The idea that multiple personalities can exist within the same
body has long captured the Western imagination. From Three Faces of
Eve to Sybil, from Pyscho to Raising Caine, from 60 Minutes to
Oprah to One Life to Live, we are captivated by the fate of
multiples who, divided against themselves, wreak havoc in the lives
of others.
Why do we find multiple personality disorder (MPD) so
fascinating? Perhaps because each of us is aware of a dividedness
within ourselves: we often feel as if we are one person on the job,
another with our families, another with our friends and lovers. We
may fantasize that these inner discrepancies will someday break
free, that within us lie other personalities--genius, lover,
criminal--that will take us over and render us strangers to our
very selves.
What happens when such a transformation literally occurs, when
an alter personality surfaces and commits some heinous deed? What
do we do when a Billy Milligan is arrested for a series of rapes
and robberies, of which the original personality, Billy, is utterly
oblivious? What happens when a Juanita Maxwell, taken over by her
alter personality, Wanda, becomes enraged and commits a murder
which would horrify Juanita? Who really committed these deeds? Are
alter personalities people? Are they centers of consciousness which
are akin to people? Mere parts of a deeply divided person? Who
should held accountable for the crimes? Which is more
appropriate--punishment or treatment?
In Jekyll on Trial, Elyn R. Saks carefully delineates how MPD
forces us to re-examine our central concepts of personhood,
responsibility, and punishment. Drawing on law, psychiatry, and
philosophy, Saks explores the nature of alter personalities, and
shows how different conceptualizations bear on criminal
responsibility. A wide-ranging and deeply informed book, Jekyll on
Trial is must reading for anyone interested in law, criminal
justice, psychiatry, or human behavior.
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