ABSTRACT
Mental disorder involves a disruption to the relation between an agent and their environment that results in disordered patterns of sense-making that are maladaptive. Agents falter in the sense that they cannot adapt to changing circumstances or perform activities that are central to the maintenance of various social roles. The various ways in which agents might fail to gain an optimal grip on available affordances correspond to various breakdowns in the stability and flexibility of agency. An agent with dissociative identity disorder (DID), for example, exhibits conflicting regional identities and is unable to form a coherent and stable sense of self. They encounter what Frankfurt describes as volitional conflict and exhibit incompatible desires and affective stances concerning basic emotional needs. Like other coping strategies and defense mechanisms, dissociation can be understood as a mode of dealing with trauma and avoiding confrontation with intensely painful feelings. This chapter argues that DID centrally involves extreme ambivalence and psychological fragmentation, making it difficult for agents to form a coherent will, control their actions, or carry out their intentions.
