Warner Stephanie PSYCH 242 C Dr. Knight 11 October 2007 Discussion Question 5 Prior to the early 1960's DID of Multiple Personality Disorder was unheard of. Publicized accounts, day-time dramas and major motion pictures brought the concept to the public awareness but also seemed to be associated with an explosion in the incidence of the disorder. How can we begin to distinguish the reality of a disorder like this from the cultural influences can a disorder created out of whole cloth and then accepted through cultural influences? In order for people to begin to distinguish the reality of DID they would have to forget everything they have learned from the media about the disorder. They would have to realize that what had been pictured and portrayed as DID or Multiple Personality Disorder in movies and day-time dramas, is not all accurate to what the disorder really is. There may some be aspects of the dramas that are true to the disorder, but most of it is probably not. Then in order for people to understand what DID truly is, they would have to research what psychologist and reliable sources have found to be true about DID. In all honesty, this would not be possible. This is because in reality people of our culture are lazy, and some people of our society believe whatever the television tells them. People are not going to disregard what they saw on television about DID nor are the going to forget it. They are not going to go and research what DID truly is on their own. Some might but most of society will not. In all honesty, I do not think that it is possible for society to begin to distinguish between the reality of DID or Multiple Personality Disorder and what society and cultural influences have created and said the disorder is supposed to be.