Abnormal Psychology: Exploring Mental Disorders 219
Greek physicians thought that the victim’s symptoms were caused by a “wander-
ing uterus” and that the condition affected only women. (Hysteris the Greek
word for uterus.)
Conversion disorder occupies a unique place in the history of psychology. Anna
O., the first psychoanalytic patient, suffered from it. You will recall from chapter 2
that Josef Breuer and Sigmund Freud published Studies on Hysteriain 1895.
(a) Symptoms that are false signs of a neurological disorder are called symp-
toms.
(b) An older term for conversion disorder is.
Answers: (a) pseudoneurological; (b) hysteria.
Dissociative Disorders: Loss of Identity
Dissociative disordersare disorders in which the individual experiences either
a loss of identity or a distortion in the sense of self. Four types of dissociative dis-
orders will be specified: (1) psychogenic amnesia, (2) psychogenic fugue, (3) dis-
sociative identity disorder, and (4) despersonalization disorder.
Psychogenic amnesiais characterized by a loss of personal memories. (The
word amnesiameans “without memory.”) As a consequence, one’s sense of iden-
tity is destroyed. Ambrose does not remember his name. He is unable to recall his
date of birth, the fact that he is married, that he is the father of two children, that
he is an accountant by profession, and so forth. The condition is called psychogenic
because it has its origin, or genesis, in psychological and emotional factors.
Pyschogenic fugueis characterized by running away from a home territory.
The individual with this condition suffers from amnesia and also takes flight. The
word fuguehas the same root as fugitive.The victim of psychogenic fugue is, in a
sense, a fugitive from himself. Roberta, like Ambrose above, has lost her sense of
identity. In addition, she finds herself in a strange city, wandering the streets in a
confused state, not knowing how she arrived in this particular place.
(a) disorders are disorders in which the individual experiences either a loss of
identity or a distortion in the sense of self.
(b) amnesia is characterized by a loss of personal memories.
(c) What disorder is characterized by running away from a home territory?
Answers: (a) Dissociative; (b) Psychogenic; (c) Psychogenic fugue.
Dissociative identity disorder (DID)is characterized by the presentation
to others of two or more selves. The older name for this condition is multiple
