Types of structural dissociation
There are several kinds of structural dissociations of the personality:
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Primary dissociation with 1 ANP (Apparently Normal Part) and 1 EP (Emotional Part)
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Secondary dissociation with 1 ANP and several EPs
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Tertiary dissociation with several ANPs and several EPs
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And researchers are starting to talk about another type of dissociation, quaternary dissociation with a system comprising several ANPs and several EPs and subsystems also having several ANPs and several EPs. Researchers believe that this fourth type of dissociation is the result of organized violence.
A person diagnosed as having DID, may present with primary or secondary or tertiary or quaternary dissociation.
Back to the basics. : What is a trauma?
trauma
So following a trauma, a ANP and a EP will be created because this trauma cannot be analyzed correctly by the brain because of its unthinkable, atrocious, sudden and incomprehensible nature .
The brain, the sense of the ego of the person not being able to live and perform two different functions , two tendencies to action, a split takes place.
A child having a car accident, for example, will not be able to live his life as a child of his age, play ... and at the same time know that death can occur at any time and constantly remember the violence of the child. 'accident. He cannot be “innocent, reckless” and “vigilant” at the same time. He will therefore have a “child of his age” PAN and a PE bearing the memory of the trauma and hyper vigilant to keep him safe and that he does not relive an accident.
The number of PEs that will form depends on a lot of factors.
The split in the victim's mind depends on the ability of their mind not to be overwhelmed, to be able to play its role consistently.
If the PE of this child in a car accident is overwhelmed by the memory of her experience, a split in the PE will occur. He will then have an EP carrying for example the memories of the noises, another EP carrying the memory of the images and a EP carrying the bodily sensations.
The factors determining the number of splits can be:
- The age of the victim (the younger she is, the more likely there is to be multiple splits)
- The deep character trait of the victim (hypersensitive ...)
- The author of the trauma (the rapist for example, what he says, the sadism and perversion used, the violence of the acts committed, the number of rapists ...)
- The victim's environment (dysfunctional family, emotional and emotional support before the trauma, etc.)
- The reaction of the entourage after the trauma (if we help the victim to understand what he has experienced, if we support him ...)
Likewise, the splits between ANPs will be based on the ANP's ability to play its role in a coherent manner.
For example, a child with alcoholic or drugged parents who beat him. The child will have a ANP to go to school and play, learn, pretend no violence exists, and he will have one or more trauma-bearing EPs to survive and protect him when beaten. But if he must also "play the role" of "parent", go shopping, do housework and eat for the brothers and sisters, watch his parents when they are stoned ... He will then have to create another ANP which will assume this role. He will then have a “ANP child of his age” and a “ANP parent”. Each ANP and EP specializes in an assigned role, a function.