The Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome: What to Do If Someone in Your Life Has a Dual Personality - or If You Do

by Beverly Engel

Beverly Engel brings her expertise to this important examination of the Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome—the first book to address this abusive syndrome. She discusses the origins of the disorder, names its seven major manifestations, explains how to identify Jekyll and Hyde behavior in other people and in oneself, and outlines clear steps for how to heal Jekyll and Hyde tendencies for good.

Genres: Psychology, Self Help, Communication, Mental Illness

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 31, 2007

About the author

Beverly Engel has been a psychotherapist for thirty years, specializing in the areas of abuse recovery, relationships, women’s issues and sexuality. She is also the best-selling author of 20 self-help books, many of which have been featured on national television and radio programs (Oprah, CNN, Ricki Lake, Starting Over) as well as national print media (O Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, Psychology Today, The Washington Post, The LA Times, and The Chicago Tribune to name a few).

She is considered one of the world’s leading experts on the issue of emotional abuse, as well as a pioneer on the issue, having written one of the first recovery books on the subject (The Emotionally Abused Woman).

Reviews

[Leabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure the author has done much to help many people. Arriving at her conclusions from within a Jungian psychotherapeutic approach, she tends to take the view that integrating one's shadow side will bring the extreme parts of the personality to awareness and (positive) fruition. While I think the approach would be valuable for many, I would doubt its value in cases of diagnosed BPD and NPD. These are mental illnesses, not simply evidence of a fractured personality and there are evidence based modalities which can assist in symptom management. The person who splits, sees others as all good or all bad, would, at least from much other work that I have read, find little relief from this approach. Overall, however, an interesting read, and that we all have good and bad aspects which at times can be denied or projected out onto others is at times a reality. A worthwhile read.

[Travel Writing · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome is a very enlightening book.

I learned so much from this book and enjoyed the exercises (see below). It was enlightening to learn more about my shadow and how our shadows play out in relationship. There was an extraordinary amount of information in this book and is a book that could be read time and again and each time would glean more wisdom.

The activities mirror a lot of activities in Engel's other books, but they are every beneficial, even though they can feel redundant if you have read her other work. One other thing, there are many mentions of her other books a lot, which she also mentions other books, articles, and authors, but she plugs her work heavily in the text.

The bibliography at the end was marvelous. It was like a treasure chest of books.

[AJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was literally a random book I picked up solely based on the cover at the library. I read 18 pages of it more like skimmed and got to the questionnaire. Literally stopped reading after one of the questions asked if XYZ person dresses like a girl or a whore.

Wow.

Let’s leave the review at that.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to have to save up to buy this book. I marked SO many lines in my e-copy from the library. This book can help you spot those red flags that so many of us ignore. The quizzes are very helpful. This book can help you properly communicate with an important person in your life that seems to have emotions that turn on a dime and keep you from letting your rights be bargained away over time. It can also help you realize if the other person is not going to change.

[Louise · Rating 1 out of 5]

OK, so, I thought I'd give this book a chance, even if it started screwing up in the introduction.
My first issue was the book bringing up Dr. Jekyll's motivations for creating the potion that turns him into Mr. Hyde in Stevenson's novella. Except the author gets it wrong--she says Jekyll does it to act out dark fantasies with impunity, although it's clear in the text he does it because he wants to eradicate evil from human nature.
At this point I'm like, 'Not great for a book that has Jekyll and Hyde in the title. But then, the author is a psychologist, not a literary scholar. So I'll let it slide.'
You know what I can't let slide? The fact that pages 45-46, she describes a girl being raped and goes on to BLAME HER and put it all on that supposed Jekyll and Hyde syndrome (this is the only book I've found which deals with that condition; I don't think it's an actual thing from a medical standpoint).

Here are quotes from the text (the victim's account) 'I guess I had sex with all three of them—I don’t know—I don’t really remember. I came to while one of them was screwing me.'

So I hope we all agree this is clearly rape. A woman who is unconscious cannot consent to sex.

Here are the author's reactions: 'I was rather surprised to hear about Abby’s behavior.' 'this was not the first time Abby acted out when she drank.' 'As we were both to learn, Abby’s drinking was an excuse for her to act out some very dark urges'.

So that's it, I'm out. Fuck that book and it's victim-blaming.

[Lindsay Caringer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very eye opening

[Bridgett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really found this book useful and enjoyable despite the sometimes repetitive Christian references. I am a spiritual person and don't mind religion, but not everyone would be comfortable with it. It showed how to become more authentic through balancing extremes.

[Chris Carmichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book for anyone dealing with the "challenge" of meeting/knowing someone with this kind of personality.

[justablondemoment · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. Found myself making sense out of things happening in my life with other people that up until reading this truly was at my wits end in understanding. Now, I get it.