Ever since I saw the television movie in which Sally Field
starred in the 1970s, I have been fascinated with the story of the woman called Sybil
Dorset. The story is about a patient of psychiatrist Cornelia Wilbur whom Wilbur
diagnosed as having 16 distinct personalities inside her mind. In recent years, that
patient has been identified as Shirley Ardell Mason, who died in 1998 after divulging
her secret to a friend. There is some question as to whether "Sybil" really had multiple
personalities or whether she was performing to please Dr. Wilbur. Since both Wilbur and
"Sybil" are dead, we'll probably never know for sure.
Here
is a list of the personalities:
- Sybil, the main
personality - Vicky--the personality who knew all the
others and represented Sybil's confidence; spoke with a French
accent - Ruthie--a baby who never grew beyond
infancy - Helen--depressed and fearful, yet ambitious and
determined to achieve fulfillment - Marjorie--happy and
carefree; enjoyed intellectual pursuits - Peggy
Louisiana--angry, violent, aggressive - Clara--very
religious; disliked Sybil and saw her as
hopeless - Marcia--similar to Vicky but spoke with an
English accent; was an artist and a
writer - Mary--represents Sybil during menstruation; very
religious - Vanessa--the musician who loves to play piano;
friendly and outgoing - Sybil Ann--listless and depressed;
represents the time Sybil's mother was ill with a catatonic mental
illness - Nancy--very religious and interested in politics;
very fearful of and angry at Sybil's mother - Peggy Ann and
Peggy Lou--formed out of Peggy Louisiana; both were hostile and aggressive and deny that
Sybil's mother was their mother; Peggy Lou would break glass, such as windows, when she
felt trapped or angry - Mike and Sid--males who represented
Sybil's father and grandfather; couldn't understand that they wouldn't grow up and make
babies.
I hope this helps you. Click on the
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