The Psychology Book (104 page)

Association for the Advancement

a BA in psychology from Yeshiva

of Science and was a visiting

College, New York City, he moved

fellow at Oxford University.

to the city’s Columbia University

He founded the Trial Analysis

to study for his MA and PhD. He

Group and has long been a

specialized in clinical and social

major advocate for the legal

psychology, and became an expert

rights of mental health patients.

in legal trial tactics and decision-

making. From 1957 to 1970, he

Key works

taught at Swarthmore College,

Princeton University, and

1968
Foundations of Abnormal

Haverford College, then moved

Psychology
(with Perry London)

to Stanford, where he taught for

1973
On Being Sane in Insane

nearly 30 years. He continues to

Places

work at Stanford as professor

1997
Abnormality
(with Martin

emeritus of psychology and law.

Seligman and Lisa Butler)

330

THE THREE

FA

CORBETT H. THIGPEN (1919–1999)

CES OF EVE

HERVEY M. CLECKLEY (1903–1984)

IN CONTEXT

APPROACH

M
ultiple personality

One of the most famous cases of

disorder (MPD, later

multiple personality disorder is

known as dissociative

that of Eve White. Eve was referred

identity disorder) is a mental

to Thigpen and Cleckley in 1952,

Mental disorders

condition in which an individual’s

suffering from severe headaches

BEFORE

personality appears to present as

and occasional blackouts. She was

two or more distinct identities.

a neat, rather prim, young woman,

1880s
Pierre Janet describes

MPD was first reported in 1791 by

aged 25, married, with a four-year-

MPD as multiple states of

Eberhardt Gmelin; over the following

old daughter. Eve would remain in

consciousness and coins the

150 years, a further 100 clinical cases

treatment for 14 months.

term “dissociation.”

were documented. It was believed

Eve described to the doctors a

1887
French surgeon Eugene

that the condition arose from

disturbing episode: she had bought

Azam documents the multiple

childhood abuse, and could be cured

some extravagant clothes she could

personalities of Felida X.

by integrating the sub-personalities

not afford, yet had no memory of the

back into the main personality.

purchase. As she recounted this, her

1906
US
physician Mortin

Prince reports Christine

Beauchamp’s case in
The

Dissociation of Personality
.

AFTER

Eve White

Eve Black

Prim, reserved, timid,

Wayward, harsh,

1970s
US psychiatrist Cornelia

repressed, compulsive. No

irresponsible, shallow,

Wilbur reports Sybil Isabel

awareness of the other

hysterical. Aware of Eve

Dorsett’s case and links MPD

two personalities.

White, but not of Jane.

definitively with child abuse.

1980
The American Psychiatric

Association publishes the third

Jane

edition of the
Diagnostic and

Mature, boldly capable,

Statistical Manual of Mental

interesting, compassionate.

Disorder,
legitimating MPD.

Aware of both Eves, but

only from the point of

1994
MPD is renamed

her awakening.

Dissociative Identity Disorder.

PSYCHOLOGY OF DIFFERENCE 331

See also:
Pierre Janet 54–55 ■ Timothy Leary 148 ■ Milton Erickson 336

Corbett H. Thigpen

& Hervey M. Cleckley

demeanor began to change. She

Corbett H. Thigpen
was

looked confused, then the lines of

born in Macon, Georgia.

her face altered. Her eyes widened,

His childhood interest

in amateur magic endured

and she smiled provocatively. She

throughout his life, and he

spoke in a bright, flirtatious tone,

was inducted into the

requesting a cigarette, even though

Southeastern Association

Eve did not smoke.

of Magicians’ Hall of Fame.

This was “Eve Black,” a separate

Thigpen graduated from

personality so distinct that she

Mercer University in 1942,

even suffered from a skin allergy to

and from the Medical College

nylon that Eve White did not. Eve

of Georgia in 1945. He served

White was unaware of Eve Black,

Eve’s story
was popularized in a book

in the US Army during World

and a film,

while the latter was wholly aware of

The Three Faces of Eve
,

War II, then in 1948 he began

which captured the public’s imagination

the former, and was full of derision

his distinguished career as a

and made Eve’s case the most famous

for her: “She’s such a damn dope….”

psychiatrist in a private

example of Multiple Personality Disorder.

practice with Hervey M.

Distinct personalities

Cleckley. For two decades,

the pair taught in the

Both personalities were submitted

Eve’s condition was believed to

departments of psychiatry

to extensive psychological testing.

result from childhood abuse, so

and neurology at the Medical

Eve White had a marginally higher

efforts were made to work back into

College of Georgia. Thigpen

IQ than Eve Black; both fell in the

her early childhood, using hypnosis

was known as “the professor

“bright, normal” category. Personality

to provoke the emergence of Eve

who received a standing

dynamics were explored using the

Black. Eventually, an attempt was

ovation after every lecture.”

Rorschach test (in which subjects

made to summon both personalities

He retired in 1987.

report their perception of inkblots).

at once; Eve fell into a trance. She

There were dramatic differences:

woke as a third personality: this was

Hervey M. Cleckley
was

Eve Black showed a dominant

Jane, the third face of Eve—a more

born in Augusta, Georgia. In

hysterical tendency, and the ability

capable and interesting character

1924, he graduated from the

University of Georgia, where

to conform. Eve White showed

than Eve White. She seemed to

he was also a keen

“constriction, anxiety, and obsessive

combine the assets of both Eves,

sportsman. He won a Rhodes

compulsive traits” and an inability

without their weaknesses. While

scholarship to Oxford

to deal with her hostility.

neither Eve was aware of Jane, she

University, graduating in

was aware of them both.

1926. He spent his entire

Jane appeared to be a balanced

career at Georgia Medical

compromise between the two Eves,

School, in a variety of

and she was nurtured as the

positions, including that of

personality with the best grasp of

founding chairman of the

the complex dynamics of the three

Department of Psychiatry and

‘When I go out and

personalities: the two Eves were

Health Behavior. In 1941, he

get drunk,’ Eve Black

integrated into her character.

wrote
The Mask of Sanity
,
a

said, ‘
she
wakes up

Full-blown cases of MPD such

seminal
study of psychopaths.

with the hangover.’

as Eve’s are rare, but it is now

Key works

Thigpen & Cleckley

thought that less pronounced cases

are more common. The careful

1941
The Mask of Sanity

documentation of in-depth case

(Cleckley)

studies like Eve’s has resulted in

1957
The Three Faces of Eve

diagnostic and treatment protocols

(Thigpen & Cleckley)

that make MPD highly treatable. ■

DIRECTO

RY

334

DIRECTORY

I
nvestigation into the workings of the mind dates back to the earliest civilizations, although it was largely philosophical in nature, rather