Plurality; What It is, what it isn't, and what it can be.

Did a friend come out to you as plural? Are you questioning if your plural yourself? Are you just looking for some more info? Fear not dear friend, you've come to the right place!

there's more, but this is all I could think of. If you have any ideas to put here, message me! @non-traumagenicsupport on tumblr!

Basic Overview

What Is Plurality?

Plurality is having more than one person living in one body.

That's it, there's no other requirements. As long as someone's more than one, they can call themselves plural.

What is a System?

A system is another term for plurality. A system is someone with more than one person in their body; just like a plural person.

You'll find some plural people don't identify as a system however, but are still plural. It may be confusing, but you don't need to understand how it works. As long as you respect their identity, you're fine.

What is a Median?

A median is someone who's halfway between plural and singlet (singlet is a non-plural person.)

How is this plural then? Well, if we deal with numbers, lets say singlets are one person, and plurals are 2. If a median is 1.5, then that's still more than one! (keep in mind its way more complicated than that, and that this measurement is oversimplified.)

Remember that some systems can also be part median and part fully plural!

there's more, but this is all I could think of. If you have any ideas to put here, message me! @non-traumagenicsupport on tumblr!

Myths That You'll Hear

Plurality is a disorder

While yeah, plurality can be a disorder, that's not always the case. Yes, DID/OSDD are very common among plural people, plurality in itself isn't always disordered. Sometimes people are just plural.

Plurality can only be caused from trauma.

This topic is a big debate in the plural community, but of MY existence as a plural system who didn't form from trauma, I can say it's false.

Plurality can be formed in many ways. Trauma can cause plurality to happen, but thats not always the case. Plurality can arise in so many different ways it's not even possible to name them all.

Plural people are dangerous.

Plural people are as dangerous as anyone else. Yes, plural people can be dangerous. But it isn't inherent.

Plurality is bad/hard to live with

Plurality can be hard to live with. Some plural people hate their plurality, there's no denying that. But it isn't inherently bad, and it isn't inherently difficult. A lot of people rely on their plurality for one reason or another.

Plurality isn't perfect either - it has its pros and cons like everything else.

there's more, but this is all I could think of. If you have any ideas to put here, message me! @non-traumagenicsupport on tumblr!

Common Terms

Alters/Headmates/Facets

These are the people in a system! There are many other words for this, but these are the main ones. Note that facets describe the people in median systems.

(Varieties include: sysmates, systemates, members, etc.)

System roles

System roles are the roles that alters/headmates take in a system. Remember, many systems have people that don't have roles, or no-one has roles in the first place!

Commonly used roles include: Host (the person who fronts the most), Protector (person who protects the body), Caretaker (someone who takes care of the body/other members of the system), Persecutor (a person who harms the system. NOTE: PERSECUTORS ARE NOT EVIL. PERSECUTORS DESERVE LOVE AND SHOULD NOT BE LOCKED UP.), Gatekeeper (a person who manages the system.), and many more!

Introjects/Introtives

Introjects are members of a system that are based on outside things. Characters, people, songs, objects, etc. You'll commonly hear Fictive/Factive, which are other terms for introjects! Fictives are introjects of fictional characters/things, Factives are introjects of real people.

REMEMBER: Introjects can't choose who they're an introject from. They are also normal people. If you meet an introject of like, your favorite youtuber, DON'T TREAT IT LIKE YOUR THEIR BIGGEST FAN. Just talk to them like they're any other person. Don't blame them for the things the person they're based on did, either.

Fronting

Fronting is the act of controlling the body. 'Who's fronting?' is basically asking who's in control right now. Multiple people can be fronting at once.

Headspace/Innerworld

The headspace/innerworld of a system is where members go when they aren't fronting. These places vary from system to system. From looks to how vivid it is to how real it feels and more. A lot of systems dont even have headspaces or innerworlds.

The -genic suffix.

-genic means how your system formed/came to be. The two most common words with this suffix you'll see are Traumagenic and Endogenic. Traumagenic means a system formed from trauma, Endogenic means a system formed in some other way. (both are umbrella terms) There are many more examples, but those are the two more common ones!

(Note: endogenic doesn't mean system without trauma, it just mean the system wasn't made because of it.)

there's more, but this is all I could think of. If you have any ideas to put here, message me! @non-traumagenicsupport on tumblr!