Dissociative Multiplicity and Psychoanalysis.
Journal of trauma & dissociation : the official journal of the International Society for the Study of Dissociation (ISSD) November 21, 2025 DOI: 10.1080/15299732.2025.2589158 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Dissociation Repression Splitting Dissociative multiplicity Multiple selves Identity fragmentation Compartmentalization of self Psychoanalytic concepts Psychoanalysis Psychodynamic theory Mental defense mechanisms Trauma psychology Psychological trauma Trauma response Post-traumatic states Attachment theory Relational frameworks Early development theory |
| Citations | 14 |
| Key points | Argues that classic psychoanalytic constructs cannot adequately account for dissociative multiplicity, though they remain applicable to it. |
Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between psychoanalysis and trauma, focusing specifically on dissociation-and, more narrowly, on dissociative multiplicity, the most challenging form for psychoanalysis to address. Dissociative multiplicity involves the presence of more than one center of consciousness, more than one "I," a feature of multiple personality, now called Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID, and OSDD-1, or subthreshold DID. The central question is whether classic psychoanalytic constructs, such as splitting, repression, various triadic views (oedipal, topographic, structural, Fairbairnian, Kohutian), object relations, and attachment theory, can adequately account for dissociative multiplicity. I explain how they cannot, but also how they remain applicable to multiplicity. I conclude with a summary view and reflection on what still needs to occur to reintegrate dissociation into mainstream psychoanalytic theory and practice.