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multiple personality

multiple personality

17 8.7
A rare mental illness in which one person has two or more different identities that act separately
  • noun
  • /ˈmʌltəpəl ˈpɜrsənəlɪti/
  • Specialized
translation icon : trastorno de identidad disociativo
  • And the rest of the tests had proved that he had a dissociative condition but not multiple personality disorder.
  • multiple personality disorder
  • cases of multiple personality

If you sever that, you will get people that have literal multiple personalities, one in the right, one in the left.

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Examples

  • Her commitment draws the derision and ridicule of her male colleagues who insist that multiple personalities don't really exist.

    Academic text (2014)
  • You suffer from multiple personality disorder.

  • However, he does exhibit signs of Multiple Personality Disorder.

  • Also, if you have multiple personality disorder, do not register each of your personalities.

    Blog text (16)
  • So I've been reading up on this disorder, which is multiple personality disorder.

  • If I can prove this is a case of multiple personality, there's a good chance she'll be acquitted.

  • Psychologists and cultural critics have identified several factors that account for the higher incidence of multiple personalities among women.

    Academic text (2014)
  • The therapist diagnosed her with multiple personality after observing her sudden changes in behavior.

  • In his autobiography, the author shares his struggles with multiple personality and how it affected his daily life.

  • During the session, the psychologist explained that multiple personality involves distinct identities that can change from one moment to the next.

Synonyms

personality disorder
vsmultiple personality
  • Specialized
34 5.8

A long-lasting pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving that causes problems in life

is narrower and refers to a rare disorder where identity splits into separate selves
split personality
vsmultiple personality
  • Specialized
9 8.0

A mental problem when one person acts like two or more different people with different memories and behaviour

is the same condition but named differently in formal diagnosis

Surface Forms

Morphology

multiple + personality

The meaning is directly compositional: 'multiple' (more than one) combined with 'personality' (a person's characteristic patterns) yields 'more than one personality', which matches the disorder definition. This straightforward semantic composition follows common cross-linguistic logic, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Multiple personality comes from the clear image of multiple 'personalities' living in one person, as if one body held different minds or characters. That's why it means 'a rare condition where someone has two or more separate identities', and today doctors often call it 'dissociative identity disorder'.