FACULTY OF

COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES

LIB 201 – PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGY

“THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ELEMENTS PORTRAYED IN FIGHT CLUB”

PREPARED BY

MOHD ASYRAF BIN MOHD BUSTAMAN 2008245506

MUHAMMAD FARIS BIN ZAKARIA 2008245792

MUHAMMAD SOBREE BIN ZAINAL ABIDIN 2008245598

NADIA FARAHAN ABDUL MUTALIP 2008245656

PREPARED FOR

MISS HANIM
 CONTENT PAGE

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Insomnia
2.1 Causes of insomnia

2.2 Treatments for insomnia

3.0Schizophrenia
3.1 Causes of schizophrenia

3.2 Symptoms of schizophrenia

3.3 Treatments for schizophrenia

4.0 Multiple Personality Disorder

4.1 Causes of multiple personality disorder

4.2 Symptoms of multiple personality disorder

4.3 Treatments for multiple personality disorder

5.0 Conclusion

6.0 References

7.0 Appendixes
1.0 INTRODUCTION

The father of Psychology himself, Sigmund Freud suggested the existence of the identity,

ego, and superego in every human being. The identity is essentially the driving force that

demands pleasure constantly. The ego is the checks and balances of the identity, as it

waits for a safe or healthy moment for pleasure to be obtained. Finally, the superego is

the moral standard that suppresses the identity. Drama and narrative based on split

identity has an important resonance for cultural anxieties surrounding identity,

masculinity, the body and gender. (Schuessler, 2007)

The film Fight Club which was directed by David Fincher in 1999, is one

example of a film that intertwines a story about fragile identity with issues of gender. The

movie surrounds Jack who has a very interesting system of morals in Freud's terms. Jack

is first satisfied with the common, bland life of having a normal job and condo. His

superego is clearly doing a great job. However, it may be functioning all to well as his

identity apparently creates Tyler Durden in an attempt to overcome its suppressor. While

the identity is successful in achieving its purpose, the ego is still operational. While it is

hard to see, as Tyler and Jack are exact opposites -the ego acts as a mediator between the

two in the end of the conflict. As Jack and Tyler become equally aware of each other, the

ego can claim responsibility of bringing a sense of peace to the situation.

Basically, Fight Club is a film about the "Narrator" who is played by Edward

Norton. The audience learns earlier on that he is not really referred to a specific name, he

is never called by his name and the credits either refer to him as Narrator or "Jack," a

false name that springs out of a scene in the film. A few minutes into the movie, the
“Narrator” soon meets Tyler Durden, a rather eccentric character who starts talking about

soap. (Ruddell, 20007)

The Jack/Tyler character in Fight Club cannot but be considered mentally

unbalanced when a proper comparison is made to the characteristics of those said to be in

good mental health. Jack/Tyler simply does not feel good about himself; he begins the

film by pseudononymously attending a series of support groups for people suffering from

a variety of health problems. His ambition is to feel something; to escape the numbness

of what he is coming to view as an empty existence. Interestingly, neither of his

personality manifestations seems to be overwhelmed by emotional responses. In fact, the

character seems to exhibit an unusually keen inability to feel deeply about anything, even

the outrages against which he plots a revolution. (Sexton, 2006)

In this excellent award winning movie, the audience soon discovers that the main

character Jack has many psychological disorders he is unaware of. The Narrator, as the

original novel calls him, or better known as Jack has numerous psychological issues that

drive the entire plot of the film, but are only slowly revealed. Of the most obvious and

apparent by the end are Insomnia, Schizophrenia and Multiple Personality Disorder.
2.0 INSOMNIA

The main character in The Fight Club, the narrator or Jack, is a product of American

problems of meaning. America may promise freedom, especially to the white man, but

Jack's life is anything but free. He lives in indentured servitude to his corporate copying

office job and his IKEA catalogues. He is on a spiritual train straight to nowhere. But

when he sees a doctor for a diagnosis of his spiritual death, the doctor assures him, "No,

you can't die from insomnia ...” Basically the audience is shown from the start of the

movie that the main character is having difficulty sleeping; a symptom otherwise known

as insomnia.

Insomnia is a symptom of several sleep disorders, characterized by persistent

difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep despite the opportunity. Insomnia is a symptom,

not a stand-alone diagnosis or a disease. By definition, insomnia is "difficulty initiating or

maintaining sleep or both" and it may be due to inadequate quality or quantity of sleep. It

is typically followed by functional impairment while awake. (Wikipedia)

There are a variety of reasons why a person could get insomnia. But the people who

are affected by this disease should not worry because there are many ways to cure it.
2.1 Causes of insomnia

Insomnia may be caused by a host of different reasons. These causes may be

divided into situational factors, medical or psychiatric conditions, or primary

sleep problems. Insomnia could also be classified by the duration of the

symptoms into transient, short-term, or chronic.

2.11 Transient and Short-term insomnia

Transient insomnia generally last less than seven days; short-term

insomnia usually lasts for about one to three weeks, and chronic insomnia

lasts for more than three weeks. This type of insomnia could be caused by

many things such as jet lag, uncomfortable room temperature, and

withdrawal from drugs, alcohol, sedatives or stimulant medications or

excessive and unpleasant noise.

2.12 Chronic or long-term insomnia

The most common psychological problems that may lead to insomnia

include anxiety, stress, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. In

fact, insomnia may be an indicator of depression. Many people will have

insomnia during the acute phases of a mental illness.

2.13 Physiological related insomnia

Physiological causes span from circadian rhythm disorders, sleep-wake

imbalance, to a variety of medical conditions such as chronic pain

 syndromes, congestive heart failure, acid reflux disease, nocturnal asthma,

Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, brain tumors, strokes or trauma

to the brain.

2.14 Medicated related insomnia

Certain medications have also been associated with insomnia such as

certain over-the-counter cold and asthma preparations, certain medications

for high blood pressure, and some medications used to treat depression,

anxiety and schizophrenia.

2.2 Treatments for insomnia

In many cases, insomnia is caused by another disease, side effects from

medications or a psychological problem. It is important to identify or rule out

whether it is medically related or psychologically related before deciding on the

treatment. There are many ways to treat insomnia such as through cognitive

behaviour therapies, medications, antidepressants, antihistamines or by using

herbs like cannabis, valerian, chamomile, lavender, hops and passion-flower.

3.0 SCHIZOPHRENIA

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a mental disorder characterized by

abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality. Distortions in perception may

affect all five senses, including sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, but most commonly

manifest as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech

and thinking with significant social or occupational dysfunction. (Wikipedia)

The Fight Club is a quite violent but ostensibly about schizophrenia. You don't

learn that the hero has schizophrenia until quite late in the film, since you see the world

through his eyes, but then at the end you're not sure what is real and what isn't. His visual

hallucinations convey the experience of schizophrenia, through his experience of them.

Your delusions are very concrete in the sense that you have no doubt they are real.

In the beginning of the film, we start to see Jack lose his bearings, most notably, his sense

of time. He's on planes all the time, traveling so frequently from one time zone to

another, he no longer knows what time it is. He's losing his center of gravity. Also, he

adopts a different name for each of the support groups he attends. His ‘other identity’,

Tyler Durden makes his first appearance at the support group for men with testicular

cancer, briefly flashing onto the screen with his arm around the facilitator's shoulders.

Here, the viewers can see the ego or the main character’s sense of self identify

breaking down and the "shadow content" as represented by Tyler begins to break through

into consciousness.

3.1 Causes of Schizophrenia

While the reliability of the diagnosis introduces difficulties in measuring the

relative effect of genes and environment evidence suggests that genetic and

environmental factors can act in combination to result in schizophrenia. Evidence

suggests that the diagnosis of schizophrenia has a significant heritable component

but that onset is significantly influenced by environmental factors or stressors.

(Wikipedia)

3.11 Genetics

Twin studies and adoption studies being carried out have suggested a high

level of heritability. The estimates of the heritability of schizophrenia tend

to vary owing to the difficulty of separating the effects of genetics and the

environment. It has been suggested that schizophrenia is a condition of

complex inheritance, with many different major or minor genes increasing

the risk. Thus, we can conclude that genetics can be considered a cause of

schizophrenia.

3.12 Social

Living in an urban environment and social disadvantages such as poverty

and migration related to social adversity, racial discrimination, family

dysfunction, unemployment or poor housing conditions have been

considered risk factors for insomnia.

Childhood experiences of abuse or trauma have also been

implicated as risk factors for a diagnosis of schizophrenia later in life.

 Parenting is not held responsible for schizophrenia but unsupportive

dysfunctional relationships may contribute to an increased risk.

3.13 Drug Abuse

Although about half of all patients with schizophrenia abuse drugs or

alcohol, a clear causal connection between drug use and schizophrenia has

been difficult to prove. The two most often used explanations for this are

"substance use causes schizophrenia" and "substance use is a consequence

of schizophrenia", and they both may be correct. On the other hand, there

is some support for the theory that they use drugs to cope with unpleasant

states such as depression, anxiety, boredom and loneliness.

3.2 Symptoms of Schizophrenia

This disorder, at some point in the illness, involves a psychotic phase with

delusions, hallucinations, or grossly bizarre and disorganized speech and

behavior. Individuals with this disorder may develop significant loss of interest or

pleasure. Likewise, some may develop mood abnormalities for example

inappropriate smiling, laughing, silly facial expressions, depression, anxiety or

anger.

Often there is day to night reversal such as staying up late at night and

then sleeping late into the day. The individual may show a lack of interest in

eating or may refuse food as a consequence of delusional beliefs. Often their

movement is abnormal for example pacing, rocking, or apathetic immobility.

 Frequently there are significant cognitive impairments like poor

concentration, poor memory, and impaired problem-solving ability. The majority

of individuals with Schizophrenia are unaware that they have a psychotic illness.

3.3 Treatments for Schizophrenia

Antipsychotic medication shortens the duration of psychosis in Schizophrenia,

and prevents recurrences but psychotic relapses can still occur under stress.

Usually it takes years before individuals can accept that they have Schizophrenia

and need medication. When individuals stop their antipsychotic medication, it

may take months or even years before they suffer a psychotic relapse. Most,

however, relapse within weeks. After each psychotic relapse there is increased

intellectual impairment.

Unfortunately, even on antipsychotic medication, most individuals with

Schizophrenia can't return to gainful employment due to the intellectual

impairments caused by this illness.

4.0 MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER (Dissassociative Identity Disorder)

Multiple personality disorder is now more usually termed dissociated identity disorder. It

is one of the more misunderstood types of mental illness, frequently capturing the interest

of writers and filmmakers, who tend to portray it in its most exaggerated form just like in

the movie Fight Club. What is most important to understand is the multiple personality

disorder is not schizophrenia. The two are often confused. However, in very rare cases, a

personality, or alter, as it is sometimes termed, suffers from schizophrenia. (Ellis-

Christensen, 2009)

Psychiatrists make the distinction between a person having several personalities,

and believing they have several personalities. In general, multiple personality disorder is

the belief on the part of the patient that several personalities seem to exist within the self.

4.1 Causes of Multiple Personality Disorder

Multiple personality disorder is almost always caused by persistent trauma, or

past trauma such as early childhood sexual or physical abuse. When trauma

occurs over a long period of time, the affected person may begin to cope by

completely disassociating from the events that cause the trauma. This can lead to

“alters,” separate personalities within the same person who either are aware of, or

are unaware of the abuse. Alters can be childlike, strong, male, or female, and

often emerge as a coping device.

4.2 Symptoms Of Multiple Personality Disorder

 One of the main characteristics of multiple personality disorder is that people

seem to “lose” time. They seem unaware that time has passed; yet someone

observing them may see them acting in many different ways. The afflicted

however, tends to have no idea what has occurred. This generally central

personality seems most likely to dissociate if the person is exposed to situations

which can evoke earlier traumas, or if the person is still enmeshed in a traumatic

situation.

Other symptoms of multiple personality disorder include depression,

confusion, suicidal thoughts, phobias, differing levels of ability to function

“normally,” anxiety, and self-medication, such as alcoholism or drug abuse.

Additionally, those with multiple personality disorder may hurt themselves such

as in cutting the skin, may have a high degree of panic or panic attacks, may have

eating disorders or be prone to headaches.

4.3 Treatments for Multiple Personality Disorder

The primary treatment for multiple personality disorder is therapy, which may

include play therapy, hypnosis, art therapy, and/or talk therapy. Medication is

usually not preferred because of the likelihood of overdose. The goal is to get

alters in communication with each other, so that the person does not continue to

dissociate from reality. A secondary goal is to be sure the person is removed from

any ongoing traumatic situations, such as removing a child from an abusive home.
5.0 CONCLUSION

"You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the

car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your fucking khakis.

You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world......and you're not special”

Tyler Durden, or better known as ‘the rage alter’ in the movie Fight Club creates a

miserable world of havoc for Jack, ‘the real guy’. Jack, who has been going through

sleepless nights, a symptom widely known as insomnia, starts to believe that Tyler is

actually a real person who has the characteristics he has always wanted to have.

Thus starts the weird relationship between these two characters. To the end of the

movie we start to notice the rage alter taking over the life of the real person, who in this

case is Jack. David Fincher, the director of this movie clearly shows us towards the end

of the movie that Jack is having a breakdown caused by all his illnesses including

insomnia, schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder. At the end of the movie, when

the two personalities go hand in hand to destroy each other, we are reminded about the

symptoms shown by the main character all through the movie. Thinking back, all of the

clues given to us reinforce why the battle at the end happens.

Fight Club is, first of all, smart. The symptoms shown by the two eccentric

characters are perfectly acted according to the medical illnesses. It has a story, knows

how to tell it, and it doesn’t back off for a second, till the aforementioned last shot. And

the story is an important and serious one, and needs to be heard. Fight Club lets you peek

into a secret world. It isn’t a pretty world, but the next time you hear about a lone nut

assassin or a lone nut bomber, it will make you think ‘mind control’. Mind control by a

different personality in you.

6.0 REFERENCES

6.1 Internet material

Phillip W. Long (1995). Internet Medical Health. Retrieved September 19, 2009 from

http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis/p20-ps01.html

Suad Bejtovic, (1999). Fight Club Bosnian Review. Retrieved September 19, 2009 from

http://www.suad.com/fightclub.html

Zachary Schuessler, (2007). A Psychological Analysis of Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club.

Retrieved September 19, 2009 from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/229061/a

Timothy Sexton (2006). Fight Club and the Existential Hero. Retrieved September 19,

2009 from

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/29417/fight_club_and_the_existential_hero.ht

ml?cat=38

Caroline Ruddell (2007). Virility and vulnerability, splitting and masculinity in Fight

Club: a tale of contemporary male identity issues. Retrieved September 19, 2009 from

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-176374799/virility-and-vulnerability-

splitting.html
Tricia Ellis-Christensen (2009). What is Multiple Personality Disorder? Retrieved

September 19, 2009 from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-multiple-personality-

disorder.html

Robert T. Carroll (2009). Dissociative Identity Disorder. Retrieved September 19, 2009

from http://www.skepdic.com/mpd.html

6.2 Printed Material

Weiten, W. (2008). Psychology : Themes and Variations. Las Vegas : Thomson

Wadsworth, pp. 1-3

7.0 APPENDIXES

7.1 PICTURES

The official poster for David Fincher’s 1999 movie, Fight Club.
 7.2 ARTICLES

ARTICLE 1

INTERNET MEDICAL HEALTH

SHIZOPHRENIA - SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT

Diagnostic Features

This disorder, at some point in the illness, involves a psychotic phase (with delusions,
hallucinations, or grossly bizarre/disorganized speech and behavior). This psychotic phase must
last for at least one month (or less if successfully treated). Schizophrenia also causes impairment
in social or vocational functioning which must last for at least 6 months. The psychotic phase is
not due to a medical condition, medication, or illegal drug.

Complications

Individuals with this disorder may develop significant loss of interest or pleasure. Likewise,
some may develop mood abnormalities (e.g., inappropriate smiling, laughing, or silly facial
expressions; depression, anxiety or anger). Often there is day-night reversal (i.e., staying up late
at night and then sleeping late into the day). The individual may show a lack of interest in eating
or may refuse food as a consequence of delusional beliefs. Often movement is abnormal (e.g.,
pacing, rocking, or apathetic immobility). Frequently there are significant cognitive impairments
(e.g., poor concentratiion, poor memory, and impaired problem-solving ability). The majority of
individuals with Schizophrenia are unaware that they have a psychotic illness. This poor insight
is neurologically caused by illness, rather than simply being a coping behavior. This is
comparable to the lack of awareness of neurological deficits seen in stroke. This poor insight
predisposes the individual to noncompliance with treatment and has been found to be predictive
of higher relapse rates, increased number of involuntary hospitalizations, poorer functioning, and
a poorer course of illness. Depersonalization, derealization, and somatic concerns may occur and
sometimes reach delusional proportions. Motor abnormalities (e.g., grimacing, posturing, odd
mannerisms, ritualistic or stereotyped behavior) are sometimes present.

The life expectancy of individual with Schizophrenia is shorter than that of the general
population for a variety of reasons. Suicide is an important factor, because approximately 10% of
individuals with Schizophrenia commit suicide - and between 20% and 40% make at least one
suicide attempt. There is an increased risk of assaultive and violent behavior. The major
predictors of violent behavior are male gender, younger age, past history of violence,
noncompliance with antipsychotic medication, and excessive substance use. However, it should
be noted that most individuals with Schizophrenia are not more dangerous to others than those in
the general population.

Comorbidity

Alcoholism and drug abuse worsen the course of this illness, and are frequently associated with
it. From 80% to 90% of individuals with Schizophrenia are regular cigarette smokers. Anxiety
and phobias are common in Schizophrenia, and there is an increased risk of Obsessive-
Compulsive Disorder and Panic Disorder. Schizotypal, Schizoid, or Paranoid Personality
Disorder may sometimes precede the onset of Schizophrenia.

Diagnostic Tests

No laboratory test has been found to be diagnostic of this disorder. However, individuals with
Schizophrenia often have a number of (non-diagnostic) neurological abnormalities. They have
enlargement of the lateral ventricles, decreased brain tissue, decreased volume of the temporal
lobe and thalamus, a large cavum septum pellucidi, and hypofrontality (decreased blood flow
and metabolic functioning of the frontal lobes). They also have a number of cognitive deficits on
psychological testing (e.g., poor attention, poor memory, difficulty in changing response set,
impairment in sensory gating, abnormal smooth pursuit and saccadic eye movements, slowed
reaction time, alterations in brain laterality, and abnormalities in evoked potential
electrocephalograms).

Prevalence

Schizophrenia is the fourth leading cause of disability in the developed world (for ages 15-44),
and Schizophrenia is observed worldwide. Lifetime prevalence varies from 0.5% to 1.5%. The
incidence of Schizophrenia is slightly higher in men than women. Negative symptoms (e.g.,
social withdrawal, lack of motivation, flat emotions) tend to predominate in men; whereas
depressive episodes, paranoid delusions, and hallucinations tend to predominate in women.

Phillip W. Long
ARTICLE 2

Directed by: David Fincher

Starring: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf

I try to keep my impressions about the movie until after leaving the theatre, but seeing the
final shots of Fight Club, I could not help myself. I was laughing out loud before I left my seat.
Not because the movie is funny, which it is, or because the movie is bad, which is not. I laughed
because the movie stayed consistent with itself until the very end, throwing surprises at the
viewer, and not just for the sake of the surprise. The very last shot in the movie is brief, just a
few frames, but if you were able to follow the movie closely, you’ll know what you saw.

Fincher uses flash-back narration, done by Edward Norton, to start telling the story of a narrator
and his alter ego, played by Brad Pitt. In the opening sequence, the camera travels through his
brain, finding his mouth on the receiving end of a barrel of a gun. First word he mutters are: "I
can’t think of anything", said on the Pitt’s request to say something. Many minutes later, but in
the same scene, near the ending of the movie, the line becomes "I still can’t think of anything",
which squeezes a chuckle out of Pitt himself. "Flash-back humor", he says, "I like that". So do I!
This fine sociological study in schizophrenia and megalomania is actually more funny than it is
violent. My favorite line comes from the scene where Pitt and Norton break into the medical
waste dump in a lyposuction clinic to get human fat in order to make expensive soap. "We’re
selling rich women’s fat asses right back to them!", they say.

Two main characters meet seemingly by chance, and develop a secret underground club, where
disillusioned males embark in bare-knuckling matches, driven by their individual quests for
direction in life, and guided by strange code of honor, written in blood, sealed with adrenaline.
There is a woman between them, but they all have different relationships within themselves. The
club evolves into a guerilla, responsible for minor and not-so-minor destructive diversions
around the city. Enter twist.

Norton’s character usually refers to himself as Jack, or, more specifically, Jack’s specific organ
or emotion, as in "I’m Jack’s inflamed sense of rejection". He has a boring job and a jerk for a
boss, but as a newly freed individual resolves his business status much in the manner Lester
Burnham does it in American Beauty. He is intoxicated by Pitt’s character, Tyler Durden, who
lacks inhibition, just as Jack lacks personal freedom. Tyler is Jack, but Jack of all trades. He is
explosive, hedonist and a rebel. He seems like he has a purpose in life, and their newly found
club is giving him all the attention his ego needs. He’s a born leader, so capable of mass control
it’s not even amazing any more. His best line might be after a self-induced car-accident - "We
had a near life experience!" Two actors are superb, too. Pitt has surpassed even the level of his
performance in "12 monkeys", one of his finest efforts so far. And Norton still proves he’s the
best actor of his generation, and I live for the day when he gets to repeat his line from the movie,
after he gave a cop the impression he actually cared for his "previous life" - "I’d like to thank the
Academy..."
As for the twist, it’s much more complex than the one in Sixth sense, with which it is often
compared, but it does make you think, it does make many jokes smarter and it does make you
want to see the movie again. It brings these two seemingly opposite characters in a unique
relationship, which resolves the movie in a very original way. The irony remains subtle, and is
missed by most, but the movie stands above controversial rumors. It is violent, but in a way
"Pulp fiction" was violent (I have never laughed so hard in a theatre, than when I saw Travolta
blowing the guy’s head off in his Chevy Nova). Fight Club is, first of all, smart. It has a story,
knows how to tell it, and it doesn’t back off for a second, till the aforementioned last shot. And
the story is an important and serious one, and needs to be heard.

Suad Bejtovic
ARTICLE 3

How the World of Psychology Applies to This Famous Novel

Sigmund Freud is a notable psychologist that suggested the existence of the id, ego, and
superego. The id is essentially the driving force that demands pleasure constantly. The ego is the
checks and balances of the id, as it waits for a safe or healthy moment for pleasure to be
obtained. Finally, the superego is the moral standard that suppresses the id. Jack has a very
interesting system of morals in Freud's terms. Jack is first satisfied with the common, bland life
of having a normal job and condo. His superego is clearly doing a great job. However, it may be
functioning all to well- as the id apparently creates Tyler Durden in an attempt to overcome its
suppressor. While the id is successful in achieving its purpose, the ego is still operational. While
it is hard to see, as Tyler and Jack are exact opposites- the ego acts as a mediator between the
two in the end of the conflict. As Jack and Tyler become equally aware of each other, the ego
can claim responsibility of bringing a sense of peace to the situation.

Zachary Schuessler
ARTICLE 4

I Am Tyler Durden's Psychiatrist

The Jack/Tyler character in Fight Club cannot but be considered mentally unbalanced when a
proper comparison is made to the characteristics of those said to be in good mental health.
Jack/Tyler simply does not feel good about himself; he begins the film by pseudononymously
attending a series of support groups for people suffering from a variety of health problems. His
ambition is to feel something; to escape the numbness of what he is coming to view as an empty
existence. Interestingly, neither of his personality manifestations seems to be overwhelmed by
emotional responses. In fact, the character seems to exhibit an unusually keen inability to feel
deeply about anything, even the outrages against which he plots revolution.

Timothy Sexton
ARTICLE 5

Virility and vulnerability, splitting and masculinity in Fight Club: a tale of contemporary
male identity issues.

Fantasy-based film and television texts seem currently saturated with images of split psyches,
doubles, and characters that often must face a different, or darker, side of themselves. Many
films often deploy character splitting or body swapping, something also apparent in television
series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series, US, 1997-2003). Characters in these texts
are often rendered out of control of their own bodies by becoming either literally split in two or
metaphorically (such as with the use of mirrors). Does the frequency with which these character
types appear lend them mythic status? A myth is usually a story, containing morals and/or beliefs
about certain times, surely then a contemporary myth will mediate issues relating to current
times. Importantly, the term myth also has the connotation of something imaginary or fantastical.
Perhaps it is possible to view our preoccupation with identity and issues surrounding the unified
body as having mythic qualities, particularly when such issues are often mediated through
fantasy and/or psychological genres. In addition, these images of splitting perhaps suggest that
we are in need of allegories that articulate a crisis in the sovereignty of the ego. Such an attack
on the ego through the splitting of both the psyche and the body in contemporary psychological-
based texts taps into contemporary issues surrounding identity, gender and the body, particularly
when splits follow conventionalized oppositional binary positions such as active/passive,
masculine/feminine.

Steven Shaviro suggests that "virility continually runs the risk of being seduced into
vulnerability" (190). Shaviro is discussing the "use" of male bodies in Querelle (Rainer Werner
Fassbinder, West Germany/France, 1982), and in particular the representation of homosexual
male bodies, and he suggests that the body is created as spectacle where vulnerability and virility
are not necessarily polarized. Importantly, the use of male bodies and masculinity has been the
subject of much discussion in film and television theory for many years, perhaps due to its
changing shape over recent times and concomitant shifts in meanings. By changing shape I mean
literally: that the muscle-bound male body has been made spectacle in the action film as Yvonne
Tasker argues. Alternatively, it can be viewed as being feminized in some horror films, such as
the penetration and intrusion of the body in David Cronenberg's Videodrome (1983, Canada).
Recent psychological horror-based texts have also been preoccupied with the male body,
however in some of these films, the body is created as a site of splitting and subsequent loss of
autonomy. David Lynch, for example, often confuses the identity of male characters by
morphing their bodies into other characters, thus suggesting that the body is not stable and also
creating the body as a site for shifting meanings in identity. In this article it shall be argued that
the male body, and its relation to shifting gender roles, has become increasingly used as a tool
for dramatic tension through splitting and loss of autonomy in recent psychological horror and
fantasy-based texts. Drama and narrative based on split identity has an important resonance for
cultural anxieties surrounding identity, masculinity, the body and gender; the film Fight Club
(David Fincher, US, 1999) is one example of a film that intertwines a story about fragile identity
with issues of gender.
Fight Club is a film about the "Narrator" (Edward Norton), importantly he has no name; he is
never called by his name and the credits either refer to him as Narrator or "Jack," a false name
that springs out of a scene in the film. The Narrator is introduced to us at the beginning of the
film as a rather wretched character; as an incessant insomniac he is constantly unable to sleep
and therefore cannot function on any other level than that of a rather "mechanical" mode. He
describes his waking life as "a copy of a copy of a copy," thus suggesting he feels constantly at a
distance from his own life. This state of mind has led the Narrator to live his life by going
through the motions, and eventually he seeks medical guidance to help him sleep. The doctor is
not sympathetic, however, and suggests that the Narrator consider other illnesses that are far
more severe than his own, such as men with testicular cancer. The Narrator takes the doctor's
advice and begins attending support groups for patients with testicular cancer, during which he
finds that he can cry, and subsequently that he can sleep. Importantly, the first time that the
Narrator cries is at a support group for testicular cancer, a group that consists of men only who
assist each other through their illness. The Narrator finds tremendous comfort in this group, and
when he returns home, he finds that sleep comes easily. Shortly after, Marla (Helena Bonham-
Carter) begins attending the support groups perhaps for similar reasons to the Narrator, although
she never states that she cannot sleep and claims to attend because "it's cheaper than a movie and
there's free coffee."

Caroline
Ruddell
ARTICLE 6

What is Multiple Personality Disorder?

Multiple personality disorder is now more usually termed dissociated identity disorder. It is one
of the more misunderstood types of mental illness, frequently capturing the interest of writers
and filmmakers, who tend to portray it in its most exaggerated form. What is most important to
understand is the multiple personality disorder is not schizophrenia. The two are often confused.
However, in very rare cases, a personality, or alter, as it is sometimes termed, suffers from
schizophrenia.

Multiple personality disorder is almost always caused by persistent trauma, or past trauma such
as early childhood sexual or physical abuse. When trauma occurs over a long period of time, the
affected person may begin to cope by completely disassociating from the events that cause the
trauma. This can lead to “alters,” separate personalities within the same person who either are
aware of, or are unaware of the abuse. Alters can be childlike, strong, male, or female, and often
emerge as a coping device.

Psychiatrists make the distinction between a person having several personalities, and believing
they have several personalities. In general, multiple personality disorder is the belief on the part
of the patient that several personalities seem to exist within the self.

One of the main characteristics of multiple personality disorder is that people seem to “lose”
time. They seem unaware that time has passed; yet someone observing them may see them acting
in many different ways. The afflicted however, tends to have no idea what has occurred. This
generally central personality seems most likely to dissociate if the person is exposed to situations
which can evoke earlier traumas, or if the person is still enmeshed in a traumatic situation.

Other symptoms of multiple personality disorder include depression, confusion, suicidal

thoughts, phobias, differing levels of ability to function “normally,” anxiety, and self-medication,
such as alcoholism or drug abuse. Additionally, those with multiple personality disorder may
hurt themselves such as in cutting the skin, may have a high degree of panic or panic attacks,
may have eating disorders or be prone to headaches.

As portrayed in films, multiple personality disorder seems to consist of a number of very distinct
personalities, which is usually not the case in reality. Rather, those with multiple personality
disorder may pass from greater awareness to less, without putting on a different accent or
assuming a completely separate identity. Multiple personality disorder that results in crimes, as
presented in several television series and with great effect in the Richard Gere film Primal Fear
rarely exists.

The primary treatment for multiple personality disorder is therapy, which may include play
therapy, hypnosis, art therapy, and/or talk therapy. Medication is usually not preferred because of
the likelihood of overdose, and because the dissociative state is not chemically induced. The goal
is to get alters in communication with each other, so that the person does not continue to
dissociate from reality. A secondary goal is to be sure the person is removed from any ongoing
traumatic situations, such as removing a child from an abusive home.

When the person has reintegrated different personalities, there may still be need for treatment,
possibly drug therapy to treat underlying psychological conditions like chronic depression or
schizophrenia. However, while the person is still “losing time,” drug treatment may be
completely ineffective because the person may not remember to take the medication or may
accidentally overdose.

Therapy is usually a long process, particularly when one has suffered repeated trauma. It can
take several years for the patient to begin to feel fully conscious at all times of his/her actions
and thoughts. However, clinical research suggests that therapy for multiple personality disorder
is effective, if the therapy is continuously pursued.
ARTICLE 7

MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER [DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER]

Multiple personality disorder (MPD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by having at least

one "alter" personality that controls behavior. The "alters" are said to occur spontaneously and
involuntarily, and function more or less independently of each other. The unity of consciousness,
by which we identify our selves, is said to be absent in MPD. Another symptom of MPD is
significant amnesia which can't be explained by ordinary forgetfulness. In 1994, the American
Psychiatric Association's DSM-IV replaced the designation of MPD with DID: dissociative
identity disorder. The label may have changed, but the list of symptoms remained essentially the
same.

Memory and other aspects of consciousness are said to be divided up among "alters" in the MPD.
The number of "alters" identified by various therapists ranges from several to tens to hundreds.
There are even some reports of several thousand identities dwelling in one person. There does
not seem to be any consensus among therapists as to what an "alter" is. Yet, there is general
agreement that the cause of MPD is repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse. The
evidence for this claim has been challenged, however, and there are very few reported cases of
MPD afflicting children.

Psychologist Nicholas P. Spanos argues that repressed memories of childhood abuse and
multiple personality disorder are "rule-governed social constructions established, legitimated,
and maintained through social interaction." In short, Spanos argues that most cases of MPD have
been created by therapists with the cooperation of their patients and the rest of society. The
experts have created both the disease and the cure. This does not mean that MPD does not exist,
but that its origin and development are often, if not most often, explicable without the model of
separate but permeable ego-states or "alters" arising out of the ashes of a destroyed "original
self."

Robert T. Carroll