Alter Egos vs Alters in a system
"I have a different personality around different people, so I have DID." This is a statement that will make a lot of systems get angry. Why? Because DID and OSDD-1 are so much more than /just/ alters. Having a different personality around other people isn't only normal, but /everyone/ does it. It's called an alter ego. Alter egos can be defined as "another I" or "a trusted friend within." While alters from a system can be another version of you (OSDD-1a) and a trusted friend within the same body, they're different.
How? Well, for starters, even fully formed alters within a system have alter egos. Let's give a situation. You're in your friend group. You're loud and you're having fun. Now, let's say you're with someone super important. Are you still as loud and outgoing, or do you try to not annoy them? It's likely the latter. I, as an alter, am super outgoing with my friends but whenever it comes to people I don't know or who are important, I get quiet and shy. Why is that? Well, it's an alter ego, of course!
Okay, so how is this different from an alter in a system? Not only do you have different personalities around different people, but you also have a different personality in general. In the case of OSDD-1a, your "personalities" (because alters are more than personalities) will likely present as different ages of the same person - or we hear this is the most common way they present. As for OSDD-1b and DID, you're "personalities" will have different names, ages, different personalities in general, and usually different hobbies and interests. Also, if you are a system, you would have heavy dissociation at times and you would feel dissociated everyday (oftentimes, but sometimes you just don't and that's valid). You would also have identity confusion at times.
So no, just because you act different around different people or when you have different emotions (by the way, emotions make you act different because they make you /feel/ different), does /not/ mean you are a system. I will argue with someone on this, because DID and OSDD-1 is a lot more than just alters. It's quite harmful to our community if you think you're a system because you have an alter ego.
Also! You can have alters and not be a system. (This is a post to educate, not fakeclaim by the way!) It's called healthy multiplicity. How is it different from normal multiplicity and why I don't count it as a DID or OSDD system? The dissociation and negative symptoms of the disorders (because at least I'm never alone- /hj). Dissociation is a key part of the disorder, and you can't be a system without it. Dissociation /causes/ the disorder, so you can't be a system without it. Dissociation is in the /name/ of the disorder, so you can't be a system without it (dissociative identity disorder, otherwise specified dissociative disorder). So, if you have alters and the dissociative symptoms (plus some others, of course), congratulations! You're a system! /sar /j
Post brought to you by: the Fairy Collective with information by Todd Herman, a mental performance specialist who works with atheletes specifically about their alter egos on the court/field, and off.
