My Soul to Take: A Portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder in Modern Film

After weeding through formal education, lessons learned at home, and peer relations, Americans receive a large amount of their knowledge from mass media. Some of the information that is obtained can be detrimental to an individual’s understanding because it is not always the whole truth. Rather, it can be distorted to make fit what society thinks people are attracted to, and thus sells. When delving deeper into this idea, and applying it to the field of psychology, mental illness as a whole is not always portrayed in a positive light. It tends to be overdramatized, which can cause people to inheritably view anyone with a diagnosed mental illness as “crazy”.

This idea can be viewed in the recent movie “My Soul to Take” (Craven, 2010). The movie is centered around the “Riverton Ripper”, who kills people with a pocketknife that has the word “vengeance” etched on the blade. As news channels are broadcasting that the Riverton Ripper has struck for the seventh time, Abel Plankov (one of the movie’s main characters), discovers the knife underneath his basement stairs after tripping. As his wife goes to sleep, Abel calls his psychologist, which it is then revealed that he has Dissociative Identity Disorder. He discloses to his psychologist that he has no recollection of killing any of the seven kids, feels as though he is losing it again, has not told his family about his disorder, and needs help. As Abel goes to check on his wife, he becomes aware that he has stabbed her. Prior to the police arriving at his home, Abel tries to commit suicide by stabbing himself. Before he assumedly dies, Abel says that he will be back. Paramedics and police that were both on the scene and taking his body to the hospital, discuss what Abel meant by his final words. The one paramedic theorizes that alternative personalities (alters) are like souls, and that they live on. As this is said, Abel slits the paramedics throat with a knife he had stashed, and escapes. The remainder of the movie takes place 16 years later, with the “Riverton Seven”, who were born on that horrific night. Each anniversary, they perform a special ritual to keep the Ripper away. This year their attempts are unsuccessful, and the Riverton Ripper is back with a vengeance to kill the seven kids.

Bullying: Not just on the playground anymore

On September 22, 2010, Tyler Clementi wrote his last post on Facebook: "Jumping off the gw bridge sorry" (Pitts, 2010). Hours later, Tyler jumped to his death into the Hudson River. The primary motivation for Tyler's suicide was the distress he felt when his roommate streamed online a video of Tyler's romantic encounter with a male classmate (Pitts, 2010). Tyler was the most recent of several suicides due to bullying regarding sexual orientation: Asher Brown, Seth Walsh, and Billy Lucas also ended their lives after being harassed repeatedly for being gay (Martinez, 2010; Pitts, 2010). Recent research has shown an increase of bullying across the board- and not just in schools, but in workplaces, and online as well (Elledge, et al., 2010; Sperry, 2010; Katzer, et al., 2009). People are targeted for being "different," whether that difference is in societally-driven conceptions of masculinity or femininity, or for being overweight, or being too smart.

What Is Bullying?

The American Psychological Association [APA] considers bullying to be "aggressive behavior that is intended to cause harm or distress, occurs repeatedly over time, and occurs in a relationship in which there is an imbalance of power or strength" ("Bullying," 2005). Anyone can be a victim of bullying- it is not a situation reserved for the football captain picking on the chess club member, as so many 80s movies have depicted (see every John Hughes movie ever made). However, there are risk factors for both bullies and those who are bullied. Bullies can be impulsive, have dominant personalities, and are quick to flaunt rules ("Bullying," 2005); their home life may also be a factor, as some children who bully others have a lack of parental supervision, and lack of warmth in parental situations ("Bullying," 2005). Victims of bullying are usually cautious, socially insecure, and have trouble standing up for themselves to their peers ("Bullying," 2005). Victims of abuse, regardless of what kind, are also at higher risk for bullying ("Bullying," 2005).

Choosing a graduate program: How to narrow your search

First things first- what type of program are you looking for?

1) MA vs. PhD vs. PsyD

The Masters degree is the next stage after the BA.  It usually takes between two and three years to complete and is usually capped by a thesis.  Counselors with MAs can be licensed, but they have restrictions on their abilities to practice, while PhDs do not.
Pros: Shorter term, higher acceptance rates
Cons: No (or little) funding, lower salary, fewer professional opportunities

The PhD is recognized as the most prestigious graduate degree and usually takes around six years to complete.  In psychology, a masters is not required to earn a PhD; most PhD candidates earn their masters while working on their doctorates.  Programs will be either clinical or experimental.  Clinical and counseling programs are very difficult to get into and require internships prior to graduation.
Pros: Funding opportunities, prestige, greater employment opportunities
Cons: Lower acceptance rates, longer term

The PsyD is relatively new, as graduate degrees go.  While still a doctorate degree, PsyDs are not viewed as being equivalent to PhDs because of their emphasis on practice over research.  PsyDs usually take about five years to complete, and though there is usually not a dissertation involved, there are several practicums.
Pros: Slightly shorter term, higher acceptance rates
Cons: No (or little) funding, less prestige

To CV or not to CV

If you’ve ever applied for a job requiring more skill than fast food, you know that you need to submit a resume. A resume is a document that essentially defines your work experience, and lets a prospective employer know what you’re bringing to the table. In academia, we have resumes, too, but they’re called curricula vitae (or CV). When applying to graduate school, it’s important to have a CV written out, not only to submit with your applications, but to help with writing your personal statements and give your letter of recommendation writers a good sense of what you’ve been up to.

CVs can be formatted differently, but all should contain at least the following sections:

Education

This section is a listing of the education you’ve received, and the schools from which you’ve received it. If you haven’t yet graduated, write “expected graduation” before the year you expect to graduate. If you have more than one major, you can list these. I decided to stick with only psychology even though I was a double major (with political science), but the decision is a personal one.