An Introduction to the Dissociative Identity Disorder and Its Role in the Movie Fight Club

Abstract

Dissociative Identity Disorder, previously known as multiple personality disorder, is a unique disorder where the individual suffers from a split personality. Symptoms can include insomnia, anxiety, mood swings and a dissociated identity or split personalities (Web MD 2014). The movie Fight Club is an exclusive movie that includes a character living a dull life, suffering from this disorder. Through a rollercoaster of a plot, multiple examples of Dissociative Identity Disorder are seen. For instance, comparing symptoms such as insomnia, loss of memories, and displacement to the scenes in the movie enhance our understanding of this disorder. Other examples include the realization of having two separate personalities that are controlling the main characters life. This assignment proved to be both interesting and easy, yet informative on the disorder. In conclusion, the correlation between Dissociative Identity Disorder and the movie Fight Club, allowed a wider understanding of the disorder.

Keywords: Dissociative Identity Disorder

Psychological disorders affect various people across the world and can have various impacts on the suffering individual. Some mental disorders, such as Dissociative Identity Disorder, can affect a person without them ever being consciously aware what is happening. Dissociative Identity Disorder (previously known as multiple personality disorder) is characterized by a person having a disruption in identity and switching between two or more distinct states; amnesia is common between these states (American Psychiatric Association 2013). The symptoms of this mental disorder vary and contain a range of issues. Symptoms such as mood swings, insomnia/ sleep walking, anxiety, and amnesia are common in patients with Dissociative Identity Disorder and secondary symptoms such as suicidal tendencies, self- medication, or depression are common (Web MD 2014). The most severe, and main symptom, however, is the presence of a dissociated personality or multiple/ split personalities that take turns controlling the patient (Web MD 2014). David Myers (2014) explained that Dissociative Identity Disorder can be caused by an unconscious method of dealing with anxiety. A second potential cause is attributed to post-traumatic disorders and is understood that the second personality is a protective response; the traumatic event typically stems back to early childhood abuse such as physical, sexual or emotional abuse (Myers 2014). These symptoms and causes are generally the circumstances that Dissociative Identity Disorder patients have to deal with, but the disorder is certainly not only limited to the aforementioned parameters.

Methods

Fight Club is a movie that takes the viewer’s mind and expands their understanding of life and how twisted it may sometimes be. I particularly chose this movie because of its unique composure and theme that captivates the viewers’ attention. The constant plot twists and chaotic scenes make the movie very enjoyable to watch, as well as open our minds to greater imagination.

The movie begins with introducing the nameless main character, played by Edward Norton, and explaining his mundane life. The character lives in a small apartment, working for a car manufacturing company. He travels the country checking vehicle accidents determining if a recall is necessary. It is described early in the movie that he is very unhappy with his life and he suffers from insomnia and some mild memory loss when traveling. This character began going to random support groups, such as testicular cancer or lymphoma, and found sanity attending even though he did not belong in the therapy groups. This is when he met Marla Singer, who was also a faker attending the groups. He also meet Tyler Durden around this time in the movie while on a plane trip, and seems to get along great with him. When the Edward Norton character returns from his trip, he finds his apartment has exploded due to a gas leak. This is when the movie begins to take twists and pick up pace. Norton and Tyler become housemates and begin a fight club where men can blow off steam. Strange events happen here where Tyler and Marla hook up, and Norton is sworn to never talk about Tyler to anyone, including Marla. The intensity of the group speeds up and becomes called “project mayhem” which is a chaos group run by Tyler and Norton. Tyler seems to become a more dominant influence and tends to guide Norton on how to truly live life. Project Mayhem began going to places across the nation and doing small acts of vandalism. As the movie progresses, Norton suffers increased blanks in his memory and he rarely sees Tyler. Norton started following Tyler to cities around the country looking for answers and all of the people he encountered seemed to know him already. This is when Norton starts to realize that he and Tyler are the same person. Tyler is everything that Norton wanted in his mundane life and was a way for him to finally be who he wants to be. The movie ends with Norton held captive in an abandoned building as Tyler (really himself) is about to blow up major credit card buildings to erase the countries debt. After his realization that he and Tyler are the same person, Norton decides to shoot himself to end his unwanted alter ego. The fact that Tyler was a split personality of Norton was an unsuspecting twist, but made this movie interesting and enjoyable on multiple levels.

Results

The first correlation between the movie Fight Club and Dissociative Identity Disorder is early in the movie when the nameless character played by Edward Norton explains in first person to the audience that he is suffering from insomnia in his day to day life. The character also explains that there is a type of displacement that he feels when he is on his business trips and it seems like he has a lapse in his memories. All of these symptoms that he expresses are known symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder. Early representation of these minor symptoms allowed a base understanding of the disorder and was later built upon in the movie.

A second instance in the movie where Dissociative Identity Disorder was represented in the movie was the self-sabotage and violence that was expressed by the patient. Edward Norton started a fight club where people show up and fight each other to release their tension from day- to-day stress. The club originally starts with Edward Norton and Tyler Durden fighting each other but evolves into a group dedicated to the destruction of major corporations. Since Tyler Durden and Edward Norton are the same person (a split personality) this represents a factor in Dissociative Identity Disorder that is not always exhibited but is still possible. According to Web MD (2014) Self-sabotage and violence (Often self-inflicted and outward directed) is possible with some people suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder. This isn’t a common occurrence with all patients, but is something that can happen and gives a more broad understanding of the disorder and it various symptoms.

Lastly, the most prevalent example of Dissociative Identity Disorder in Fight Club is the simple expression of split personalities between Edward Norton and Tyler Durden. Edward Norton was living a boring mundane life where he was unhappy and felt like something was missing. To compensate for this, Norton “met” Tyler Durden and began to like his life again. This split personality was his way of coping with his unhappy life and unconsciously becoming what he truly wanted in life. Norton began realizing that he had a split personality through various events such as when Tyler would talk to people for Norton, or when people who never met Norton knew who he was because he met them when Tyler was in charge of his body. This duel personality event took place through the entire movie and gradually became more noticeable as things got carried away. At the end of the movie, Tyler say to Norton that he is everything that Norton wanted in life. This confirms the fact that the split personalities suffered in the disorder was a way to make his life better. There are many scenes in the movie where Norton and Tyler do something that sees like they are two separate people, but then there is a clue showing that Norton did it to himself. These examples in the movie gave a good explanation of the disorder and the many forms it may take which opens the viewer’s understanding of Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Discussion

The assignment to compare the movie Fight Club with the psychological disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder, was a unique assignment for me. First off it was a very interesting assignment and it kept my attention on a topic that would normally be boring to comprehend. More often than not, writing a paper on a psychological disorder would be boring and dry, but the incorporation on a movie analysis made the subject matter more palatable. Secondly, the assignment changed my perspective on the disorder and did so by comparing the textbook symptoms with the real world application seen in the movie. This cross analysis made understanding easier and let the information stick. In conclusion, doing this assignment allowed me to possess a wider understanding of Dissociative Identity Disorder and its effects on the patient. The movie was a great representation of the disorder because it contained many of the common symptoms and effects, as well as other symptoms that are not as common. Being able to compare the symptoms we read in the book, with a visual example, allowed a whole new level of education and gave me a new sense of sympathy towards this disorder.

References

• American Psychiatric Association (2013, May 18). DSM-5: Dissociative identity disorder. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
• Fight Club [Motion picture on DVD]. (1999). United States: 20th Century Fox Film Corp.
• Myers, D. (2014). Psychology: Tenth edition in modules; (10th ed., pp. 665-557). New York, NY: Worth Pub.
• Web MD (2014, January 1). Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder): Signs, Symptoms, Treatment. Retrieved November 10, 2014.

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