Terminology²

Alter - Short for alternate personality. In someone with DID/OSDD, alters are dissociated parts of the self that represent memories, emotions, and ways of relating. They are able to function independently from each other and are also referred to as “parts” because they are parts of the individual’s overall personality.

Amnesia - finding yourself unable to recall important personal information, much more serious than normal forgetfulness.

Co-consciousness - Awareness by one alter of the experience of other alters within the internal system of an individual with DID/OSDD.

Fictive - An introject that mirrors a fictional character from media such as movies, anime, or video games.

Factive - An introject that mirrors somebody in real life, such as abusers, caretakers, famous celebrities, or historical figures.

Fragment - A part of the self that lacks the emotional range or life history of an alter. Some fragments exist for very special purposes or roles and do not operate beyond the scope of these roles.

Front/Fronting - Alters at the forefront of awareness are said to be in “front”. When an alter the most aware and in control of the body, they are considered to be “fronting”.

Functional Multiplicity - A state in which a system is able to work together with its parts to achieve a functional lifestyle.

Fusion - Two alters coming together to form a single state.

Integration - The process of bringing dissociated material into consciousness, the lowering of dissociative barriers.

Passive Influence - Passive influence can be described as intrusions from alters that are not currently prominent in the mind or using the body. This may manifest as ego-alien thoughts, feelings, emotions, opinions, preferences, urges, or actions.

Plurality - A phenomenon in which multiple identities (sometimes known as parts) are present in one body.

Polyfragmented - A form of DID that often involves over one hundred DID personality states and is likely to be the result of ritual abuse or other forms of extreme sadistic abuse that extends over a long period and often involves multiple perpetrators, such as cults or institutional abuse.

Singlet - A term describing those who are not a system or do not experience plurality.

Somatization - Experiencing numerous physical complaints over several years beginning before the age of thirty.

Switching - Changing from one personality state to another. Sometimes accompanied by headaches and changes in vocal patterns, mood, or level of cognitive functioning.

Sub-system - A term describing a certain group of parts in a system that may be separated from the others in a certain way.

System - A term describing all parts of the self in DID/OSDD. A way of framing various parts as a whole as opposed to literal individual personalities.

Traumagenic - Resulting from trauma.

Trigger - Something or someone that reminds a person of past trauma, whether or not the person is aware of the connection between the two. Triggers can include such things as people, odors, events, and objects.