Alters

Someone with traumagenic plurality will have different parts inside of them. These parts are commonly known as Alters. Alters can be thought of to be a result of the dissociative process and as containing specific memories, experiences, emotions, or styles of functioning. Although separate, they are still a part of a whole person who is fragmented and compartmentalized.⁷

There are usually alters that have developed for a specific behavior and/or purpose such as: the narrator, the parent, the professional one, the student, the gatekeeper, the wise one, the sexual one, etc..⁵ These alters adopt what are commonly known as Roles in the system.

Roles³

Common roles include but are not limited to:

Host - The host is the alter that most commonly uses the body. Host alters are responsible for most aspects of daily life, though teams of fronter alters might divide up daily life to be more manageable.

Protector - Protectors are alters that protect the body, system, host, core, or other specific alters or groups of alters.

Caretaker - Caretaker alters are a unique type of protector that is focused specifically on taking care of younger, weaker, or more vulnerable alters or external children.

Persecutor - Persecutors are alters that purposefully harm the body, system, host, core, or other alters, sabotage the system’s goals or healing, or work to assist the system’s abuser(s). Sometimes, they may take the form of an abuser as an introject. It is important to realize that persecutor is not the abuser, even though he/she may sound, look, feel, and/or even have the same name as one of their abusers. Persecutors ultimately were created to protect the system and/or the secrets that they or others hold and usually are going about it in the only way they know how.⁵

Introject - Introjects are alters that are based off of an outside person or figure. Introjects may or may not see themselves as the individual that they represent.

Memory Holder - Memory holders are alters that are responsible for remembering events that are usually traumatic in nature so that other alters do not have to be confronted by the memories.

Gatekeeper - A gatekeeper is an alter that controls switching or access to front, access to an internal world or certain areas within it, or access to certain alters or memories.

Internal Self Helper - An internal self helper is an alter that holds vast amounts of knowledge about the system, alters, trauma, and/or internal workings.

Little - A little is a young alter, typically from the age of 5-9. Unlike biological children, some littles can understand abstract or complex concepts.

Fragment - A fragment is an alter that is not fully differentiated or developed. Fragments may exist to carry out a single function or job, to hold a single memory or emotion, or to represent a single idea.

Fictive - A fictive is an introject that mirrors a character from media such as movies, anime, or video games. Fictives may develop from relational trauma due to neglect. Some systems may have grown up create imaginary inner worlds to deal with the lack of presence of attachment figures. In this way, fictives are, in part, at times, substitute introjects.⁴

Factive - A factive is an introject that mirrors somebody in real life, such as famous celebrities or historical figures.