Spirit possession in South Asia, dissociation or hysteria? Part 2: Case histories.
Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry June 1, 1994 DOI: 10.1007/bf01379447 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 55 |
| Key points | Proposes that pathological spirit possession in South Asia has a similar etiology to multiple personality disorder in North America, caused by spontaneous trance reactions to extreme situations, particularly child abuse. |
Abstract
Psychoanalytic theory appears flawed in the way it has been traditionally applied in anthropological studies of spirit possession in South Asia. It is suggested that pathological spirit possession in South Asia has a similar etiology to multiple personality disorder in North America, which is caused by spontaneous trance reactions to extreme situations in the environment, particularly child abuse. Reanalyses of previously published case histories of spirit possession illnesses in South Asia are presented from the perspective of dissociation theory, highlighting possible etiology not considered relevant in earlier psychoanalytic theories.
Citations in the library
Cited by 14
- Haunted by ghosts: prevalence, predictors and outcomes of spirit possession experiences among former child soldiers and war-affected civilians in Northern Uganda. Social Science & Medicine August 1, 2012
- Dissociative symptoms and reported trauma among patients with spirit possession and matched healthy controls in Uganda. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry June 1, 2010
- A Critical Review of Dissociative Trance and Possession Disorders: Etiological, Diagnostic, Therapeutic, and Nosological Issues The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry April 1, 2011
- Are symptoms of spirit possessed patients covered by the DSM-IV or DSM-5 criteria for possession trance disorder? A mixed-method explorative study in Uganda. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology September 1, 2013
- Characteristics of Adolescents Affected by Mass Psychogenic Illness Outbreaks in Schools in Nepal: A Case-Control Study. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2020
and 9 more in the library