File:The Dissociation of a Personality 1906.djvu

English: "The present volume contains parts I and II of a larger work, 'Problems in abnormal psychology,' but it is complete in itself." "Of all the problems raised by the investigations of that section of modern psychology which deals with the abnormal and neurasthenic, those concerned with what is called multiple personality are perhaps the most interesting for psychology and philosophy as a whole. Cases of multiple personality are comparatively rare, and this book is of great value as being a very full and careful account of quite the most remarkable of such cases known to us. Dr. Prince had “Miss Beauchamp” under his care from the time when a second personality first manifested itself until “the real Miss Beauchamp” was at length discovered and restored. It is the great merit of the book that the author abstains almost altogether from theories. These he promises us in a further volume. In this he contents himself with a careful history of the details of the extraordinary case. Extraordinary it certainly is. There were three distinct and entirely different personalities. Of these, two known as B I and B IV, were alternating, and only knew of each other by inference. Dr. Prince evidently considers that they were caused by “the splitting up the original personality” and loss of memory due to an intense mental shock. Not the least interesting part of the book is an account of the striking oppositions in what e [sic] should be. inclined to call bodily characteristics, manifested by those two personalities. But the personality known as B II, or “Sally,” is most interesting of all. Not only did she exist as an alternating personality with B I and B IV, but she went on being conscious all the time, while B I and B IV were in possession of the body, with the difference that in the one case she was conscious, not only of outside events, but of B Is thoughts, while in the other she was aware always of what B IV said and did, but not of what she thought. The consequence is that the study of Sally throws light on many questions concerning subconscious personality, and such phenomena as dreams, hallucinations, &c. The questions raised by the whole story in regard to how a personality is constituted, and what either an associated or a dissociated personality can mean, are many and important, but a discussion of the philosophical importance of the facts recorded here had better be postponed until the appearance of Dr. Princes promised second volume. Meanwhile, the book can be recommended to all interested in questions of abnormal psychology. The facts of the case ar told in a very direct and interesting way."