Shirley Ardell Mason

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Shirley Ardell Mason (January 25, 1923–February 26, 1998) was an American psychiatric patient whose life was documented in the book and film both released under the name Sybil. The book was penned by Flora Rheta Schreiber and published in 1973. The movie was made for TV and was broadcast in 1976. The name Sybil Isabel Dorsett was used in the book and movie to protect her identity.

Sybil told the story of a woman who was treated for multiple personality disorder (now known as Dissociative Identity Disorder) with up to 16 personalities.

1 History
2 Personalities of Sybil (based on the book Sybil)
3 Footnotes
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

Shirley Ardell Mason was born in Dodge Center, Minnesota, the only child of Walter Mason and Martha Alice "Mattie" Hageman. According to the book Sybil, as a child, Mason suffered from extreme abuse at the hands of her mother. While this is difficult to verify, childhood friends have confirmed in interviews that her mother was extremely domineering and very strange in many ways.^[1]

According to Schreiber's book, Mason moved to New York City in the early 1950s to pursue graduate studies at Columbia University. Plagued by blackouts and breakdowns for many years, she began seeing a psychiatrist, Dr. Cornelia B. Wilbur, who eventually diagnosed Mason with multiple personality disorder. Wilbur discovered 16 different personalities within Mason and believed they were a result of severe child abuse. During 11 years of therapy, Wilbur and Mason worked to integrate these personalities into one complete self. However, a number of newspaper and magazine features on multiple personality in the 1980s reported that Mason, feeling depressed and lonely without her "inner family," had voluntarily re-differentiated. Psychiatrist Leah Dickstein and others who worked with Mason stated that she remained multiple for the rest of her life.

Schreiber wrote Mason's story with input from both Mason and Wilbur, and it was published in 1973. In the book, Mason's name was changed to "Sybil Isabel Dorsett" to protect her privacy, and other names, places, and facts were changed. The book Sybil was hugely popular and was made into a TV movie in 1976 starring Sally Field as Sybil and Joanne Woodward as her therapist. Field won an Emmy for her performance, and the story of Sybil deeply influenced both pop culture and the mental health profession.

After the book was published, Mason moved to Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and later to Lexington, Kentucky. Wilbur taught at the University of Kentucky, and the two remained close friends for the rest of their lives. Mason was an art teacher and a prolific painter. She lived a quiet life in Kentucky, going to a Seventh-day Adventist Church, taking care of her pet poodles and cats, and playing Scrabble with Wilbur and a few close friends. She never married or had children. In 1998, Mason died of breast cancer at the age of 75, and it was not until after her death that she was publicly revealed by psychiatric historian Peter J. Swales as the "Sybil" who had been made famous by the story.

In recent years, doctors and others have debated whether or not multiple personality disorder really exists. Some claim that Mason's 16 personalities were created by Wilbur's suggestions during therapy. The situation is complicated by the fact that Wilbur never published a report on the case in a peer-reviewed journal. Both Mason and Wilbur are deceased (Wilbur died in 1992). Swales is said to be researching the facts for a book on Mason's real life as opposed to the account written by Schreiber. He has presented a paper on the subject entitled Gnosis vs. Diagnosis: Sybil's Last Standat the April 15, 2000, Szasz Symposium held in Syracuse, NY.

Dr. Herbert Spiegel, another psychotherapist who also worked with Mason, asserts that she never had multiple personality disorder^[2] and provided tapes to support his assertions.^[3]^[4] Spiegel concluded that Mason's apparent multiplicity had been iatrogenically induced by Wilbur's encouragement and leading questions and remarks.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Personalities of Sybil (based on the book Sybil)

It is unknown whether any of the following were actual personalities of Shirley Ardell Mason. Some or all of them may have been invented by Schreiber for the book, either to enhance the story or protect Shirley's identity.

1 - Sybil Isabel Dorsett (1923): a depleted person; the waking self.
2 - Victoria Antoinette Scharleau (1926): nicknamed Vicky; a self-assured, sophisticated, attractive blonde; the memory trace of Sybil's selves.
3 - Peggy Lou Baldwin (1926): an assertive, enthusiastic, and often angry pixie with a pug nose, a Dutch haircut, and a mischievous smile.
4 - Peggy Ann Baldwin (1926): a counterpart of Peggy Lou with similar physical characteristics; she is more often fearful than angry.
5 - Mary Lucinda Saunders Dorsett (1933): a thoughtful, contemplative, maternal, homeloving person; she is plump and has long dark-brown hair parted on the side.
6 - Marcia Lynn Dorsett (1927): last name sometimes Baldwin; a writer and painter; extremely emotional; she has a shield-shaped face, gray eyes, and brown hair parted on the side.
7 - Vanessa Gail Dorsett (1935): intensely dramatic and extremely attractive; a tall redhead with a willowy figure, light brown eyes, and an expressive oval face.
8 - Mike Dorsett (1928): one of Sybil's two male selves; a builder and a carpenter, he has olive skin, dark hair, and brown eyes.
9 - Sid Dorsett (1928): one of Sybil's two male selves; a carpenter and a general handyman; he has fair skin, dark hair, and blue eyes.
10 - Nancy Lou Ann Baldwin (date undetermined): interested in politics as fulfillment of biblical prophecy and intensely afraid of Roman Catholics; fey; her physical characteristics resemble those of the Peggys.
11 - Sybil Ann Dorsett (1928): listless to the point of neurasthenia; pale and timid with ash-blonde hair, an oval face, and a straight nose.
12 - Ruthie Dorsett (date undetermined): a baby; one of the lesser developed selves.
13 - Clara Dorsett (date undetermined): intensely religious; highly critical of the waking Sybil.
14 - Helen Dorsett (1929): intensely afraid but determined to achieve fulfillment; she has light brown hair, hazel eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips.
15 - Marjorie Dorsett (1928): serene, vivacious, and quick to laugh; a tease; a small, willowy brunette with fair skin and a pug nose.
16 - The Blonde (1946): nameless; a perpetual teenager; has blonde curly hair and a lilting voice.
17 - The New Sybil (1965): the seventeenth self; an amalgam of the other sixteen selves.