Sociocognitive Model Views DID as Fantasy-Prone Creation
The correct answer is B. Sociocognitive. The sociocognitive model (SCM) of dissociative identity disorder emphasizes social and cognitive variables including fantasy-proneness, media influences, suggestibility, suggestion, and cognitive failures as the primary explanatory mechanisms for DID, rather than viewing it as a trauma-based disorder 1.
Competing Models of DID
The literature describes two primary competing perspectives on dissociative identity disorder:
Trauma Model (TM)
- Postulates a direct causal link between trauma and dissociation 1
- Views DID as a chronic post-traumatic disorder where developmentally stressful childhood events including abuse, emotional neglect, disturbed attachment, and boundary violations are central etiological factors 2
- Supported by neurobiological evidence showing differences in regional cerebral blood flow and psychophysiological responses between different identity states in DID patients 3
Sociocognitive Model (SCM)
- Emphasizes fantasy-proneness as a core explanatory variable 1
- Attributes DID symptoms to social and cognitive factors including media influences, suggestibility, suggestion, and role-playing 1
- Proposes that DID may be created through iatrogenic influences and social role-taking rather than representing an authentic trauma-based disorder 2
Evidence Against the Sociocognitive/Fantasy Model
Recent empirical research challenges the sociocognitive perspective:
- Psychobiological studies demonstrate that identity states in DID cannot be convincingly enacted by high or low fantasy-prone controls through instructed role-playing and suggestion 3
- Significant differences in autonomic reactions and neural activation patterns exist between genuine DID patients and DID-simulating controls, regardless of fantasy-proneness level 3
- Current evidence indicates DID as a diagnostic entity cannot be explained as a phenomenon created by iatrogenic influences, suggestibility, malingering, or social role-taking 2
Clinical Implications
Neither the trauma model nor sociocognitive model provides a complete account of dissociation symptoms, which occur across many disorders 1. The intensive focus on these competing perspectives has arguably stymied progress in understanding dissociation 1.