Frequently Asked Questions
What is multiplicity? What is a "multiple system"?
Multiplicity is the state of there being more than one person in a single body. A system refers to the group of people in a body. The people in a system can be as different as any two people in different bodies; they may have different hobbies, skills, identities, ages, etc. A body can begin its life as a multiple system, or one may develop multiplicity later in life for a variety of reasons—or for no known reason at all. Systems can range from as few as two people living together, to as many as hundreds. People within a system may be able to communicate or share memories, or they may not be aware that there is anybody else in the body at all; likewise, they may organize themselves in governments or other hierarchies, or they may not—in some cases, they may be actively hostile against others in the same body. In short, there is a wide variety of types of multiplicity: No two multiple systems are alike.
Isn't that Dissociative Identity Disorder/Multiple Personality Disorder?
DID can be thought of as a type of multiplicity, one where a lack of communication, memory-sharing, and general dissociation lead to dysfunction and distress in daily life. Additionally, DID is considered to arise because of a traumatic childhood, where severe trauma leads to dissociation in order to protect the mind; therefore, symptoms of (or a diagnosis of) PTSD often co-occur with DID. As we have none of these symptoms, the label does not apply.
More broadly, we do not believe that multiplicity must inherently be a mental illness or "disorder". While there are certainly systems who benefit from therapy, we have not felt the need to talk to a professional about our multiplicity. It does not impair our everyday life in any way other than the frustration of being plural in a society that expects "one body = one mind = one person".
What causes multiplicity?
Short answer: Who knows! Personality development is still largely unknown: We hardly know why a brain develops a single person. There are people who understand their multiplicity having come about due to trauma, but even here, it's unclear why some people who have experienced severe trauma develop multiplicity and others do not. For those who have not experienced trauma, the cause may simply be a difference in neurology.
Everybody has different "sides" that come out at different times. Is that what's going on?
People in a multiple system are just that--people, with all the complexities and contradictions of any other person. We each have our own different sides, emotions, and moods. We may have different functions or jobs within the group, but that doesn't mean, for example, that Ace is "the student side" and Thomas is "the social side".
Are you working towards integration? Don't you want to become one person?
While some multiple systems find that they would be better off as a single person and thus hope to integrate, it is certainly not the default state for any system; to suggest that a system should integrate is, in fact, quite offensive. Many, ourselves included, feel that forced integration is akin to murder. We are not underlyingly a single person who can be "put together again"; to integrate would be to destroy who each of us are. Furthermore, we believe that our multiplicity is either neutral or even positive to our daily life, and we do not intend to change it simply because it's "not normal".
Even for those systems who seek professional health for difficulties regarding their multiplicity, integration is rarely the goal. Communication and cooperation are typically more important to a system's well-being. For many systems, it's unclear whether long-term integration is even possible.
Multiplicity is the state of there being more than one person in a single body. A system refers to the group of people in a body. The people in a system can be as different as any two people in different bodies; they may have different hobbies, skills, identities, ages, etc. A body can begin its life as a multiple system, or one may develop multiplicity later in life for a variety of reasons—or for no known reason at all. Systems can range from as few as two people living together, to as many as hundreds. People within a system may be able to communicate or share memories, or they may not be aware that there is anybody else in the body at all; likewise, they may organize themselves in governments or other hierarchies, or they may not—in some cases, they may be actively hostile against others in the same body. In short, there is a wide variety of types of multiplicity: No two multiple systems are alike.
Isn't that Dissociative Identity Disorder/Multiple Personality Disorder?
DID can be thought of as a type of multiplicity, one where a lack of communication, memory-sharing, and general dissociation lead to dysfunction and distress in daily life. Additionally, DID is considered to arise because of a traumatic childhood, where severe trauma leads to dissociation in order to protect the mind; therefore, symptoms of (or a diagnosis of) PTSD often co-occur with DID. As we have none of these symptoms, the label does not apply.
More broadly, we do not believe that multiplicity must inherently be a mental illness or "disorder". While there are certainly systems who benefit from therapy, we have not felt the need to talk to a professional about our multiplicity. It does not impair our everyday life in any way other than the frustration of being plural in a society that expects "one body = one mind = one person".
What causes multiplicity?
Short answer: Who knows! Personality development is still largely unknown: We hardly know why a brain develops a single person. There are people who understand their multiplicity having come about due to trauma, but even here, it's unclear why some people who have experienced severe trauma develop multiplicity and others do not. For those who have not experienced trauma, the cause may simply be a difference in neurology.
Everybody has different "sides" that come out at different times. Is that what's going on?
People in a multiple system are just that--people, with all the complexities and contradictions of any other person. We each have our own different sides, emotions, and moods. We may have different functions or jobs within the group, but that doesn't mean, for example, that Ace is "the student side" and Thomas is "the social side".
Are you working towards integration? Don't you want to become one person?
While some multiple systems find that they would be better off as a single person and thus hope to integrate, it is certainly not the default state for any system; to suggest that a system should integrate is, in fact, quite offensive. Many, ourselves included, feel that forced integration is akin to murder. We are not underlyingly a single person who can be "put together again"; to integrate would be to destroy who each of us are. Furthermore, we believe that our multiplicity is either neutral or even positive to our daily life, and we do not intend to change it simply because it's "not normal".
Even for those systems who seek professional health for difficulties regarding their multiplicity, integration is rarely the goal. Communication and cooperation are typically more important to a system's well-being. For many systems, it's unclear whether long-term integration is even possible.