Seeking double personality: Nakamura Kokyō's work in abnormal psychology in early 20th-century Japan.
Journal of the history of the behavioral sciences October 1, 2020 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1002/jhbs.22045 via PubMed
Summary
Nakamura Kokyō studied a woman with split personality who lived as his maid from 1917 to 1940, serving as his muse and assistant. His theory of the subconscious was based on dissociation, with multiple personality central to it. He debated religions that invoked spirit possession, using Western psychical research to modernize their doctrines. Nakamura distinguished his psychological view by emphasizing individual memories, especially traumatic ones, and hysteria. His views on memory and hysteria conflicted with academic mainstream and cultural beliefs, which may explain his limited success.
Study at a glance
| Design | historical analysis |
|---|---|
| Population | a woman with a split personality who lived as a maid in Nakamura Kokyō's home |
| Key finding | Nakamura Kokyō's psychological view of multiple personality, emphasizing traumatic memories and hysteria, conflicted with both academic mainstream and established cultural beliefs, contributing to his limited success. |
Abstract
This paper examines Nakamura Kokyō's study of a woman with a split personality who lived in his home as a maid from 1917 until her death in 1940. She was his indispensable muse and assistant in his efforts to promote abnormal psychology and psychotherapy. This paper first explores the central position of multiple personality in Nakamura's theory of the subconscious, which was largely based on the model of dissociation. It then examines how it became a central issue in Nakamura's disputes with religions including the element of spirit possession, which invoked Western psychical research to modernize their doctrines. While both were concerned with the subconscious and alterations in personality, Nakamura's psychological view was distinguished from those spiritual understandings by his emphasis on individual memories, particularly those that were traumatic, and hysteria. The remaining sections of the paper will examine Nakamura's views on memory and hysteria, which conflicted with both the academic mainstream and the established cultural beliefs. This conflict may partly explain the limited success of Nakamura's academic and social campaigns.