The Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome

One of the most distinct examples of an individual with a split, or double, personality is embodied in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The duality of an individual personality can be examined in a variety of ways, good versus evil, moral versus immoral, or the conscious self versus the unconscious desires. Stevenson, before Sigmund Freud or Gordon Allport, examined what it meant to have two competing identities. The character of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reflects the division of [Page 250]personality that can plague an individual. In this case, Dr. Jekyll desperately tried to maintain self-control and resilience in order to keep the appearance of a well-respected and privileged doctor within his society. Mr. Hyde, on the other hand, was not concerned with his reputation; he was eager to act out his inner desires, vile cravings, and repressed urges.

One can look at the duality of the “Jekyll and Hyde” personality as being ruled by inner impulses or basic instincts. Such individuals repress what they believe to be morally wrong thoughts, sexual desires, and inner wants that if set free could erupt in acts of violence and threaten their place in society. These two personalities severely divide one's “self,” and when inner cravings are released, it gives a momentary sense of gratification by releasing the tension between the “moral” and “pleasure” sides. However, the impulse to gratify the primitive, pleasure self becomes stronger, and both sides begin to compete for dominance once again. This struggle becomes a never-ending battle for balance and stability.

One example of a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality is the life of William Deacon Brodie, who lived in the late 18th century. Brodie was supposedly as an upstanding and honorable man during the day, but by night he participated in a scandalous crime spree in Edinburgh, Scotland. Brodie was finally apprehended and sentenced to die on the gallows. In the United States, serial killer Theodore (Ted) Bundy was another individual who displayed a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. He was described as charming, intelligent, and friendly; and as a college graduate and law school student, he was well educated. There was, however, another side to Bundy. He was arrested, charged, and later executed, having killed at least 30 women between 1973 and 1978.