She is mostly composed of memories. To be honest, I don't fully know the answer to that question. It seems to be a way to deal with abuse and recovery which works for me. At the same time, I don't believe that considering myself to be made up of different aspects is simply a matter of symbolizing everything. There is definitely a level of dissociation which accompanies every part of me.
Some aspects are more dissociated than others.
Each part of me comes from a place which can no longer be denied, and must be dealt with. But the fact that I refer to all of my parts in what amounts to the third person says to me that I am reluctant, on some level, to acknowledge what happened to me. There is not enough splitting for me to lose time or consciousness to another separate personality, and thus bring the subject of responsibility into debate. They're all me, and I'm made up of them. However, no matter what the level of splitting, I think there is a part of me which is emotionally unprepared to take on all of the abuse and all of its consequences.