Anyways here's a methodology I made for identifying different alters composition and identity.
I really like making complex systems for fun! Watch out.
So, the joke is that I've reinvented the four humors. I have four base elements(?) that are very distinguished in my brain, and I use those as the base. Each of these is not an alter, but rather core parts of the whole. And the parts are: Puppy, Shark, Bug, Bot. Note that these are my personal definitions - for example bot is a very emotional presence, not cold and calculating.
If you wanna adapt this for your own use, I wouldn't recommend using the same base4 that I have, obv.
Okay! So, using the base4, you can make a lot of charts- you have your typical XY chart, with the Y axis being puppy vs bot, and the X being shark vs bug. Then, you can make a triangle chart, with each corner being 3 of the elements, giving you 4 of these charts. Then, you have dichotomies - bug vs bot, and these are simple 0-10 style charts, just placing a point on the line.
So, for each of these charts, the represent a part of identity. So, for example, shark and puppy are both heavily into physicality, like sport and play. So their dichotomy is in regards to physicality, and then the closer you are to puppy, the more the physicality is done purely for enjoyment, whereas when you get more into shark, the more it is done as a way to exercise competence, to do it for competition, ect.
So, you have different parts of your identity - what you enjoy about physicality, how do you feel about authority, ect. However, I also want to be able to express how important each dichotomy is to the alter. For example, some of us just simply don't seek out sports or anything like that.
So, for each chart, those are in turn placed onto a 0-10 scale. This scale is the final product.
So, using birdie as an example, she really isn't looking to move around a ton, play sports, ect. However, in terms of physicality, she absolutely is someone who does it for enjoyment, and is very against competition. So, the puppy-shark dichotomy would be put very low on her scale, and be placed strongly towards the puppy end.
So we look at the line second from bottom, treating each dichotomy as being on a 10-point scale. We see that she is 3 points towards puppy over shark, and the dichotomy itself is ranked at a 1.5/10 for importance to her identity. Inversely, the puppy-bug dichotomy (reactions to receiving care) is very central to her identity, but she is fairly symmetrically placed in it, favouring puppy by 1 point.
In the following post, each dichotomy will be explained. Thanks nerds!
