Rene Camille

BSN III
Movie Review: Sybil
1. Make a brief summary of the movie.
Sybil is a story of a woman who has been strulin with an illness that has been
takin over her life for so lon. She is an unassumin! trouble" art s#hool stu"ent.
She is referre" to $sy#hiatrist Cornelia %ilbur by &r. 't#heson! who believes that
she is sufferin from (female hysteria).
's the sessions with &r. %ilbur $roresses! she fin"s out that Sybil e*$erien#es
fre+uent bla#kouts an" #annot remember most of her a#tivities an" most
framents of her life. &r. %ilbur then un#overs the truth to it all she! as a #hil"!
bein raise" in a fun"amentalist Christian househol" by her father an" his
$aranoi"! s#hi,o$hreni# wife in a small town. She e*$lores the $hysi#al! mental
an" se*ual abuse brouht about by her mother. -ater on into treatment! &r.
%ilbur hel$s Sybil #onfront her hatre" towar"s her mother an" eventually #ome
into terms with her 1. "ifferent $ersonalities throuh hy$notism.
/. I"entify an" #ount the number of $ersonalities Sybil have.
Sybil Isabel &orsett 011/23: a "e$lete" $erson4 the wakin self.
5i#toria 'ntoinette S#harleau 011/.3: ni#kname" 5i#ky4 a self6assure"!
so$histi#ate"! attra#tive blon"e4 the memory tra#e of Sybil7s selves.
8ey -ou Bal"win 011/.3: an assertive! enthusiasti#! an" often anry $i*ie with a
$u nose! a &ut#h hair#ut! an" a mis#hievous smile.
8ey 'nn Bal"win 011/.3: a #ounter$art of 8ey -ou with similar $hysi#al
#hara#teristi#s4 she is more often fearful than anry.
Mary -u#in"a Saun"ers &orsett 011223: a thouhtful! #ontem$lative! maternal!
homelovin $erson4 she is $lum$ an" has lon "ark6brown hair $arte" on the
si"e.

Mar#ia -ynn &orsett 011/93: last name sometimes Bal"win4 a writer an" $ainter4
e*tremely emotional4 she has a shiel"6sha$e" fa#e! ray eyes! an" brown hair
$arte" on the si"e.
5anessa :ail &orsett 0112;3: intensely "ramati# an" e*tremely attra#tive4 a tall
re"hea" with a willowy fiure! liht brown eyes! an" an e*$ressive oval fa#e.

Mike &orsett 011/<3: one of Sybil7s two male selves4 a buil"er an" a #ar$enter! he
has olive skin! "ark hair! an" brown eyes.
Si" &orsett 011/<3: one of Sybil7s two male selves4 a #ar$enter an" a eneral
han"yman4 he has fair skin! "ark hair! an" blue eyes.
Nan#y -ou 'nn Bal"win 0"ate un"etermine"3: intereste" in $oliti#s as fulfillment
of bibli#al $ro$he#y an" intensely afrai" of Roman Catholi#s4 fey4 her $hysi#al
#hara#teristi#s resemble those of the 8ey)s.
Sybil 'nn &orsett 011/<3: listless to the $oint of neurasthenia4 $ale an" timi"
with ash6blon"e hair! an oval fa#e! an" a straiht nose.
Ruthie &orsett 0"ate un"etermine"3: a baby4 one of the lesser "evelo$e" selves.
Clara &orsett 0"ate un"etermine"3: intensely reliious4 hihly #riti#al of the
wakin Sybil.
=elen &orsett 011/13: intensely afrai" but "etermine" to a#hieve fulfillment4 she
has liht brown hair! ha,el eyes! a straiht nose! an" thin li$s.
Mar>orie &orsett 011/<3: serene! viva#ious! an" +ui#k to lauh4 a tease4 a small!
willowy brunette with fair skin an" a $u nose.
?he Blon"e 011@.3: nameless4 a $er$etual teenaer4 has blon"e #urly hair an" a
liltin voi#e.
2. I"entify the trier for the a$$earan#e of alter6eos.
?hins that triere" Sybil7s $ersonalities were white hair! "isinfe#tant! s+ueaks!
#lassi#al musi#! an" hooks.
@. I"entify the #o$in me#hanisms that Sybil is initially usin.
?he overwhelmin influen#e of her mother arouse" a lot of an*iety within her
that $rom$te" su#h eo6"efense me#hanisms as fi*ation! re$ression an" "enial.
Ai*ation was #learly shown in the film! be#ause every time Sybil is usin an
altere" state! she woul" look into the mirror! an" she woul" see a youner version
of herself.
She also a"o$te" re$ression as a "efense me#hanism so that she woul" literally
foret her $ast #hil"hoo" memories an" o on with her life. 'lthouh re$ression
was able to hel$ her tem$orarily! that is! she was able to ra"uate in #ollee an"
to a$$ly for ra"uate stu"ies "es$ite all the traumas! in the lon run! it haunte"
her an" release" $roressively in#reasin $ersonality states. &enial was use" as a
su$$lementary "efense me#hanism by strenthenin an" thus $reservin her
$ersonality states.
;. Narrate an" e*$lain the strules that Sybil has to o throuh with the $ersonalities.
Sybil a#tually fun#tione" well off as a #hil"! but one #an see that she uses an alter
state where she embo"ies a mu#h youner version of herself.
%hen it #omes to her $rofessional! a"ult self! she strules with s#hool an"
relationshi$s with others sin#e she has no hol" on her si*teen "ifferent
$ersonalities! the ambiuous turn of events make it seem "iffi#ult for her to
fun#tion $ro$erly. She is seen by outsi"ers as hysteri#al an" insane! an" more
often than not! her $ersonalities et the best of her life. ?he worst $art is! she
bla#ks out every time another $ersonality takes over an" thus! she #annot
remember some framents in her "aily a#tivities! if not most.
.. &es#ribe the thera$y $ro#ess her thera$ist was "oin.
?he first $art of thera$y involve" establishin a workin relationshi$ with Sybil.
&r. %ilbur then ets involve" in her life! in her story as she un#overs the truth
behin" her real "ianosis. She "oes $ro#ess re#or"in an" a##ounts most of
Sybil)s a#tivities before "is$rovin (female hysteria) an" ivin meanin to
Multi$le 8ersonality &isor"er 0now &isso#iative I"entity &isor"er3.
It is oo" to note that sin#e &r. %ilbur is a Areu"ian $sy#holoist! she $ra#ti#es
$sy#hoanalysis. ?he $sy#hoanalysis te#hni+ue that is eventually use" to treat
Sybil is hy$nosis. ?his te#hni+ue is useful be#ause &o#tor %ilbur makes her
relive all the events while she is besi"e her tellin her that none of it is real! an"
that her mother #annot "o anythin to hurt her anymore. Relivin her most
$ainful moments woul" make her move beyon" it! so she "oes not have to re$ress
them any loner.