Curious Experiences Inventory
Analysis of the full-length 31-item scale revealed the
presence of three factors in dissociation: depersoalization (“Had the experience of feeling that my body did
not belong to me”), self-absorption (“Find that I
sometimes sit staring off in space, thinking of nothing,
and am not aware of the passage of time”), and
amnesia (“Found evidence that I had done things that I
did not remember doing”).
The Curious Experiences Inventory
The frequency of self-reported dissociation was
positively correlated with measures of neuroticism
(particularly depression) and imagination, and
negatively related to conscientiousness (particularly
dutifulness), agreeableness, and, to a lesser extent, age.
No relationships were found with gender, educational
level, intelligence, vocational skills, or self-reported
skills.
Homework
Read p.611-621