‘Sybil’ Psychological Analysis on Dissociative Identity Disorder

The movie Sybil (1976) is based on true story of Sybil Dorsett (as a code name of the person), who is an art teacher suffering from dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder). She has lived between 1923–1998 years and she was diagnosed by an American psychiatrist Cornelia B. Wilbur.

In the movie, the audiences see how Sybil experiences several amnesic episodes and decides to visit Dr. Wilbur. In her first psychiatric appointment she specifies the episode as; ‘Once I woke up, I grew up 2 years.’ These symptoms were accepted as a problematic and they decide starting the therapy sessions. Then, after the beginning of treatment, her problematic behaviors become intensified.

During the movie, it was emphasized that she had 16 distinct personalities and the audience experience these different personalities both in an outside view (as the main player)and in the eye of Sybil (which are different players; sometimes a young girl, sometimes another woman); however, there are four main personalities that she usually recalls when she feels under pressure. In these scenes we also see under which emotional conditions which alter personalities are revealing. These personalities are Vicky who is overconfident, sophisticated French girl and she knows the other personalities of Sybil; Peggy who is the personality appearing in fearful situations and holding Sybil’s traumatic memories, she is very fearful and angry; Vanessa who is a dramatic and romantic young musician; and Marcia having suicidal tendencies is very emotinal and creative painter and writer.

These alter personalities tell about Sybil’s painful, traumatic childhood memories during the therapy sessions. When Sybil faced her alter personalities at the first time, she wants to deny it and withdraw the sessions. However, after the hypnosis sessions she starts feeling relieved and integrates all diverse personalities.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)(Multiple Personality Disorder)

According to the DSM- V (Fifth Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) the individual must have the following criteria to be diagnosed as DID:

‘The individual experiences two or more distinct identities or personality states (each with…