What Is Dissociation?

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Rebelliousness may provide a sense of power while causing personal, relational, and occupational consequences.

Harsh parenting can foster a submissive identification dissociated from a need to rebel against the parent.

Shame intensifies when the consequences of rebelliousness confirm the parent's original negative judgments.

Psychodynamic treatment integrates rebellion, self-criticism, and trauma, enabling improved means of coping.

In a prior post (Busch, 2026), I described dissociated representations of self and others (Bromberg, 1998; Busch et al., 2021; Busch, 2024). In these circumstances, individuals in one mode of representation of self and others are unaware of the other mode, disrupting efforts at integration and leading to conflicts within themselves and with others. I wish to describe another form of such dissociative states, in which individuals take pride in rebellion toward authority (or at least what they perceive as authority), leading to adverse consequences and feelings of shame. This rebellion can take several forms, including the use of drugs and alcohol, refusal to properly care for their health, an unwillingness to work in structured occupations, a resistance to sexual or marital mores, or a refusal to follow certain professional or cultural rules, including laws and regulations. They often see their rebelliousness as a source of power, and in certain circumstances it can have value. But in many of these instances rebellion takes on a compulsive character, and little thought is given to what consequences there may be of these actions. It can become disruptive of relationships with others, trigger punishment by authorities, lead to poor self-care, and trigger an underlying sense of shame.

The presence of shame is particularly notable, as pride is often expressed about such rebelliousness. Oftentimes the shame is triggered when the adverse consequences of the rebellion occur. This can include shame about incidents stemming from intoxication, negative impacts on appearance and health, lack of........

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