recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Plurality

*The following information was originally published on Pluralpedia, and is being published here for additional archiving purposes. You can find the Pluralpedia article for this page here.*

**Plurality** is the state of having multiple headmates collectively sharing a single body. A group of headmates is called a system. Plural experiences are extremely diverse. Systems may be spiritual in nature or secular, median or partitionary, small systems or ones with thousands of headmates.

Headmates are generally assumed to have their own unique personality. They often have their own names, pronouns, goals, and preferences.

Referring to the system they belong to is often done using plural pronouns like we, us, them, and they, although it is best to ask. They may want to be seen as an individual, a part of a whole, an accompaniment to the core or host, or any other state of selfhood. Plurality comes in many forms.

## Causes

Plurality has many causes. This can include:

* Traumagenic systems, resulting from a traumatic event or post-traumatic stress.
* Systems created through tulpamancy or other explicit acts.
* Spiritual systems who chalk up their plurality to metaphysical reasons.
* Other causes, which can be grouped under the umbrella term endogenic.
* Mixed-origin systems, which have been created from a combination of causes.

## Symbols

The plural rings were created by Tracee of ouregaiya and/or Iris of Astraea in October 2011 and was spread through Email and Livejournal.

The ampersand was adopted by the community, and some systems prefer to be referred to as you& or similarly use ampersands in reference to themselves.

The treblesand was created anonymously and for the use of anyone under the plural umbrella.

## Related Terms

Multiplicity is a synonym of plurality, and are often used interchangeably. Plural is an umbrella term for all kinds of experiences as well — so much so that the wiki itself is named using it. Comparatively, a singlet refers to someone who is not plural. Not to be confused with singletsona.
Epochal Division

An **epochal division** is a clinical term coined by Richard P Kluft in ~1988 in relation to "extremely complex multiple personality disorder", now called polyfragmented DID. It has been shown to be relatively common in such systems, and refers to a phenomena where major life changes cause systems to replicate some or all of their alters, with the previously existing alters either remaining active or becoming more covert/dormant. This phenomenon may be misinterpreted or described as a system reset by systems unfamiliar with the term or who wish to use less medical terminology.

Kluft listed the following reasons for epochal divisions:

* A wish to make a new start
* Rebirth fantasies
* Anniversaries
* Moving
* Change in schools
* Change in family structure
* Marriage
* Pressure to escape life

1. ↑ The Phenomenology and Treatment of Extremely Complex Multiple Personality Disorder, Richard P. Kluft, 1988
Introject

Introjection, the opposite of projection, is the process in which a person unconsciously absorbs qualities or aspects of external reality (such as an object, person, character, etc.) into their psyche. Some common examples of this could be a child adopting the same values as their caregiver, or a fan beginning to speak more like their favorite character from a TV show. Psychoanalytical theory suggests that introjection creates a mental representation (ie; an introject) of the external reality. This can be a natural part of development or a type of defense mechanism and it isn't inherently connected to plurality or multiplicity.

## Introjects in Multiplicity

In systems, introjection can sometimes create system members. This is when a system member is based off of an external figure such as an object, person, or character. In Dissociative Identity Disorder or Other Specified Dissociative Disorder, these system members are commonly called introject alters or copy alters. In the plural community, system members that are introjects may be called fictives when they're based on fictional sources or factives when they're based on real sources. Some members of the plural community may also identify that their soulbonds, walk-ins, and otherkin system members resulted from introjection, but this isn't always the case.

**Find a comic on introject alters in DID/OSDD here.**

## Flag

Multiplemogai created a flag for introjects in traumagenic DID/OSDD systems on April 24 2021, using the definition of "an alter based on an outside source". They created it for use by only traumagenic DID/OSDD systems, as they do not believe that they and systems like them have anything in common with non-disordered plurals. The meanings of the stripes are as follows:

* Orange represents the source that the introject comes from, regardless of whether it is fictional, factual or something else
* Grey represents the process of introjecting the source by splitting, which sometimes includes the creation of pseudomemories.
* Off-white represents identity and the process of finding their new identity and fitting into their new life.
* Light green represents individuality and growing past their introjected identity
* Dark green represents connection to source, regardless of how strong it is, and acknowledges that some introjects may even retain a heavy connection to their source after integrating with other alter(s).

## References

1. ↑ https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/introjection
2. ↑ https://dictionary.apa.org/introjection
3. ↑ https://did-research.org/did/alters/functions
4. ↑ http://traumadissociation.com/alters#introject
5. ↑ http://astraeasweb.net/plural/glossary.html#introject
6. ↑ Introject flag by multiplemogai on Tumblr
7. ↑ FAQ by multiplemogai
Eraser

*The following information was originally published on Pluralpedia, and is being published here for additional archiving purposes. You can find the Pluralpedia article for this page here.*

An **eraser** headmate is one that purposely takes memories away from others, often for their protection.

Erasers help to keep trauma memories from spreading between headmates by keeping them for themselves or giving them to other headmates.

They are more common with amnesiac systems, like in DID.

## Related Terms

Erasers share common traits with other kinds of headmates, like gatekeepers and Internal Self Helpers (ISH). However, erasers have the specific role of taking existing memories away in addition to quarantining them.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X48qOtEcRWs
Accuser

**NOTE:** This page is missing proper references in some areas. If you have access to/links of the original posts in which this was coined, we **urge** you to add them as references!

### Community

Headmates

An **accuser** is a headmate that is similar to a persecutor but is focused almost solely on framing a member of the system (usually a host) as a terrible person guilty of crimes. This behavior isn't necessarily out of hatred, but may be out of internalized fear or guilt.

While there appears to not be an accurate link to the original coining post, the oldest mention of this term that could be easily traced was on March 1st, 2021, when the Pluralpedia page was created. No coiner is attributed. Two flags were created by Tumblr user mogaiboards on November 2nd, 2021.

The term is based off of the word "accuser".

1. ↑ reqs: open for flag making!//inbox: 2 on Tumblr: system roles flags!
2. ↑ Accuser - Pluralpedia

## Gallery

Accuser flag by mogaiboardsSimplified accuser flag by mogaiboards
Original

An **original** is the headmate that existed before anyone else. They may have split, conjured thoughtforms, accepted walk-ins, or otherwise had their system begin, but no one has existed before them.

Not every system has an original.

## Related Terms

Core and original are often used interchangeably, but usually, there is usually one original while there can be multiple cores.
Fictive

A fictive is a system member who is or is based off a fictional character. They can have memories that may or may not have happened in their source's canon, and they can internally look like their source's self but they don't have to. They may also act like their source's self but not all do. Fictives are often psychologically-based introjects, but not all, as some may be soulbonds and more metaphysically based. Fictives who are introjects are usually based on the way the brain perceived the character, so they may not be exactly like someone else sees the character, but they still identify as that character to some extent.

The term fictive originated from the soulbonding community, but is now used throughout the plural community and in the Dissociative Identity Disorder community, with some individuals in the DID community believing it originated in that community.

A more extensive history may be found here.

### Related Terms

A **post-fictive** is a system member who formed as a fictive, but is so different from their source that they no longer consider themselves to fully be a fictive. The term can also be used to indicate that they no longer consider themselves a fictive at all. The term was coined by Infinity's End System. A similar term, post-factive, was coined by the same system as a variation of the term factive.

A **pre-fictive** is a system member who did not originally form as a fictive, but feels that they are becoming one, or that the fictive identity is otherwise important to them. It is the opposite of the term post-fictive. It was coined by alternonhuman on Tumblr.

A member of a median system who has a fictional identity that feels in-between being a fictive and being fictionkin due to having similar experiences to both is called a **fableing**. The term was coined by flock-of-changes and vagabond-sun. The term for a member of a non-median system who has experiences in between a fictive and fictionkin is **fictish**.

The alternative DID/OSDD-1 community specific term for fictive is fictroject, and it was coined by 2short2ride on Tumblr.

Fictive flag by yourfavisafictiveFictive flag by Polybius NetworkFictive by beyond-mogai-pride-flagsFictive flag by multiplemogai (trauma DID/OSDD-1 system exclusive)1. ↑ Discussion of post-fictive on r/Plural
2. ↑ Post-fictive on Pluralpedia
3. ↑ Pre-fictive by alternonhuman on Tumblr
4. ↑ Fableing coining post on Tumblr
5. ↑ Fictroject and factroject by 2short2ride on Tumblr
Enforcer

⚠️ **TRIGGER WARNING** ⚠️

This page discusses potentially triggering topics. This can include discussions related to trauma, abuse, mature themes, or bigotry. If you are not in a good mindset, please do not read this page.

***TW: This article contains sensitive or potentially triggering content regarding abuse. Please take care when reading if you are sensitive to such content.***

An **enforcer** is a sub-type of persecutor who enforces the “lessons” learned through abuse against members of their own system. They may punish members of the system or the body with physical or emotional pain for disobeying the desires of abusers. This type of role does not often happen spontaneously; it’s nearly always forcefully created by abusers who tell them that if they don’t do this job, the system will be hurt worse.

## Related Terms

Disciplinarians are similar to enforcers, but less frequently coerced into the role through abusers directly, and imprisoners may be a type of enforcer in some systems.

Programming is associated with this role.
Complex PTSD

**Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder** (C-PTSD) is a kind of PTSD caused by repeated traumas over a longer period of time. It usually also involves a change in perception and thinking. All C-PTSD is PTSD, but not all PTSD is C-PTSD, and symptoms specific to C-PTSD include:

* Dissociation and change in consciousness (including depersonalization and derealization)
* Emotional regulation issues; uncontrollable outbursts of anger, for example
* Negative self-perception accompanied by ongoing shame and guilt, sometimes to the point of not feeling like anyone else
* Unstable relationships with others, like avoiding others, distrusting everyone by default, etc.
* Harmful behaviors like drug abuse or self-harm

C-PTSD is more common in cases where the trauma occurs in childhood, involving a trusted adult or peer, happens over and over again, and escape was perceived as impossible. It does not directly correlate with the "severity" of trauma.

## History

Judith Herman first introduced the concept of Complex PTSD in her book *Trauma and Recovery* in 1992. She distinguished between "Type I Traumas" (short term, like sexual assault or a mugging) leading to PTSD, and "Type II Traumas" (long term, like childhood neglect) leading to C-PTSD.

The distinction has not been recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, and thus, the last two editions of the DSM have not included C-PTSD as a separate diagnosis.

However, other influential organizations, including the World Health Organization's ICD-11, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Healthdirect Australia, and the NHS have all recognized C-PTSD as a separate but related disorder to PTSD.

## Related Terms

Complex PTSD is common amongst traumagenic systems, including DID and in OSDD-1 & -2. Specific symptoms listed above may be held by specific headmates, like a dissonaut holding dissociation symptoms, or a trauma breaker to help the system handle negative past experiences.
Sector

Sector is a system structure term. It refers to a subdivision of a layer that experiences memory separation and/or communication difficulties. It was coined by The Temenē Alliance in 2019 or earlier, and was added to the short-lived Blossom bot in July 2020.

It is primarily a term used by systems with Dissociative Identity Disorder or another disorder that caused their system, or systems that are otherwise disordered and not seeking diagnosis, but can also be used by Polygenic systems that are overall not disordered but have a portion of their system that experiences memory separation and/or communication difficulties.
Anxiety Holder

An anxiety holder is a type of symptom holder headmate which holds onto anxiety, often to prevent other headmates from feeling that anxiety. This may be anxiety about specific events, day-to-day anxiety, or even anxiety about the system itself.

These headmates are most common in systems with comorbid anxiety disorders, but an anxiety disorder is not required to have an anxiety holder.

## Related Terms

* Symptom Holder is the general term for headmates that hold neurodivergent symptoms.
* Trauma Holders hold trauma instead of anxiety, but the roles may be intertwined.
* Solliciten are headmates with roles related to anxiety, but aren't anxiety holders.
* Anxieforms are headmates that formed from another headmate's fear or anxiety.
Avenger

*The following information was originally published on Pluralpedia, and is being published here for additional archiving purposes. You can find the Pluralpedia article for this page here.*

An **avenger** is a type of protector system member that is angrier in nature than other protectors, normally but not always as a result of trauma.

These protectors tend to hold the anger of the system and/or other system members, and lash out at those outside the system, with the intent to protect the system.

These protectors can also be referred to as anger holders.

In systems with type B trauma, an **avenger** will often seek revenge against the abuser or abusers.
Integration

**Integration** is often described as the opposite of dissociation; it is the act of processing information and incorporating said information into one's worldview and understanding of themself. In treatment for dissociative disorders like Dissociative Identity Disorder, integration refers to all steps of recovering from dissociation. The ISSTD defines integration as "a broad, longitudinal process referring to all work on dissociated mental processes throughout treatment." This includes things such as processing past trauma, reducing the barriers between system members, bettering internal communication, reducing overall dissociation, and fusion.

It should be noted that integration is often mistakenly used to describe fusion, despite fusion being a form of integration. All forms of integration are common and valid experiences in the plural community.

## References

1. ↑ EducaDID: What is Dissociation vs Integration? | Lesson #1 - Multiplicityandme
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Guidelines for Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder in Adults, Third Revision, International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, 2011
Depersonalization

**Depersonalization** occurs when one persistently or repeatedly has the feeling that they are observing themselves from outside their body, has the sense that things around them aren't real, or both.

## Related Terms

Depersonalization is a form of dissociation, along with derealization.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depersonalization-derealization-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20352911
IFSgenic

**IFSgenic** is a system origin under iatrogenic, where the system origin has something to do with IFS, either the act of doing IFS therapy has caused the system, or the IFS parts ended up becoming system members (while they were a system beforehand). The therapy still would work with system member parts.

1. ↑ https://plurgai-archive.tumblr.com/post/647748817448468481/ifsgenic-when-your-system-origin-has-something-to
Factional

*The following information was originally published on Pluralpedia, and is being published here for additional archiving purposes. You can find the Pluralpedia article for this page here.*

**Factional** refers to a headmate who is a fictional character in this universe; identifies as a fictional character but doesn’t consider themselves fictional; has had past lives as the character or person they identify as/are; identifies as a fictional character or factive of someone but doesn’t connect much to their source self; or a member who is in some other way spiritually connected to a character or person.

It was primarily created with those in mind who don’t like the terms fictive, factive, etc and how they often carry some connotations that they might not actually really be who they identify as, just based on them, but can be used by anyone who relates to it in someway.

## Related Terms

Fuzztive and fogtive refer to headmates who are partially, somewhat, or almost a fictive/factive, but it doesn't seem ‘quite right’ or ‘entirely accurate’.

Quoisourced refers to a headmate that is unsure if they have a source or feels that the binary of sourced and sourceless doesn't fit them.

Post-Fictive and Post-Factive refer to headmates that previously held a fictive/factive identity but no longer considers themselves to be that same person.

## References

1. https://sites.google.com/view/dodstoldterms/home
-based suffix

*The majority of this information has been moved to another page. This page has been kept for greater archiving purposes.*

The **-based suffix** is a plurality-related suffix created by plurgai on Tumblr. It is for system structures, functions, etc that modify how the system works or are a type of system, but not the true origin of how the system came to be. It can also include systems who had a specific origin but later started having more system members of different types than system members who come from the original origin. The creator has stated that they are open to more -based terms being created than the ones they originally created, provided that the term is derived from an already-existing origin or is coined at the same time as a newly coined origin.

So far, -based terms have been created for the following origins:

* Neurodivergent Interest Origins
* Traumagenic
* Willogenic
* Catharigenic
* Dreagenic
* Solumgenic
* Pregenic
* Paragenic
* Neurogenic

The following -based terms do not have a known -genic suffix complement:

* **Horrorbased**: A system that is based in *horror* (the emotion). this means that it affects the way your system exists in someway, with it being able to affect your innerworld, functions, alter roles, and/or alters, but it isn’t necessarily an 'origin’. Coined by sayagender on Tumblr.
* **Fearbased**: A system that is based in *fear*. this means that it affects the way your system exists in someway, with it being able to affect your innerworld, functions, alter roles, and/or alters, but it isn’t necessarily an 'origin’. Coined by sayagender on Tumblr.

Spinbased/Fixabased flag by plurgai on TumblrTraumabased flag by plurgai on TumblrWillobased flag by plurgai on tumblrCatharibased flag by plurgai on TumblrDreambased flag by noiacollective on TumblrSolumbased flag by plurgai on TumblrPrebased flag by plurgai on TumblrParabased flag by sys-positive on TumblrNeurobased flag by sys-positive on TumblrHorrorbased flag by sayagenderFearbased flag by sayagender
1. ↑ -based coining post by plurgai on Tumblr
2. ↑ Coining new -based terms by plurgai on Tumblr
3. ↑ horrorbased | fearbased by sayagender on Tumblr
Rehabilitator

A **rehabilitator**, also called a **persecutor rehabilitator**, is a headmate whose job is to 'rehabilitate', or attempt to "[restore] someone to health or normal life through training and therapy."

Rehabilitators often work with headmates that can be considered dangerous, such as intentional harmers, persecutors, aggressors, malicitors, or attackers. In order to rehabilitate the headmates, they may act as a therapist for the headmate in question, or really anything else the headmate needs in order to heal and become less harmful.

In addition, a rehabilitator may be able to act as a gatekeeper for the headmate they are rehabilitating or even other headmates, be able to control their memories and their fronting abilities. This may be to keep other headmates safe, or to help them remember what they did was wrong and way. Rehabilitators often, but not always, front alongside the rehabilitatee, often keeping enough of a distance so that the rehabilitatee feels as though they are not being constantly watched, but staying close enough to jump in if necessary.

## Related Terms

Rehabilitators may also have other roles: such as peacemaker, diplomat, or translator in order to ease tension between the rehabilitatee and others, and soother, protector, therapist, and caretaker in order to help rehabilitate the rehabilitatee as effectively as possible. If a Rehabilitator doesn't have those roles, or needs help, they may often pair up with others with those roles so that their rehabilitatee might be healed as much as possible.

A rehabilitator may be or may work with a debugger.

A rehabilitator may be a imprisoner, confronter, or exposure therapist.
Splitting

*This article is about splitting as it relates to plurality. If you are looking for information about idealization and devaluation, that can be found on the Borderline Personality Disorder page.*

⚠️ **TRIGGER WARNING** ⚠️

This page discusses potentially triggering topics. This can include discussions related to trauma, abuse, mature themes, or bigotry. If you are not in a good mindset, please do not read this page.

> *Abuse (non-specific discussion)*
>
>

**Splitting**, in plurality terms, is the opposite of fusion. It is the process whereby a new alter forms in a dissociative identity disorder or other dissociative system. It is a psychiatric term. It is a survival skill, and can become a maladaptive coping mechanism, even if it is initially necessary to survive trauma. The popular movie "Split" is not an accurate depiction of splitting, or of dissociative disorders in general. In the case of ritual abuse, splits may be purposely engineered by the abuser(s). The term "splitting" is also used in the broader plural community, typically with less of a medical lens and merely to describe a new system member coming into existence, although it does not apply to thoughtforms or soulbonds.

Contrary to a belief that many singlets (people who do not have systems) hold, splits can occur in adulthood, and there is no particular age limit for splitting once an individual has become capable of dissociating in this matter. Splitting can be painful for a system, or they can be unaware of it.

Splits in systems can have a wide variety of roles, and can be based off an external figure. Counterintuitively, despite being created by trauma, splits can be unaware of the trauma the system experienced, as this is frequently necessary for survival. This does not inherently mean that the system is mixed-origin.

1. ↑ Split: Why Mental Health Experts are Critical of the Movie on Healthline
2. ↑ Impacts of Trauma on ra-info.org
3. ↑ Split on Pluralpedia
4. ↑ Splitting on did-research.org
5. ↑ What does splitting feel like to you? on r/DID
6. ↑ 20 Types of Dissociative Splits in DID Systems on discussingdissociation.com
-tien

**-tien** is a suffix which describes the function of a system opposed to its origin, similarly to the -based suffix. A primary difference is that users of the -tien suffix must support all system origins, including Tulpagenic systems. As a result of this, many plurals prefer the -based suffix.

The term was coined by Tumblr user hive-hearted on April 19th, 2020. No flag has since been made.

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 parogenic aquatien system of 6 — two new system words! (archive.org)
Internal Protector

**Internal protectors** are a form of protector whose role is to protect specifically headmates internally, be it from other headmates, or for any other reason, such as being a DNI Holder.

Internal protectors may also take on any other protector role in order to best perform their duties, or they may simply just be able to protect internally.

## Related Terms

These headmates can also fall under being a janusian, as they are a form of Protector.

Internal Protectors might also be considered a type of gatekeeper if they are able to prevent headmates from fronting or can remove headmates from front if deemed necessary, but not all internal protectors have this ability, so the two don't necessarily go hand-in-hand.

Headmates who handle external threats may be external protectors.
Duximagenic

*The following information was originally published on Pluralpedia, and is being published here for additional archiving purposes. You can find the Pluralpedia article for this page here.*

Duximagenic (Duxitanimagenic for long) mean to be "recreated" in the mind due to external factors like mental illness, physical illness, traumatic incidents, etc. A Duximagenic headmate, referred to as a Duxima or a Duxitanima, does not have a source that is reflected in the outside world (including original character universes) like a fictive or charabond.

Duximagenic is a replacement for "brain-made" (and even non-fictive) made for spiritual headmates who were not created in the brain, but more accurately brought into the mind without relation to the world of the body they reside in. This can include a lost souls (or a soul from another universes') body being brought into or "recreated" inside the body it is being put into.

Duxima, in Duximagenic, comes from the latin word "Duxit", meaning brought, and "Anima", meaning soul.

## History

This term was coined by Minho from Satellite within the Poet Polyplex after coming to the conclusion that "brain-made" or "non-fictive" headmates within the polyplex were, in fact, neither of those. This term is meant for spiritual systems, like Soulbond systems for example.
Warden

*The following information was originally published on Pluralpedia, and is being published here for additional archiving purposes. You can find the Pluralpedia article for this page here.*

A **warden** is a sub-type of protector that keeps the system safe from malicitors, trechtors, and persecutors by acting as a barrier between persecutors and other headmates. Wardens may act as a communicator for a persecutor to others (and vice versa). They may also keep persecutors separated from the rest of the headmates for the safety of others with the express intent of rehabilitation and/or reform - not punishment.

The term is derived from the name of a chief officer of a prison in the United States - called a *superintendent*, *governor*, or *director* in other parts of the world. Warden as a plural term was originally inspired by Caroline and Justine from Persona 5.

The persecutor counterparts of wardens are called imprisoners.

## References

1. ↑ https://fallenheartsgalaxy.tumblr.com/post/627641734139166720/another-plural-terminology-dump-yes-we-use-all
Derealization

**Derealization** is a type of dissociation that includes feelings of being detached from the world or things around oneself, or a foggy or distorted world. It's described in various ways, such as feeling like a mech pilot in one's own body.

Like other forms of dissociation, derealization is not specific to plural systems. In a plurality context though, it can often coincide with blending.

In the *Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition* (DSM-V), derealization is defined as:

> Experiences of unreality or detachment with respect to surroundings (e.g., individuals or objects are experienced as unreal, dreamlike, foggy, lifeless, or visually distorted).
>
>

## Related Terms

Dissociation is an umbrella term that includes derealization.
Martyr

A **martyr**, or offering, is a member that will put themselves in dangerous situations, usually to help or protect the system. This may usually be in the shared reality/meatspace. These alters may also be known as offerings.

Martyrs may act out in ways that get the system in trouble, such as running away, self harm, engaging in addictions, or saying or doing irrational things. They may also take punishments for the system, or front during stressful or dangerous situations. Sometimes, but not always, martyrs will push away or lock out other system members while doing these things in an attempt to protect others from the consequences.

Martyrs can be any other role alongside being a martyr and depending on the severity of their actions, may be considered a persecutor. Martyrs do not do what they do out of malicious or spiteful intent, but instead doing what they do to protect the system.
UDD

**Unspecified Dissociative Disorder** (USDD) is diagnosed when a dissociative disorder is present but does not fully meet the criteria for any identifiably distinct disorder.

An individual is diagnosed with USDD if their clinician chooses not to specify the reason they do not fit the criteria for a different disorder. USDD may be used when the clinician does not choose to disclose more information about the dissociative disorder being diagnosed or is diagnosing quickly in emergency settings.

## Related Terms

USDD is a diagnostic code in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-V).

USDD is a partial replacement for Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (DDNOS) from the DSM-4, alongside its counterpart, Other Specified Dissociative Disorder.

## Gallery

USDD flag by plurgaiUSDD System flag by plurgai
Proxying

*The following information was originally published on Pluralpedia, and is being published here for additional archiving purposes. You can find the Pluralpedia article for this page here.*

**Proxying** generally is where one entity is relaying a message from another. There are two more specific meanings in common use in the plural community.

### Meaning 1

Proxying is where a headmate is able to speak using their own name and avatar on chat platforms like Discord through the use of bots like PluralKit, or other similar software.

This makes it clearer who is speaking, and also helps headmates make their distinct identities known by others in the chat.

When this isn't possible, members might sign their name or use emojis to distinguish who's speaking. In an in-person conversation, fronting bracelets, rings, or other similar indicators might be used.

### Meaning 2

Proxying is where a headmate's messages are being relayed through another member of the system. This can happen for multiple reasons, but is often because they aren't or can't front but are still co-conscious.

Sometimes, the person being relayed is not a headmate. This can include NPCs, as well as other beings, such as residents of the inner world of a gateway system.

## Related Terms

A proxy is a string of text used to indicate which member a message should be proxied as, which is used by software like PluralKit and Tupperbox.

A system tag is text that identifies which system a member belongs to, which are often used for proxied messages.
Depersonalizaton

**Depersonalization** occurs when one persistently or repeatedly has the feeling that they are observing themselves from outside their body, has the sense that things around them aren't real, or both.

## Related Terms

Depersonalization is a form of dissociation, along with derealization.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depersonalization-derealization-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20352911
Theories of Existence (Endogenic)

Not all endogenic systems adhere to the same theories on how they came to be, and not all endogenic systems have the same spiritual or psychological beliefs (if they even have any) regarding their system. Not all endogenic systems believe they came to be by the theory of structural dissociation. We’ve seen a least a few systems cite theories on hypnosis as a possible explanation to their plurality, and others may have other reasons based in psychology or science.

There are also endogenic systems that hold spiritual or metaphysical views on their plurality. This does not prevent the system from holding psychological explanations alongside their spiritual beliefs, or imply that the whole endogenic community follows the same beliefs. Metaphysical beliefs do not negate a system’s plurality either, not any more than a metaphysical belief on any other condition would.

Not all endogenic systems hold metaphysical views on their system, and not all endogenic systems who hold psychological views necessarily adhere to theories for traumagenic plurality. Every system is unique, and even those in a system may not be able to agree on what they believe caused their existence. Metaphysical beliefs aside, an endogenic system is still plural, and an endogenic system can exist with or without intimate knowledge of how they came to be.
Co-host

*The following information was originally published on Pluralpedia, and is being published here for additional archiving purposes. You can find the Pluralpedia article for this page here.*

A **co-host** is a headmate that shares the duties of day to day fronting with other members of the system. They may be secondary to a primary host, or equally share the role between multiple members.

## Related Terms

Co-host is a modifier of host. Perinaut is a similar term describing outward-facing members of the system. Co-hosts may be mains as well.

## Gallery

Co-host flag by polyextranth.Simplified co-host flag by polyextranth.
Apparently Normal Parts

⚠️ **TRIGGER WARNING** ⚠️

This page discusses potentially triggering topics. This can include discussions related to trauma, abuse, mature themes, or bigotry. If you are not in a good mindset, please do not read this page.

## Apparently Normal Parts

### Community

Psychiatric community & System community

The **Apparently Normal Part** (ANP) is the part of the self that handles daily life after trauma. According to the theory of Structural Dissociation, the experience of the trauma is disowned by the ANP to the emotional part (EP) of the self. The ANP may or may not remember their trauma. They typically feel avoidant and detached towards their trauma.

Anyone who has a trauma-related disorder will experience an ANP; it is not inherently related to plurality or systems. According to the theory of Structural Dissociation, people who have more complex dissociative disorders will have more than one ANP. Systems with dissociative disorders like Other Specified Dissociative Disorder and Dissociative Identity Disorder might have ANP that have turned into system members, or system members who have their own ANP. Typically, the host is seen as an ANP.

ANP can be a beneficial label to some systems and help them understand their experiences. Some other systems may rebuke this label for reasons such as being adverse to parts language or feeling as if the term is too restrictive. Like any term, ANP should only be used for self-identification or therapeutic purposes and not forced onto others.

## History

Apparently Normal Parts (ANP), Emotional Parts (EP), and other ideas of Structural Dissociation come from Charles Samual Myers, a psychologist who worked with soldiers during World War One. He put the "shell shock" (now PTSD) into the scientific lexicon in the early 1900s and described it in the context of dissociation. Later, researchers Ellert Nijenhuis, Onno van der Hart, & Kathy Steele proposed the theory of Structural Dissociation in 2004 by incorporating Myers' terminology into more modern understandings of dissociation and child development.

EP and ANP are not strict or flawless categories. Parts of a dissociative system who fall outside of these categories, or do not fully fit them, are still fully valid. It's acknowledged by researchers like Kathy Steele that ANP can have qualities of EP, and vice versa. According to Steele and fellow researcher, Suzette, "we will therefore refer to ANP as parts that function in daily life, regardless of their appearance of normality or dysfunction," and "we will refer to EPs as parts fixed in trauma-time."

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 **van der Hart, O., Nijenhuis, E. R. S., & Steele, K.** **(2006)**. The haunted self: Structural dissociation and the treatment of chronic traumatization.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Steele, K., Boon, S., & van der Hart, O. (2017). *Treating trauma-related dissociation: A practical, integrative approach.* W W Norton & Co.
Communication Barriers

**Communication barriers** are barriers in a system that block thoughts, emotions, conversation or any other method of in-system communication between headmates.

Communication barriers may be total, preventing the members from being aware of each other or they may be partial, and only affect certain aspects of communication. They may be system wide, or affect only specific members or types of communication and they may be transient, in that they change over time.

Communication barriers can often be a large obstacle to system harmony as not being able to communicate with one another can be very stressful, and although they are often associated with traumagenic DID systems, they are not exclusive to this group and may be experienced by any system.

## Related Terms

Communication ability refers to how systems manage communication between headmates.

Amnesic barriers are another type of barrier that can hinder in-system communication.

Integration often involves lowering barriers between headmates, allowing for easier communication.
Fictish

A **fictish** is a headmate who originally formed as a brainmade headmate and at a later point, for any reason, forms the characteristics/aspects of a fictional character. This can be done for any reason. These headmates are not introjects and may or may not consider themselves sourced.

The term is derived from the word "fictive". They are "fictiveish" in that they derive from a piece of fiction, but are distinct from fictives.

The term was originally mentioned by Tumblr user ironwoodcollective on May 23rd, 2023, and term was coined by the Tumblr user ironwoodcollective on June 17th, 2023.

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Systematically Dysfunctional on Tumblr: Fictish
2. ↑ Systematically Dysfunctional on Tumblr: 🌳 We've begun mentally using the term "fictish" for Blysse and Blue. What we mean by this is a headmate who draws some part(s)...
Exotraumagenic

A system, subsystem or sidesystem that is formed completely or partially as a result of exotrauma, otherwise known as trauma that did not happen to the system's physical body in this universe. This term was coined by Dödstöld Package, and an alternate term for this origin is Exogenic.

## Flags

Exotraumagenic flag by Dödstöld PackageSimplifed flag by Cluster BrainsSimplified flag by Cluster Brains without flame picture
Multiplex

*The following information was originally published on Pluralpedia, and is being published here for additional archiving purposes. You can find the Pluralpedia article for this page here.*

**Multiplex** is a system with

a) ten+ subsystems and at least one sidesystem,

b) ten+ sidesystems and at least one subsystem, or

c) all of the above (ten+ subsystems and ten+ sideystems).

## Related Terms

A polyfragmented system is one that has a large number of headmates, and frequently have subsystems and sidesystems as well.

## References

1. ↑ https://dodstoldpackage.tumblr.com/post/628914111533678592/system-origins
2. ↑ https://sites.google.com/view/plural-terms/system-modifiers?authuser=0#h.70pn5bgif7tn
Bionaut

*The following information was originally published on Pluralpedia, and is being published here for additional archiving purposes. You can find the Pluralpedia article for this page here.*

A **bionaut** is a headmate who handles external life due to being disconnected from past trauma. Because they are unburdened from past experiences (whether from emotional apathy, amnesia, or other factors), it makes them a good candidate to handle fronting long term.

## Related Terms

Caesian is similar to bionaut, as they both mean headmates detached from a system's trauma (whether it be bodily trauma, exotrauma, intratrauma, etc.) However, the latter specifies that the headmate in question is at least partially in charge of daily life.

Like outernaut & perinaut, the -naut suffix relates to fronting habits.

## References

1. ↑ https://septembersanctuary.tumblr.com/post/652912893366534144/bionaut
Disciplinarian

A **disciplinarian** is a type of protector headmate who disciplines other headmates with good intentions to promote better behavior.

A disciplinarian might not front to deal with outside threats. It may be a specialty of theirs instead of having to deal with the world. They may hear from another person in command, like the host or a gatekeeper, to punish headmates who may have acted out of line or against system rules. This may allow another protector to focus on external threats, while the disciplinarian punishes inside threats.

## Related Terms

Enforcers play a similar role, but they are more often directly instructed by abusers to do their job, unlike disciplinarians. Imprisoners may be seen as a subtype of disciplinarian.
Core

The **core** is a headmate with a direct connection to the body's pre-plural self. Not every system has one, and not every system had a point at which they were not plural.

The core often inherits the personality, identity, and/or memories of the pre-plural self.

## Related Terms

The host is the headmate who is most active or most responsible for day-to-day activities, which can be distinct from the core. Some systems also have an original, or a headmate that existed before becoming plural; these are more common in thoughtform systems.

Core is sometimes used in median systems to refer to the central member(s) or identity that most or all of the members are facets of. This is also known as a main. In this context, the core might not behave as a connection to who the body was pre-plurality or be the original member.
Attragenic

*The following information was originally published on Pluralpedia, and is being published here for additional archiving purposes. You can find the Pluralpedia article for this page here.*

**Attragenic** refers to systems or headmates that originate from attraction. This term can be used for any sort of attraction, or a mix of several.

## Related Terms

Attragenic is based on the term amorgenic, which is an origin for systems or headmates originating through romantic yearning. Amorgenic itself is based on the term amorform.
Adaptive

An **adaptive** system is a system that formed in order to cope with trauma, i.e., to adapt to the traumatic environment they were in. It has many similarities to traumagenic, and an alternative term for those who don't like -genic origin labels or find them confusing. It was coined by Emmengard. The coiner's stated reason for their creation and use of the term was because using traumagenic "felt like it was throwing our trauma in our faces". The term was coined prior to 2019, but popularized after the Plural Positivity World Conference in 2019. The term adaptive is not exclusive of using other origin labels/descriptors. In the plurality rings symbol colorized by the creator to represent many types of systems and their unity, green represents adaptive systems, for their healing and overcoming adverse experiences.

It is one of five origins in the Emmengard Origin System, along with Spontaneous, Created, Unknown and Mixed.

### Flags

A flag for adaptive systems was created by Grey Skies. The colors in the flag were based on succulents, which have a tough outer layer that protects their insides. There is a regular version and a transparent version.

A flag for mixed origin adaptive systems and those who support them was created by PatricianRoryPrisogika. The colors are taken from the adaptive color and its intersections on the colorized plural rings symbol.

Adaptive flag by Grey SkiesTransparent version of Grey Skies' adaptive flagMixed adaptive flag created by PatricianRoryPrisogika
1. ↑ Adaptive coining post by Emmengard on Dreamwidth
2. ↑ Adaptive flag by greysdawn
Blend

A **blend** is a specific identity as a result of two or more headmates blurring together. They can be as detailed as having a specific gender, exomemories, a typing style, etc., or as vague as just being "different". Typically, blends are temporary.

## Related Terms

An introject of a blend is called a fustive, and a permanent combination of headmates is referred to as a fusion. Dissociation is common cause for the blending in the first place, but not all blends are inherently dissociative. Another name for a blend is a "blur".
Headmate

*The following information was originally published on Pluralpedia, and is being published here for additional archiving purposes. You can find the Pluralpedia article for this page here.*

A **headmate** is a singular person or entity in a plural system or collective. They can be clearly separated (like in DID or OSDD-1b, called a multiple or partitionary system) or more blurry and fluid (like in median or OSDD-1a).

## Related Terms

An alter is the medical term for a headmate, however it has never exclusively referred to systems with traumatic origins and these terms have interchangeable definitions. It is up to a specific system to decide whatever terminology they prefer.

"System member" and "pluran" are other common ways to refer to headmates. "Sysmate" is also used by some, particularly by those who dislike the connotation that system members are "in the head" or an exclusively mental phenomenon.
Anger Holder

An **anger holder** is a headmate who holds anger for the system. This can involve lashing out at random times and not handling the anger in a healthy manner. This could have overlap with a persecutor, prosecutor or protector in some cases.

An example of an anger holder could be a headmate who takes the front to lash out about something making themselves or another headmate mad.

## Related Terms

Anger holder is a subset of emotion holder.

Anger holder is similar to coltenoir, but differs in that the anger is not always dealt with in a healthy manner.