A Dissociative Identity Disorder is a Developmental Accomplishment: Reply to Van der Hart and Steele

Abstract

In the theory of dissociation inspired by Janet, psychic processes are reified. The client is conceptualized as a victim-to-whom-things-happen. The development of the higher mental functions and control systems that enable people-including survivors of childhood abuse-to monitor their psychic functioning is ignored. Indeed, the Janetian trauma treatment is intended to break down the client's higher mental functions: by re-experiencing horror, automatic processes of dissociation are reinforced; the client's spontaneous compensatory system is destroyed. This can lead to the legitimizing of inhumane practices and cause iatrogenic damage. A Vygotskian therapeutic approach, together with current constructivist theories, provide an alternative. The development of the higher mental functions and `abnormal' psychological tools are crucial for by-passing the original traumatic reactions and the development of human agency.