Plurality.
- A phenomena where multiple people share one body.
- Also known as multiplicity.
Systems.
- The collection of people residing within the body.
- Other terms used to describe systems can be group, circle, collective, etc.
- There are many different kinds of systems, with their own terms, origins, and (sometimes) different ways of functioning.
- People residing in systems are sometimes called systemmates, system members, or headmates. Systems formed from trauma often use the term alters.
Forms of Systems.
- Plurality can be caused by trauma.
- This is commonly known as "traumagenic plurality".
- Traumagenic systems are sometimes diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly called Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). The diagnostic criteria is as follows:
- Two or more distinct identities or personality states are present, each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to and thinking about the environment and self.
- Gaps in the recall of everyday events, important personal information and/or traumatic events that cannot be explained by normal forgetting.
- The phenomena must be causing marked distress, and/or impairing functioning in one or more major areas of life.
- It is not not part of normal cultural or religious practices.
- The phenomena is not caused by substance abuse or other medical disorders.
- If there is no significant distinction between personality states, a diagnosis of OSDD-1a may be given.
- If there is no amnesia, a diagnosis of OSDD-1b may be given.
- A system doesn't have to have DID or OSDD to be traumagenic. Similarly, a diagnosis of DID or OSDD doesn't always mean a system is traumagenic.
- Although traumagenic plurality is most commonly caused by repeated/prolonged childhood trauma, which then can lead to a diagnosis of DID/OSDD, neither have trauma as a criteria for diagnosis. Sometimes, non-traumagenic systems are diagnosed with DID, if their functioning is impaired enough and/or they are experiencing marked distress.
- Plurality can also occur without trauma.
- This us commonly known as "endogenic plurality" or "non-traumagenic plurality".
- It used to be known as "natural multiplicity", but that term has fallen out of favoras it implies that traumagenic systems are "unnatural".
- Some endogenic systems state that they've been plural since birth, or that it "just happened". Some explain it with spirituality. Some explain it with psychology. Some feel it is a type of neurodivergence.
- Plurality can also have unknown, or mixed origins.
- Some systems with unknown origins use the term "quoigenic plurality".
- Some systems identify as "mixed systems". This means that some system members were caused by trauma, and others were not.
- Median systems exist somewhere on the spectrum of being non-plural (singlet), and plural. This can remain static, or change either direction.
- Median systems sometimes prefer the term "plural" rather than "multiple", as they often aren't 100% separate, but obviously this depends on the median system in question.
- While traumagenic systems are usually associated with amnesia and dissociation, non-traumagenic systems can also experience these symptoms. This is especially true for non-traumagenic systems that have experienced trauma, and/or have other conditions like PTSD or CPTSD. Similarly, not all traumagenic systems experience amnesia or other symptoms typically associated with DID.
- The modern goal of treatment with DID and OSDD is trying to minimize distress and dysfunction by improving communication and cooperation between system members.
- "Integration" used to be the common goal, but it has since been shown that complete integration is usually ineffective/impermanent and many systems have little to no desire to "become one" anyways.
- The modern goal of treatment with DID and OSDD is trying to minimize distress and dysfunction by improving communication and cooperation between system members.
Types of System Members.
- Some system members feel that their existence is medical, or psychological. They identify as being neurally-generated and state that outside of the body's brain, they didn't or wouldn't have existed.
- Some system members feel that their existence is spiritual, and that they existed in worlds or lives prior to being part of a system.
- Some systems are mixed and have differing opinions on this.
- There are three main "kinds" of system members.
- "Insourced" system members are people who don't have a recorded, pre-existing origin in the outside world.
- "Outsourced" system members are people who exist in this world in the form of fictional characters. For example, Harry Potter.
- Also called fictional introjects (a more traumagenic-specific term), or fictives. The authors writing this sometimes use the term "exogenic", also, meaning existing/forming from outside sources (without the connotation of "fictional"/fake).
- "Factives", another type of outsourced system member, are people who exist in this world, living or dead. For example, George Washington.
- Some outsourced system members state that they are merely "based off" the versions of them that exist here, while others state that they are actually those people.
- System members within traumagenic, especially DID-based systems, tend to be called "alters". Alters often have specific functions, such as "inner helper", "protector", "prosecutor", etc. It varies by system.
- System members can be "normal" humans (of varying age), but they can also be earthly animals (such as cats or dogs), mythological creatures (such as dragons, shapeshifters, or demons), or even typically inanimate objects (such as trees).
Common Terms.
- "Front": The body, where a system member experiences the outside world.
- "Fronting": When a system member is controlling the body.
- "Co-fronting": When a system member is sharing front with one or more other system members.
- "Switching": When one system members leaves front, and is replaced by another.
- "Age Sliding": When a system member's age changes. This is usually a temporary experience, and often a response to stress.
- "Host"/"Core"/"Original": A term usually used to refer to the first person who existed in the system, but can also be used to indicate the system member who is "in charge". Some systems do not have an "original", and implying that system members are all "parts of the original" is seen as extremely rude.
- "Singlet": Someone who is not multiple/plural.
- "Inworld"/"Inner World": The mental space where system members live and interact away from front. It can be as small as a single room, or as large as an entire planet. Not all systems have an inworld.
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