Sybil. Persönlichkeitsspaltung einer Frau.

by Flora Rheta Schreiber

book data

4,422 ratings, 3.81 average rating, 418 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		26%
4		37%
3		29%
2		5%
1		1%

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published

September 1999 by Fischer-TB.-Vlg.,Ffm (first published 1973)

details

Broschiert, 327 pages

characters

Dr. Wilbur, Shirley Ardell Mason=Sybil Dorsett (pseud.)

isbn

3596421780 (isbn13: 9783596421787)

description

Here is the unbelievable yet true story of Sybil Dorsett, a survivor of terrible childhood abuse who as an adult was a victim of sudden and mysterious…more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 6,076)

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Oct 02, 2007

Brooke rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

Read in November, 2005

recommends it for: anybody who is interested in the mysteries of the human mind

Another old book review from my blog:

This was one seriously fucked up book. I have never seen the movie but, of course, knew what I was in for when I got the book. The name "Sybil" is very well known, and carries some stigma, in pop culture.
However, I had no concept of the extent or the perversity of Sybil's mother's abuse which had been the prime instigation for Sybil's dissociations. When I was reading the sections describing what she had done to her daughter, I wa...more Another old book review from my blog:

This was one seriously fucked up book. I have never seen the movie but, of course, knew what I was in for when I got the book. The name "Sybil" is very well known, and carries some stigma, in pop culture.
However, I had no concept of the extent or the perversity of Sybil's mother's abuse which had been the prime instigation for Sybil's dissociations. When I was reading the sections describing what she had done to her daughter, I was literally beating my head with the book and saying "That's so fucked up!" out loud. (Good thing there was nobody around to hear me except for Magnum).

As far as writing style, I wouldn't say it was the best. A little too clinical in the language, and a little lacking in the dramatic elements. I am sure this is mostly due to the fact that the author (Flora Rheta Schreiber) was a psychiatrist, and this was one of her first (only?) novels. Not to mention that most of the conversations in the book were probably transcribed from tapes.

But despite slightly distracting writing quality imperfections, this book was completely absorbing. The more I got to know about Sybil and the strange ways her unconscious had devised to help her cope with her abusive childhood, the more I felt like I was losing my own mind. It was strange, to ponder upon the potential psychoses that our brains/minds are capable of. It seems that no matter how normal we might tell ourselves we are, there are so many things we can't remember....so many events in our childhoods that can only be known through other people telling us...it's frightening to wonder where those memories are, and if there is some unconscious self lying beneath our conscious personality that is hoarding those memories from us, or, from a different perspective, is protecting those memories...and yet they are inaccessible to our waking self.

These are the kind of things I found myself thinking about on the bus, or walking down the street, while reading this book. Also, it was my first step away from sci fi/fantasy in some time, and it opened my mind up to new knowledge of psychology and psychoanalysis that I found fascinating and plenty of food for thought.

I would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the mysteries of the human mind. (less)

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1 comment

Mar 05, 2008

Sara rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

Read in March, 2008

REALLY INTERESTING if you're at all into psychology or childhood trauma. This book is a true story, but it reads like a science-fiction at times just because it is so so sad and horrible.

If this book were better written and a little quicker paced I think it could easily become one of my favourites.

Only read this if you can stomach reading about horrible things happening to little children... Actually, I think everyone should read this just to realize how hard some peop...more

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Oct 15, 2007

Sara W rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

bookshelves: i-own-these-books, non-fiction

Read in April, 2008

This was a very fascinating and at times very disturbing book. I probably would have given it 4 stars, but I made the mistake of looking up details about this woman online prior to finishing the book which really changed my feelings about the actual author and doctor involved. Apparently this woman's story is very controversial in the mental health field. Had I known that, I would have finished the book prior to looking up details online (more on this under "spoiler"), and I would s...more This was a very fascinating and at times very disturbing book. I probably would have given it 4 stars, but I made the mistake of looking up details about this woman online prior to finishing the book which really changed my feelings about the actual author and doctor involved. Apparently this woman's story is very controversial in the mental health field. Had I known that, I would have finished the book prior to looking up details online (more on this under "spoiler"), and I would suggest that if you read this book, don't look up stuff online until you finish it.

***SPOILER***

Ok, this spoiler isn't really about things in the book itself, but about the book's publication. Apparently it's not really clear if this woman actually had multiple personalities. Supposedly another doctor was asked if he wanted to be involved in this book, and he said no because he did not consider Sybil a multiple personality - he thought Sybil's main doctor led Sybil to believe she had multiple personalities. The author supposedly stated that the publisher wanted a book about a multiple personality, so they had to write it that way. Regardless of what is true, it really changed my perception of the book. What started out as fascinating to me suddenly looked like it was exploiting this poor, sick woman. It's even in the book that Sybil's main doctor introduces her to the author, and it seems like they wanted to write a book about Sybil before they even consulted her. By the end, I just felt like the doctor and author were trying to make a quick buck off of Sybil which was really sad because she trusted them (the profits of the book were apparently split three ways amongst the doctor, author and patient). In addition, the book has a "happy ending" finish, but that's not really how things turned out (although, in defense of the author, things may have been really good when the book was published - Sybil lived about another 25 years, so the sadder things I read about her may have occurred after the book came out).(less)

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Oct 21, 2008

Unisa Reni added it (review of isbn 0446359408)

bookshelves: fiction-literature

Mungkin ini salah satu buku favorit saya sepanjang masa. Buku yang diadopsi dari 'kisah nyata' seorang gadis yang dilahirkan (tahun 1923) di keluarga dan lingkungan yang begitu menekan dirinya, baik fisik terutama secara kejiwaan.

Sybil kemudian mengalami MPD (multiple personality disorder) dan memiliki 16 kepribadian. Setiap kepribadian memiliki karakter dan nama sendiri. Kepribadian inti nyaris tidak mengenali pribadi-pribadi lainnya sehingga seringkali dia merasakan ada 'waktu yang...more

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Mar 25, 2008

Kelly rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

Read in April, 2008

As a YA librarian I get tons upon tons of requests for A Child Called It, a fantastically horrible memoir about a childhood spent living with an abusive mother. I frequently get questions from other librarians that go something like "why do teens like to read that junk?" Well, it wasn't that long ago that adults all over the country were caught up in Sybil, a book that is the grandfather of the tragic childhood memoir.

When Sybil came to Dr. Wilbur for analysis, there wasn't...more As a YA librarian I get tons upon tons of requests for A Child Called It, a fantastically horrible memoir about a childhood spent living with an abusive mother. I frequently get questions from other librarians that go something like "why do teens like to read that junk?" Well, it wasn't that long ago that adults all over the country were caught up in Sybil, a book that is the grandfather of the tragic childhood memoir.

When Sybil came to Dr. Wilbur for analysis, there wasn't a lot of material on multiple personalities (now called dissociative identity disorder). Part of the way through the process of analysis, the doctor invited a writer to come and document the case since it was both rare and scarcely written about in the literature. The result is this book.

Schreiber does a so-so job of elucidating the psychoanalytic process between Wilber and Sybil for the reader. You get to hear about the details of Sybil's childhood including some pretty nasty bits about her abusive mother and absent father. Meeting all sixteen of her personalities and learning about the doctor's various hypotheses about their emergence is pretty interesting too. However the process of Sybil's integration will seem dated to today's reader. Dr. Wilbur's has a Freudian approach to psychoanalysis, which finds her focusing mostly on events in Sybil's childhood that she comes to believe are responsible for personality splits that began as early as age 2 1/2. Finally, it's only with hypnosis that the doctor is able to achieve any semblance of integration.

One of the weirdest aspects of the book are the passages in which the author refers to herself in the third person. During the course of writing the book, Schreiber, like Dr. Wilber, became friendly with her subject. While it's probably natural to become close to a subject during the course of what were probably intense interviews, it does through a certain light on the written material presented in the book.

I would recommend this book to people with a penchant for reading memoirs or for those that like to read about abnormal psychology. As a case study, Sybil remains one of the most controversial written accounts. It will probably remain controversial, as it is unlikely that her psychiatric files will be released and, I think, people will always be reluctant to believe that parents are capable of doing great harm to their own children if so inclined.(less)

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Aug 28, 2007

Maria rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

gue baca ini waktu masih kuliah.
Awalnya kita agak bingung, krn ceritanya seperti ngeloncat-loncat gak nyambung... tapi klo diterusin bagus banget. Kita akan dibawa untuk ngerasain gimana rasanya punya kepribadian ganda, apalagi sampe 16!
Ternyata masing2 pribadi itu punya kebiasaan yang totally different.. dan kerasnya usaha mereka untuk bisa nyatuin kepribadian itu...
Pokonya banyak pelajaran yang bisa diambil terutama ttg memahami pribadi lain.. (klo buat kita yang punya 1 kepr...more

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Aug 06, 2007

Lisa Vegan rated it:

(review of isbn 0446794031)

bookshelves: biography, non-fiction, reviewed

Owns a copy — Read in January, 1974

recommends it for: those who enjoy fiction/nonfiction about mental illnesses

I read this book in the mid 70s and I reread it a few times throughout the next decade or so. It tells a heartbreaking, fascinating and absorbing story of a woman with multiple personality disorder, which is a dissociative disorder. I’ve heard over the years that the story is more fiction than non-fiction, but I still like the book just as much as I did when I believed it was 100% true. A really sobering look at how childhood trauma can seriously affect one’s mental health. Extremely disturb...more

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Dec 26, 2009

Karin rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

bookshelves: abusive-relationships, biography, families, mental-illness, multiple-personality-disorder, nonfiction, psychiatry, schizophrenia

Read in September, 2006

Sybil is the story of Sybil Dorsett, one of the first documented cases of multiple personality disorder as diagnosed and treated by her psychiatrist, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur (all names changed to protect the identities of the individuals). Sybil experienced a lot of blank moments in her life – time lapses where she didn’t know where she had been or what she had been doing. These lapses were what eventually made her seek out psychiatric help. She grew up in a very restrictive and religious env...more Sybil is the story of Sybil Dorsett, one of the first documented cases of multiple personality disorder as diagnosed and treated by her psychiatrist, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur (all names changed to protect the identities of the individuals). Sybil experienced a lot of blank moments in her life – time lapses where she didn’t know where she had been or what she had been doing. These lapses were what eventually made her seek out psychiatric help. She grew up in a very restrictive and religious environment, but that was the least of her problems. It was Sybil’s mother, a diagnosed but untreated schizophrenic, who made Sybil’s life completely unbearable. She was unable to escape from her mother who physically, sexually, and verbally abused her – telling her she was a bad girl and making her believe that this sort of treatment was normal and happened to everyone. Sybil’s father was oblivious and turned a blind eye to what his wife did – accepting her explanations for Sybil’s many injuries and her malnourishment. When Sybil could find no way out of her predicament, she dissociated and left pieces of her behind to deal with her fear, rage, and helplessness. The resulting “Sybil” was a much-stripped down version of her former self. Each of these selves, and there were sixteen, had to undergo therapy and treatment and analysis under Dr. Wilbur’s care, before they could be integrated into the main “Sybil.” It took several years to accomplish this feat, during which, Sybil had to face her fears and reclaim her emotions and memories as her own. As there were many terrible things for her to remember, the healing process took quite a long time.

This was fascinating in the same way that Dave Pelzer’s books are (recounting his own abuse – of a similar nature – by his mother). It was horrifying what Sybil went through, and amazing that she was able to seek help, find it, and accept it. I was curious to find out what happened to her after she received treatment and integrated her different personalities. Happily, I discovered she was able to lead a normal life (although she never married or had children), and suffered no relapses or dissociations. She did not attempt or commit suicide and died from breast cancer when she was in her 70’s.

Dr. Wilbur’s research into the history of mental illness in Sybil’s family really made me wonder how anyone manages to get out of their childhood mentally intact. People can be so fragile in some ways, and you never know what it is that’s going to affect them. Everyone in Sybil’s family – both sides – seemed to have serious issues. I guess people find ways to deal with what hurts them, and Sybil’s was to develop other people to take up her cause, since no one else outside of her would. (less)

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Dec 07, 2009

Maerdi rated it:

(review of isbn 0809200015)

bookshelves: psych

Read in December, 2009

recommended to Maerdi by: Megan

I felt the pacing in this book was a bit strange; the early part of the analysis dragged on for quite some time, and then as things became more interesting I felt that the story-line skipped along too quickly, leaving out many details. My reaction to this at the time was that the author was growing exhausted, but that's probably not a fair analysis of the choice.

In addition, my general dislike of (many of) Freud's theories were resurrected, though perhaps the end justifies (in some ...more

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Aug 26, 2009

White rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

Read in January, 1974

I read this book during and awakening in my life. I was facing the dread of loneliness and despair at choices and trials I had voluntarily put myself in. Knowing I had no one to blame but myself, I gravitated to all of the psychological biographies and fictions that I could possibly find Messed up and out of sync with the person I was losing in myself, I began a reading spree toward these types of books.

This book was pretty good. It was ruthless in its drama. I actually found it...more

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Jun 15, 2009

Mrs_M rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

Read in January, 1974

I read this book during and awakening in my life. I was facing the dread of lonliness and despair at choices and trials I had voluntarily put myself in. Knowing I had no one to blame but myself, I gravitated to all of the psycholicial biographies and fictions that I could possibly find Messed up and out of sync with the person I was losing in myself, I began a reading spree toward these types of books.

This book was pretty good. It was ruthless in its drama. I actually found it f...more

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Apr 28, 2009

Rhonda rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

bookshelves: health-and-medical

It's funny how you read a book for the first time, especially for a specific field of study. You get a chance to examine it very closely and are able to dissect it carefully hoping to get at its underlying truths. The first time I read this book, I looked for flaws, unable to take it at face value. It was only years later that I am able to look back at it and take it at face value, such as it is.
The book is well written, but after the bizarre nature of the subject matter wears off, al...more

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Jul 18, 2007

Thannasset rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

bookshelves: non-fiction--psychology

Read in January, 1971

Very well written for what it is--a true report of a very disturbed human from a disturbing life. Explicit torture, child abuse, psychiatric info--should be read with caution.

Similar book: I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, by
"Hannah Green" pseudonym.

Discuss please with some other human if you're reading these.

Thannasset

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Jan 21, 2010

Sonia Gomes rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

bookshelves: courage, good-but-not-fantastic, heartbreaking, mental-illness

Read in January, 1992

recommends it for: Everyone, the grit and determination are amazing

The hard work that goes in trying to get your life back on track is heart warming but also heartbreaking.
Rearing a family is hard work and kids never know what their parents will be like.
Will they be abusive as Hattie Dorset was ? Will they be happy people putting in a lot of effort to rear their children with love and concern. Kids never know.
Hattie Dorset may be one of the extremes in society, but to some extent everyone abuses their kids, in benign ways like pushing them f...more

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Dec 24, 2008

Cass rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

Sybil blew my mind away. While the writing style itself could have used some work, it was very informative and I truly learned so much from reading this book. I have a certain "fascination," so to speak (for lack of better word), with mental disorders such as dissociative identity disorder, Stockholm syndrome, et cetera, and as horrific as Sybil's story was, it truly opened my mind to the many complexities of the human mind that we will never know about fully. To think that one's brain...more

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Apr 11, 2008

Fu rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

Read in April, 2009

currently, i hate this book. i have read many, many horror stories of abuse...but sybil's mother, clearly mentally ill and forever to be undiagnosed, is pathetic and sad and horrific. i don't know if i'll finish this....so far it makes me want to vomit. seen the movie with sally field...that's much more tolerable..the mother in that film is nothing like what is portrayed in the book.

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Feb 14, 2010

Carla rated it:

(review of isbn 0713907452)

Owns a copy

Despite the fact that I read this is a too young - and too impressionable age - this book became one of my all-time favorites. It is a tough read, definitely not for the faint of heart, in particular the sections on Sybil's childhood. (These scenes depicting her abuse are truly horrific, unlike any others I have ever heard. They are agonizing to read, but they are also necessary in understanding just why Sybil's mind splintered the way it did.) This book is what made me become so interested in p...more

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Jul 16, 2007

Jeremy rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

bookshelves: essay-memoir, psychology

Read in January, 2004

recommends it for: some

One of the first looks at what is casually known as Multiple Personality Disorder this book does not necessarily make you a believer in the disorder, but is interesting anyways. I would recommend "When Rabbit Howls" if you are interested in this disorder and want a slightly more modern acount of it.

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Sep 06, 2008

Erin rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

An excellent read, a horrifying story. It makes you sad that people don't need a license to have a child. Quite disturbing at times, so another one that I wouldn't want to read before I went to bed...because I did and then I couldn't fall asleep.

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Mar 03, 2009

Lisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0446359408)

I read this book as a teenager and was really affected by it. It was a really good book and super disturbing. The things her mother did to her were beyond inhumane and monstrous. I'm not sure how sold I am on the "split personality" theory but the mind has to find a way to survive and maybe this is the way it does. The fact that Sybil finally becomes a whole person and was able to lead a fairly normal life says volumes for the doctor who treated her. I need to read it again. Life...more

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