Shirley Ardell Mason

Shirley Ardell Mason (January 25, 1923 – February 26, 1998) was an American psychiatric patient and commercial artist 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. It was adapted in a made for TV movie in 1976, with Sally Field in the title role. Both the book and the films used the name Sybil Isabel Dorsett to protect Mason's identity, though the 2007 remake revealed Mason's name in its conclusion.

Biography

Mason was born and raised in Dodge Center, Minnesota, the only child of Walter Mason (a carpenter) and Martha Alice "Mattie" Hageman. In regard to Mason's mother: "...many people in Dodge Center say Mattie--"Hattie" in the book--"was bizarre," according to Bettie Borst Christensen, who grew up across the street. "She had a witch-like laugh....She didn't laugh much, but when she did, it was like a screech." Christensen remembers the mother walking around after dark, looking in the neighbors' windows. She apparently had once been diagnosed as schizophrenic. [http://www.mail-archive.com/[e-mail]/msg31462.html Unmasking Sybil by Mark Miller and Barbara Kantrowitz Newsweek, January 25, 1999 (reprint)] ]

In the early 1950s, Mason was a substitute teacher and a student at Columbia University. She had long suffered from blackouts and emotional breakdowns, and finally entered psychotherapy with Cornelia B. Wilbur, a Freudian psychiatrist. Their sessions together are the basis of the book.

Mason later moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where she taught art classes and ran an art gallery out of her home for many years. She died of breast cancer in 1998, at the age of 75.

"Sybil"

"Sybil" told the story of a woman (later revealed to be Mason) who was treated for multiple personality disorder (now known as dissociative identity disorder) with up to 16 co-existing personalities. The book stated that Mason suffered from the condition as a result of severe sexual abuse at the hands of her mother, who Dr. Wilbur believed was schizophrenic. [cite book | last =Schreiber |first =Flora Rheta | title =Sybil | publisher=Warner Books, Inc. | date =1973 | location =New York | pages =460 | isbn =0-446-35940-8] The book was turned into a movie, starring Sally Field, in 1976. In July 2006, the 30th anniversary edition of the movie was released in a 2 DVD set that included background information and interviews with the director, stars, and a close friend (www.sybilsfriend.com)of the real Sybil, Shirley Mason. The movie was remade in 2007 with Jessica Lange as Dr. Wilbur and Tammy Blanchard in the title role.

Controversy

In 1998, Robert Rieber of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice presented a paper at the meeting of the American Psychological Association where he outlined the contents of a set of tape recordings that had been provided to him by Schreiber many years before. [Rieber, R., 1998, HYPNOSIS, FALSE MEMORY, AND MULTIPLE PERSONALITY: A TRINITY OF AFFINITY http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~jpr/A%20Trinity%20of%20Affinity.doc] Based on discussions in the tapes, he declared that Mason had not suffered from multiple personality disorder at all. Rather he proposes that she had rather been an "extremely suggestible hysteric" whom Wilbur had manipulated to secure a book deal with publishers who weren't interested in a book on a case of hysteria. That position was supported by Dr. Herbert Spiegel, who had briefly treated Mason while Wilbur was on vacation. [ [http://www.astraeasweb.net/plural/spiegel.html Sybil-The Making of a Disease: An Interview with Dr. Herbert Spiegel ] ] But Dr. Leah Dickstein, whose mentor was Dr. Wilbur [ [http://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/physicians/biography_85.html Changing the Face of Medicine - Dr. Leah J. Dickstein] ] stated that she was in touch with Mason for several years after Wilbur died. She remembers Mason telling her that "every word in the book is true." She stated that Wilbur had "no need to make this up." [cite news | last =Ritter | first =Malcolm | title =Doubt Cast on Story of `Sybil' | publisher =Associated Press | date =1998-08-16 | accessdate=2008-05-26]

The case remains controversial, as Wilbur's psychiatric files are sealed, and both she and Mason are deceased.

References

External links

* [http://www.astraeasweb.net/plural/controversy.html Multiple Personality Controversies] Links to many articles about the real Sybil, Shirley Mason.
*imdb title|id=0075296|title=Sybil