The dissociation of a personality : a biographical study in abnormal psychology / by Morton Prince.

  • Morton Prince
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The dissociation of a personality : a biographical study in abnormal psychology / by Morton Prince. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    When Miss Beauchamp, as she and B II reported, found herself unable to read and threw down the book, she carried out a command that I had given for therapeu- tic purposes to Chris, unknown to the other selves. I had told Chris, rather carelessly, that she was to prevent Miss B. from reading, without suggesting how the thing was to be accomplished. Chris, who later explained the phenom- enon at length, claimed to have been the author of this automatic action on Miss B.’s part, and to have taken this drastic method of carrying out my suggestion, thereby showing considerable subconscious independence, and, I think, logical reasoning. It is worth noting how sharply differentiated were the volitions of the two personalities at this early date. Later, I personally witnessed similar phe- nomena on numerous occasions. It may be here stated that though often, for the purposes of a continuous narra- tive, phenomena a.re noted as having occurred, on the strength of the statements of the subject, these, wdien im- portant, were accepted only after searching inquiry; and secondly, examples of every phenomenon described have been personally witnessed^ at one time or another, over and over again. To resume: B II [hearing the scratching of my pencil taking notes]. “ What are you doing ? ” dinner the next day. She had no recollection on awaking of the command. Mrs. R. thus described what occurred : “ As I was going in to dinner, my girl asked me what I was going out for. ‘ I am not,’ says I; ‘I am going to eat my dinner.’ ‘ Then what have you got your hat on for,’ says she. I put my hand to my head and there was my bonnet. ‘ Lord, Mamie,’ says I, ‘ am I going crazy? ’ ‘ No, mother,’ she says, ‘ you often do foolish things.’ I began to get frightened, but took off my bonnet and went into the next room to din- ner.” There the younger child similarly asked her where she was going, aud called attention to her having her bonnet on. She again took it off; later when her husband entered, the same thing was repeated; but when she found her bonnet on her head for the third time she made an excuse of the stormy words that ensued to declare that she would “ keep it on till she was through dinner.” After dinner, being alarmed, she consulted a neighbor about it. (For further observations on the case of Mrs. R. and others, see “ Boston Medical and Surgical Journal,” May 15, 1890.)