Exploring the Relationship Between Manageability and Dissociative Experiences: A Focus on Depersonalization and Derealization
Keywords:
depersonalization, derealization, manageability, sense of coherence, , traumaAbstract
This study investigates how our fundamental sense of control in life shapes our experience of reality—specifically, how feeling capable of managing stressors might protect against the unsettling experiences of depersonalization and derealization. We examine whether individuals with a stronger sense of coherence (SOC)—particularly its manageability component—are less likely to experience those distressing moments where the self or world feels unreal.
Building on psychodynamic insights about how fragmentation occurs when we feel powerless, and research on resilience, we asked participants to reflect on their coping abilities and dissociative experiences through validated measures (the Sense of Coherence Scale and the Dissociative Experiences Scale-II). The findings tell a clear story: people who reported greater confidence in their ability to handle life’s challenges (manageability) also described fewer episodes of feeling detached from themselves or their surroundings (r = -0.42, p < 0.001).
By helping clients cultivate a stronger sense of control and problem-solving confidence—whether through therapy, community support, or skill-building—we might reduce their vulnerability to these dissociative experiences. While more research is needed to explore causality, this study highlights manageability in the fight against dissociation, especially for those navigating trauma or overwhelming stress
Downloads
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
Arlington, VA: Author.
Antonovsky, A. (1987). Unraveling the mystery of health: How people manage stress and stay well. JosseyBass.
Bernstein, E. M., & Putnam, F. W. (1986). Development, reliability, and validity of a dissociation scale. The
Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 174(12), 727-735. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005053-198612000-
00005
Carlson, E. B., & Putnam, F. W. (1993). An update on the Dissociative Experience Scale. Dissociation:
Progress in the Study of Dissociation, 6(1), 16-27.
Chu, J. A. (2011). Rebuilding shattered lives: Treating complex PTSD and dissociative disorders (2nd ed.).
Wiley.
Eriksson, M., & Lindström, B. (2006). Antonovsky's sense of coherence scale and the relationship with
health: A systematic review. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 60(5), 376-381.
https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2005.043174
Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence—from domestic abuse to political
terror. Basic Books.
Kernberg, O. F. (1975). Borderline conditions and pathological narcissism. Jason Aronson.
Lambert, M. V., Senior, C., Fewtrell, W. D., Phillips, M. L., & David, A. S. (2001). Primary and secondary
depersonalisation disorder: A psychometric study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 63(1-3), 249-256.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-0327(00)00197-X
Lanius, R. A., Brand, B., Vermetten, E., Frewen, P. A., & Spiegel, D. (2012). The dissociative subtype of
posttraumatic stress disorder: Rationale, clinical and neurobiological evidence, and implications.
Depression and Anxiety, 29(8), 701-708. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.21889
Rinsley, D. (1985). The use of splitting as a defense mechanism: Clinical examples. International Journal of
Psychoanalysis, 66(2), 169-182.
Van der Hart, O., Nijenhuis, E. R., & Steele, K. (2006). The haunted self: Structural dissociation and the
treatment of chronic traumatization. W.W. Norton.
Vannikov-Lugassi, M., & Soffer-Dudek, N. (2018). No time like the present: Thinking about the past and the
future is related to state dissociation among individuals with high levels of psychopathological symptoms.
Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2465. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02465
