The Three Faces of Eve

by Corbett H. Thigpen

This is the report of two psychiatrists on the strange case of a patient with three distinct personalities. The Three Faces of Eve was the first popular account of a case of multiple personalities (now called dissociative identity disorder). The authors had previously published a research article on their patient 'Eve' in 1954, documenting the psychiatric sessions and how they came to view it as a case of 'multiple personality'.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Biography, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Classics, Medical

264 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Dr. Corbett H. Thigpen was an American psychiatrist and co-author of the internationally-popular, nonfictional book The Three Faces of Eve.

Reviews

[dianne b. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a VERY lengthy (for a case study) tale of a woman who has 3 personalities. The MD authors apparently have some Freudian sense of inadequacy because they constantly need to show us how broadly and deeply educated they are; how damn smart. An overdose of overwriting such as this ever-so-understated description on pg. 96:
“The somber and historic zeal of Savonarola would have faded before the invincible levity of her smile.”
Eye roll.
Every other page there seems to be a Shakespearean reference, an allusion to Greek myth, some distorted political theory (i.e. confusing anarchy with chaos), Edna St.Vincent Millay or Keats - all only appropriate with a fairly large stretch of the imagination, and none adding anything that i could access.
i found myself repeatedly thinking -> cut the crap and tell the story.
i was reminded again of the absolute absurdity of Freudianism - EVERYTHING is sexual. One anecdote included (why?) was of a 4 year old boy who has a dream of his bedroom window opening and on the snowy trees outside there are 6 still, white wolves with bushy tails watching him. It’s clear, of course, this means he wants his father to have anal sex with him. Obviously.
Or,
“...the symbol 3 written sideways equals vagina. The 2 represents the labia.”
Who knew?
It IS a fascinating story, with clear and thorough descriptions of the patient’s transformations that were vivid and exciting. Unfortunately there were many references to my favorite (not) diagnosis: “hysteria” which, intrinsically, can only be suffered by women because only the fairer sex has hysters (uteri). So, as both authors are male and tend to be overly dramatic they must be suffering from “testicularia”, right?
This usage of hysteria on page 135 also contains a warning to NOT visit the ER at that hospital:
“The patient in the emergency room who, to the intern seems to be deliberately pitching a tantrum may not only be either hysterical or pretending….some..whine at a sudden pinprick; others...preserve their calm while needles are forced into the quick of the nail bed.”
My medical school skipped the “how to force needles into patients’ nail beds” lesson.
All in all i am glad i read this bit of history, if just to be reminded that some progress in the status of women has been made since the fifties. There’s still a LONG way to go.

UPDATE 22 august 22. Last night I watched The Movie Version and I learned:
1. Doctors smoked a lot in 1957, so they stank; why did people trust them?
2. Women had cool hats in the 20s, 30s and 40s - but by the 50s? Ridiculous. Looked like she rolled up a dish towel and pinned it to her ears.
3. I thought I was in love with Paul Newman, but I was mistaken. I'm love with Joanne Woodward, especially Eve Black - what a hoot.
4. If their fictional reason /etiology - i.e. Eve's childhood "trauma" - for the patient's MPD were real we'd all be carrying multiple selves.
Thought you should know. ;>)

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this years ago. They really didn't know what they were dealing with when they took Ms. Sizemore (Eve) on as a patient. They "discovered" what would be known as MPD - Multiple Personality Disorder and documented their work with Integrating their patient. Of course this was later made into a briliiant movie starring Joanne Woodward.

Of course, this was only the beginning journey for "Eve" who dissociated again and again over time, having as many as 33 personalities in all. I have met Ms. Sizemore and she has had a very rough journey and chronicles it in her book: I'm Eve - in case anyone is interested in reading it.

[Iamshadow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't as awful as I thought it would be, given it's a) fiction that was based on the stolen life story of Chris Costner Sizemore purely to get the writers a movie deal, and b) full of so much phallocentric Freudian bullshit, I can't even (seriously, everything is interpreted as to do with genitals, penis envy or emasculation fear, or fantasising about sex with your father, WTF, Freudians, go read The Assault on Truth by Masson and get over it).

[Jonna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Snore. There are sections of this book that are rather interesting, but mostly, it's dull as dishwater. As for all the reviews talking about the awful abuse endured by the patient, I think these folks must have read a different book! The only abuse here is in subjecting readers to pages of Jungian castration theory vs Freudian Oedipal theory!

[Lore LongSoulSystem · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es extraño cómo los autores pueden estar tan cerca de entender a Chris y terminan desviándose tan lejos por sus perspectivas sexistas, egocéntricas y reduccionistas. Van varias cosas.
1. Para quien desee leer este libro, necesita saber que Chris Costner (Eva) en realidad no fue aliviada por su "terapia", fue manipulada, usada y después descartada.
2. De hecho, como Colin Ross se dio cuenta, no hubo terapia. No solo no la describieron, sino que incluso confirman explícitamente que lo que hicieron "no entra en ninguna categoría de terapia".
3. Vieron a Chris más como un animal que estudiar, un objeto qué sexualizar, un "rol femenino incompleto, enfermo e inadecuado" para teorizar y criticar y no una persona que necesitaba salir de sus circunstancias.
4. Cada dos párrafos habla de forma sensacionalista de Chris. "Tan femenino, tan sorprendente, tan atractiva, tan poco interesante, su vestido, su cabello, sus ojos, sus piernas". Me recuerdan a esa última parte del cuento de Dr. Jekyll y Mr. Hyde, cuando hace su transformación y causa un asombro/terror intencionalmente en el espectador, solo que este asombro que proyectan está inyectado por un asqueroso sexismo y sexualización con términos como "frígida".
5. Así que este relato está totalmente desde la perspectiva de todo mundo, menos de Chris. Perspectiva de las parejas de Chris, de los médicos, del hospital, de sus padres, de la ciencia. Y cualquier perspectiva descrita desde las perspectivas de las partes disociadas de Chris solo se mencionan para seguir causando impresión en los demás.
6. Colin Ross menciona que los autores se burlan constantemente del psicoanálisis, pero yo no lo vi así. Sí, cuestionan algunas cosas, pero no vi burlas. A menos que yo no haya detectado su sarcasmo. Y si así fuera, Colin Ross hace mal en ofenderse (no debería defender a Freud).

En resumen, es mejor leer los libros de Chris, I'm Eve y A Mind of My Own, para una perspectiva más real y humana.

[Mohamed · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rklIk...

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

After watching "The The Three Faces of Eve", and realizing it was based on a true incident, I had to read the book. I was not disappointed by either movie or book. Actually the movie did the best it could given the time frame it had, but I was completely mesmerized by the book and the account of Eve White, a woman with three personalities. Written by her psychiatrists, we follow Eve's journey as she presents as a troubled and meek housewife, yet, over time, reveals her other personalities in the forms of lively Eve Black and mild-mannered, Jane. The book explains in detail how the doctors got to know each personality, their troubles and quirks, and through patience, diligence and understanding helped integrate them back into one person. Although not as horribly traumatic as the Sybil story we've all heard of, Eve White's plight to help her selves become whole again is a fascinating read and one I could not put down.

[Zohal · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard to pay attention in the second half. Definitely would be of more interest to people with a psychology background or career path.

[Carolyn James · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an old book I found on a dusty bookshelf in my parents office. Loving psychology this was right up my alley. I think even before reading I had read this case study in several undergrad textbooks. 3 Faces of Eve tells the true story of a woman who has 3 separate personalities and the hype created when this case was first analyzed by the medical world. I see I have the same problem others had with this book. Parts were very very interesting….and then a big drop of boredom. It would be great if this got a little hacked and placed back together to something shorter. Overall it was too tedious from me to suggest to others to read.

[Fatemeh Mehrasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

اختلال چندشخصیتی (Multiple Personality Disorder یا MPD) که امروزه با نام جدید Dissociative Identity Disorder یا به اختصار DID شناخته میشه، بیانگر نوعی گسست و جدایی شدید در هویت و درک از خود و دنیا ست که معمولا در اثر ترومای شدید در کودکی ایجاد میشه. فرد بخاطر ضربه شدیدی که در کودکی تجربه میکنه، قادر به پیشبرد باقی زندگی‌ش با یک شخصیت و در یک خط نیست و به جهت محافظت از خودش، دست به خلق چند شخصیت متفاوت میزنه که هرکدوم بخش‌های مختلفی از تمایلات فرد رو نشون میدن. با استناد به کتاب پل بلوم، سابق بر این تعداد کیس‌های DID کمتر بود و البته هر بیمار، تعداد شخصیت‌های کمتری رو هم ارائه میداد. (شخصیت‌هایی که بعضا ممکنه از وجود همدیگر بی‌اطلاع باشن) اما اخیرا نه تنها تعداد بیماران که تعداد شخصیت‌های هر بیمار هم رشد معنا داری داشته بطوری که کیس‌های DID بطور متوسط ۱۵ شخصیت و بعضی بیماران بالغ بر صد شخصیت رو در خودشون حمل میکنن.
فیلم بی‌نظیر Three Faces of Eve با بازی باشکوه جوآن وودوارد (که هنوز در قید حیات هست و با بازی در این فیلم موفق به کسب اسکار بهترین بازیگر نقش اول زن شد) به شکلی عالی به تشریح و توضیح این بیماری بر اساس یک زندگی واقعی پرداخته. (فیلم تولید ۱۹۵۷راوی داستانی مربوط به چهار سال قبل‌تر از تولید فیلم).
نقش اول، سه شخصیت مجزا داره: ۱. ایو وایت: زنی ساکت، همواره مطیع، توسری‌خور و ضعیف. ۲. ایو بلک: زنی هایپرسکشوال، سرکش، یاغی و البته بی‌هدف و خوش‌گذران و ۳: جین. زنی بالغ. نه‌چندان مطیع، با درک بالا و البته توانمند در تصمیم‌گیری .
نکته اینجاست که ایو وایت همسر رالف بود که هرگز درک نشد. همسرش درکی از بیماری همسرش نداشت و اون رو به خیانت آگاهانه متهم کرد. ازدواجی که سرانجام به طلاق منجر شد.. ایو بلک اما، زنی بود که در جسم ایو وایت به خروش اومده بود. اطاعت‌ها و مظلومیت بیمارگونه اون رو تاب نمی‌اورد و مانع خودکشی‌او هم میشد. اما از سمتی صرفا شخصیتی یاغی و سرکش بود که برنامه‌ای برای ادامه زندگی نداشت، در قالب‌ها و چارچوب‌ها نمی‌گنجید و اساسا دوراندیش هم نبود. حتا این هایپرسکشوالیتی هم ممکن بود واکنشی دفاعی به احساسات سرکوب‌شده‌ی ایو وایت باشد. اما جین، زنی بود با تمرکز بر مشکل، امید به بهبود و در پی درمان. در نهایت هم همین شخصیت زنده و باقی‌ماند و دو شخصیت دیگر، مُردند.
فارغ از تم روانش��اسی فیلم، توجه به این نکته هم جالب است که ایو وایت، زنی که توسط رالف درک نشد، مُرد و هیچ‌وقت حق زندگی کردن پیدا نکرد. اما جین، همانطور که در تکه دوم پست مشهود است، درک شد، حمایت شد و در نهایت هم به زندگی ادامه داد.
فقدان عشق، اجبار و ظلم میتواند به چند پارگی روان بیانجامد، حال انگه عشق، به مثابه نخی نامرئی، میتواند تکه‌های دورافتاده را به هم بدوزد و انسان را به بلوغ و کمال برساند.
با این حال توجه به این نکته هم شایان توجه است که نیروی محرکه این انقلاب، طغیان شخصیت ایو بلک بود. وجود این شخصیت بود که باعث شد این زن بعد از دهه‌ها زیست منفعلانه، علیه تمام این ظلم‌ها فریاد بکشد، خودش را بکشند و در جست‌مجوی درمان باشد.وجود بلک بود که جین متولد شد.
از دیدن این فیلم بسیار لذت بردم.
جمعه، ۱۸ آوریل، المان

[Kathy Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

The movie with JoAnne Woodward was actually better than the movie. The book is only available in a physical copy- no ebook. It was written by her psychiatrist and much of it read like a medical journal and was very dry. It got me out of the reading slump I was in, though.
If you don’t know, it is a true account of a woman with multiple personality disorder.

[Les Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a thorough medical examination proved inconclusive, Eve White (Chris Sizemore) checked into a Georgia psychiatric clinic complaining of headaches and blackouts. After a few visits, an astonishing metamorphosis occurred. Eve White literally disappeared before the eyes of clinical psychiatrist Corbett Thigpen. The shy, demure, self-effacing and highly guarded Eve turned into a flirtatious, playful, energetic, even raucous vamp. Her posture changed, her voice deepened, her mannerisms and vocabulary were different. The pixie-like Eve Black had emerged.
Eve Black had been buying flashy clothing and jewelry, taking over the body at night, and going out. She sang in night clubs and taunted male suitors. Only she wasn't leaving the quiet married mother behind. She was using her body and mind.
Thigpen and Cleckley share her remarkable story in this book along with the story of a third Eve, Jane, who emerges over time. Perhaps a product of the therapy, Jane manages to date a man and fall in love.
Eve White's deep-seated and repressed fears and associations are explored in-depth along with here many struggles to cope at home and in the work place. Her attempts to hold down a job and to manage a satisfactory relationship with her husband and daughter seem doomed from the start.
I couldn't help but to feel a great deal of compassion and sorrow for her throughout her epic struggle to "come out" and "find herself".
The ending turned out to be just as remarkable as the rest of "Eve's" intriguing, unsettling story.

[Rene Bard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book surprised me. It was a detailed description of a woman who seeks help for debilitating headaches and troubling bouts of amnesia and who discovers, with the help of two psychiatrists, she is battling a rare disorder. Her story is told in a non-clinical narrative format that worked for me. I can see how some might not rate this very high because it is an intrinsically difficult subject. Unlike some earlier reviewers, I loved the literary references scattered throughout the text as well as the fairly rigorous medical description of her case. Most of the difficult "inside psychiatry" data have been pushed to the end as appendixes, and - this is what surprised me - I was able to follow along with the fairly complicated analyses found here after having read the main text. Some reviewers seemed confused by the Freudian references cited by the authors which, ironically, the authors dutifully submitted as data while explicitly disavowing the Freudian diagnosis; in other words, some reviewers wrongly critiqued the book, their criticism being right in line with the same sceptical viewpoint as expressed by the authors. Finally, I found the denouement to be quite fascinating and powerfully described. I won't forget it (or will I?).

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a Reader's digest version. I thought I'd read it before, but apparently not. Eve went to the Doctor complaining of headaches and blackouts, when the Dr could find nothing physically wrong, he sent her to a psychologist, where a separate personality "came out" it was interesting to read how it happened and how she existed with 2 then 3 personalities, but it wasn't quite the story I was expecting. Since it wasn't written as a novel, or biography, but more like the therapists writing an article for a journal. I still found it interesting reading though.

[Jessietaylortanner · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's hard to believe that a book about multiple personalities could be boring, but that's what it was to me. I read about two-thirds of it before I gave up for more engaging reads. Maybe I'll try again later.

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book rises from merely interesting to utterly fascinating when read in tandem with Eve's autobiography, "I'm Eve." The analysts' rather smug, self-congratulating, sexist view of Eve's problems and progress are invisible until you turn to the other book and "Eve" tells her own story.

[Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting insight into the thought processes of people with Multiple Personality Disorder,an engaging read, I strongly recommend it.

[Deena Scintilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this decades ago when I was a very young psychiatric nurse and found it fascinating.

[Berry Muhl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating portrait of a victim of a rare and rather spectacular form of mental illness, the most fabled of all pathologies in literature and cinema. "Eve" was a housewife whose behavior occasionally diverged radically from her norm, prompting her to seek psychological treatment. Over several sessions, it became apparent that she was suffering from multiple personality disorder (MPD), one of the few to be examined and treated (at the time) by modern techniques. To make things even more interesting and revelatory, another personality spontaneously emerged while she was undergoing treatment, making this perhaps the first time a brand-new personality ever came to light under examination.

The second personality's uninhibited behaviors threatened to destroy Eve's marriage, which involved a young daughter, so the situation became more dire over time. It became clear that although this second personality was potentially destructive, she exhibited a courage and decisiveness that would benefit Eve greatly in her marriage and life in general. If there were a way to integrate the personalities while eliminating the harmful elements of both, that would obviously be the preferred method of treatment. But such complexities were far beyond the technique and understanding of the 1960s. The more available route would be to try to eliminate the personality-switching process by destroying one of the personalities altogether, or at least burying it so deeply that it could no longer emerge. As the third personality began to manifest itself more frequently, it became clear that this one had a maturity and poise that would "complete" Eve, despite having essentially no emotional ties to her husband and child. If a single personality had to be chosen, this would be the likeliest candidate, but could "she" accept her existing familial bonds and seamlessly take on "her" role in the family?

The quandary faced by her therapists, Drs. Thigpen and Cleckley, was no less challenging and emotionally fraught than the illness faced by Eve. This account reports not only on the discovery process that vastly expanded our understanding of MPD, but also on how they all coped with what they learned, as it unfolded.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

First published in 1957, this account of a young woman with multiple personality/dissociative identity disorder became the basis for a movie with the same title. Written from the perspectives of her psychotherapists over several years, a fascinating journey from the original presentation of the highly repressed and troubled patient, Eve White; through the shocking emergence of her childlike seductive alter, Eve Black; to the apparent new personality who called herself Jane; to their final synthesis into the integrated original person. Most intriguing, from a clinical perspective, is the discovery of the inciting event that catalyzed the split, along with well-reasoned theories (couched in older psychiatric concepts and terminology) of etiology and underlying conflicts that enabled the dissociation. The pedantic academic writing style typical of the era slowed the pace, but an engaging read for anyone interested in psychology and the depth and breadth of the human mind.

[Stephanie Braddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to get through this one, taking a lot longer to finish than I typically do for a book this size. While I did enjoy the details of Eve's life and her journey in coping with and overcoming her illness, the book was very heavy in the psychology of her illness. It was very clearly written by psychologists. Students and professionals would probably enjoy those aspects of the book, but it tended to get very boring and drawn out for a layperson like me.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a difficult read. I realize it was written by a knowledgeable psychiatrist, and that much of the text was taken from medical transcripts, but would it really have been that difficult to attempt to put it into laymen’s terms? I found the text cumbersome. Dr Thigpen seemed more concerned with sounding intelligent rather than telling the story of the patient. He referenced long forgotten, obscure writings that really did nothing to add to the story.

[Inga · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting case study but the Freudian stuff at the end was insane?? dreaming about 6 wolves in a tree staring through your window at night means you want to have sex with your dad?? that was insane and like, generally weird and confusing. also there was so much dragging out references/tangents and elaborate descriptions for no reasons. took it with a grain of salt because it was from the 50’s but i was still surprised.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found this old paperback in a thrift store. I like books written in the 1950s and 1960s. While this was rare and unfamiliar to the medical field at the time, the book was very dry. I also have an ethical disdain for her psychiatrists taking advantage of her by making a book and movie without her permission. She did win a lawsuit against the movie company but not the doctors. It is interesting that she can be googled and the rest of her life can be seen.

[seyspage · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really, really liked this book in the beginning. I was impressed of the casual yet demanding writing style. I really felt bad for Eve White. But the last 20 pages just really sucked. What was that? It felt like someone else wrote it and didn’t know what the book was before about. I’m quite disappointed.

[Fernanda Cadena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Achei que, por ser um dos primeiros relatos médicos em relação ao transtorno mental tratado no livro, a teoria trazida pelo médico psicologo é demasiadamente ultrapassada, o que não acho interessante. Todavia, para aqueles que tem curiosidade acerca do assunto (meu caso), vale a leitura, caso já tenha uma noção atualizada, até para poder comparar com o que era pensado à época. Texto um pouco prolixo.

[Shon · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is now referred to as Dissociative Identity Disorder was once called Multiple Personality Disorder and while much has been revealed from decades of analytical study this account is a spellbinding and wordy recollection of one of the first MPD/DID cases. Interesting read.

[Ana Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very monotonous and I wish the ending was richer, Very cliche

[Sigrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intressant att läsa denna populärvetenskapliga bok från 60-talet. Hur man uttrycker sig och hur man beskriver kvinnor. En fascinerande berättelse.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three personalities...yet the same person? Crazy, but true; this story made for powerful reading.