Robert W. Rieber – författare

For more than a hundred years, dissociative states, sometimes referred to as multiple personality disorder, have fascinated the public as well as scientists. The precise nature of this disorder is a controversial one, dividing clinicians, theorists, and researchers. Challenging the conventional wisdom on all sides, Robert Rieber’s Bifurcation of the Self traces the clinical and social history of dissociation in a provocative examination of this widely debated phenomenon.

At the core of this history is a trio of related evolutions—hypnosis, concepts of identity, and dissociation—beginning with nineteenth-century "hysterics" and culminating in the modern boom in Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) diagnoses and the parallel rise in childhood abuse/repressed memory cases. Rieber does not argue the non-existence of DID; rather he asserts that it is a rare disorder exaggerated by dissociation advocates and exploited by the media. In doing so, he takes on some of the most difficult questions in the field:

- How crucial is memory to a person’s identity?

- Can two or more autonomous personalities actually exist in the same body?

- If trauma causes dissociation, why aren’t there more DID cases?

- Why are DID cases prevalent in some eras but not in others?

- Does dissociative disorder belong in the DSM?

The book is rigorously illustrated with two centuries’ worth of famous cases including Christine Beauchamp, Ansel Bourne, Eve Black/Eve White, and most notably the woman known as "Sybil", whose story is covered in depth with newly revealed manuscripts. And Rieber reviews the current state of DID-related controversy, from the professionals who feel that the condition is underreported to those who consider it a form of malingering, so that readers may draw their own conclusions.

Seventy years after his death, the visionary work of Lev Semenovich Vygotsky (1896-1934) continues to have a profound impact on psychology, sociology, education, and other varied disciplines. The Essential Vygotsky selects the most significant writings from all phases of his work, and material from all six volumes of his Collected Works, so that readers can introduce themselves to the pioneering concepts developed by this influential Russian therapist, scholar, and cultural theorist, including:

• The cultural-historical approach• The role of language in creating the mind• The development of memory and perception• Defectology (abnormal psychology/learning disabilities/special education)• The Zone of Proximal Development

Each section features an insightful introduction exploring relevant aspects of Vygotsky’s life and illuminating the revolutionary historical context in which these writings were conceived. Together, they reflect the studies he was conducting at the time of his death and the pathbreaking clinical observations that made his reputation.

For years, these papers were available mainly in hastily translated underground editions; now The Essential Vygotsky distills them into their most accessible form. Readers will be impressed and inspired by his insights, his optimism, his prescience, and his humanity.

These papers are particularly relevant for students of developmental psychology, language, special education, and the history of these fields.

This work will survey the entire range of thinking in psychology, from ancient times to the present, encompassing philosophies and theories of mind that pre-date our modern conception of psychology as a science, and extending to the current findings of neuroscience. It will set the theories into their historical context and cross-reference key influences, such as Darwin’s on Freud. Fifteen hundred entries will comprise key figures, theoretical concepts, false theories, historical events, and seminal writings. International in scope, this project will involve history of psychology experts from around the world and the coverage of topics will be set in global context. The aim will be to provide a reference work of more depth than discussions that are currently available in textbooks, with the ability to connect to a multitude of relevant topics. This work will provide a picture of psychology as it has emerged into the present time and position it among other related fields such as anthropology, sociology, philosophy, and medicine.