An Analysis on Multiple Personality Disorder in novels American Psycho and Tell Me Your Dreams
An Analysis on Multiple Personality Disorder in novels American Psycho and Tell Me Your Dreams
Identity issue is a central theme in the novels of Bret Easton Ellis and Sidney Sheldon. Ellis’ novel American Psycho portrays a charming Patrick Bateman who cannot identify the real world from his fantasy and Sheldon’s Tell Me Your Dream illustrates Ashley Patterson having two alter egos. The issue of identity conflict within the characters is what brings the characters to a loss of identity. Hence, in this essay I will first define what multiple personality disorder is followed by an analysis of the character Patrick Bateman from American Psycho through the way he views himself, other’s perspective of him and the way he views others. Subsequently, this essay will then analyze the factors which bring Ashley Patterson from Tell Me Your Dreams to losing her identity. Thus I argue that both the characters’ Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) is what leads them to the loss of identity.
Critic Collin A. Ross notes how MPD disrupts an individual’s identity. According to Ross, MPD also known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a condition that is likely to occur when two or more distinct personalities exist in one body and alternately take control over an individual (Ross 18). Multiple personality may arise if an individual has experienced a traumatic event or is unable to control his/her behavior at times. This individual lacks the ability to recall important information usually far greater than the normal degree of forgetfulness. Having MPD is a way to lose one’s identity. As the initial personality may be more passive within a person, the person is unable to identify his/her true self.
According to Paul F. Dell’s A New Model of Dissociative Identity Disorder, a person with DID can switch from one personality to another where each personality has its own identity; and the primary personality is in an amnesia state during the activities of the other personalities
Identity issue is a central theme in the novels of Bret Easton Ellis and Sidney Sheldon. Ellis’ novel American Psycho portrays a charming Patrick Bateman who cannot identify the real world from his fantasy and Sheldon’s Tell Me Your Dream illustrates Ashley Patterson having two alter egos. The issue of identity conflict within the characters is what brings the characters to a loss of identity. Hence, in this essay I will first define what multiple personality disorder is followed by an analysis of the character Patrick Bateman from American Psycho through the way he views himself, other’s perspective of him and the way he views others. Subsequently, this essay will then analyze the factors which bring Ashley Patterson from Tell Me Your Dreams to losing her identity. Thus I argue that both the characters’ Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) is what leads them to the loss of identity.
Critic Collin A. Ross notes how MPD disrupts an individual’s identity. According to Ross, MPD also known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a condition that is likely to occur when two or more distinct personalities exist in one body and alternately take control over an individual (Ross 18). Multiple personality may arise if an individual has experienced a traumatic event or is unable to control his/her behavior at times. This individual lacks the ability to recall important information usually far greater than the normal degree of forgetfulness. Having MPD is a way to lose one’s identity. As the initial personality may be more passive within a person, the person is unable to identify his/her true self.
According to Paul F. Dell’s A New Model of Dissociative Identity Disorder, a person with DID can switch from one personality to another where each personality has its own identity; and the primary personality is in an amnesia state during the activities of the other personalities