Abstract
The article explores the case of a “recanter” in a false memory, false dissociative identity disorder case in which the jury found for the defense. It is argued that the polemical controversy over false memory and dissociative identity disorder has drawn attention away from the scientific study of the psychology of such recanters. It has also deflected attention from examination of the objective facts in such lawsuits, thus impeding the ability of the law to determine which, if any, of the plaintiff's versions of events to accept as true. In the present case, records documented the plaintiff's repeated claiming and recanting of psychiatric diagnoses and maltreatment since childhood. Her coercive behavior with authority figures and claims of injury were associated with her need to reinvent herself and her history in order to obtain nurturance. She presented a complex diagnostic picture of malingering, factitious disorder, borderline personality disorder, and dissociative disorder. Treatment and forensic implications of this case are discussed.
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