A Million Questions

Hi! I'm doing some research on multiple personalities. It's not for school. Researching is just what I do. I've been looking into both the mainstream beliefs about multiplicity and DID, as well as alternative theories. I have a zillion questions. Can anyone help me?

I'm sure if you post the questions here people will reply to the ones they feel they can respond to?

Bourbon

Okay... I've heard of the "generative" theory, which says that just as females have the ability to give birth to more humans, some minds have the ability to give birth to more minds. I can't find a reference to this idea anywhere else. Does anyone here have thoughts on the subject?

I find that to be kind of a broad question.

I mean, on one side of the spectrum, people with DID have alters that are subconsciously created out of some kind of trauma. Those minds are separate and function separate (or co-consciously), but if they body is still the same, I guess thinking it's more than one mind is questionable? I mean...it's one mind with different compartments, I guess you'd say.

And then on the other side of the spectrum you have someone like me. I have alter-egos. Which means I consciously created other personalities, and when I become them I'm simply acting like someone else other than myself without losing conscious thought of being Shawna. I know who I am, but I created the other personalities to become during different situations. Similar to DID, but my subconscious had nothing to do with it, meaning it's still all one mind.

Do you mean you intentionally created these alter egos?
It's not supposed to be an insulting question... I'm just very confused.

Hi,

Other ego states or alters are not intentionally created; they are often a defense mechanism against traumatic experiences.

- SL

Are you asking for professional opinions, or personal experiences?

There's a site called healthymultiplicity.com, which is actually a list of sites. You'll find a lot of alternative views on multiplicity, including self-proclaimed "natural multiples" who don't hold trauma or abuse responsible for their multiplicity, to people who were severely abused but still find their multiplicity a positive thing. I don't know if any of them are licensed psychologists.

I tend to fall into the "natural" quality, but I don't really claim to be "healthy."

@sisterlink: OK, I understand what you're saying about trauma. Is there a difference between an ego state and an alter, or are they two words for the same thing?

@Grey Kamelion:

Are you asking for professional opinions, or personal experiences?

Both, if possible, but I'm really more interested in personal experiences.

I tend to fall into the "natural" quality, but I don't really claim to be "healthy".

Could you explain more? I would be okay with private messaging.

Kaseiko wrote:Do you mean you intentionally created these alter egos?
It's not supposed to be an insulting question... I'm just very confused.

See, I have Borderline Personality Disorder, so yes, I intentionally created my alter-egos. But they are really only a way of personifying my emotional states. I don't 'switch' or anything, I just see myself as a different person in my head. I don't lose time or conscious thought of being Shawna (myself). My voice and mannerisms don't change, only my outward personality - it looks more bipolar than anything else, I guess.

My boyfriend is the one with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Since you're asking on the DID forums, I probably should have just given you those answers, but I gave mine too for the sake of different view points.

sisterlink wrote:Other ego states or alters are not intentionally created; they are often a defense mechanism against traumatic experiences.

In the case of DID, that's probably true. However...I think my response might have been confusing. Because I don't have DID, I have BPD, and I had many reasons to create defense mechanisms in my childhood. I created my first alter-egos when I was in fifth grade after-the-fact of all the 'traumas' of my life. They're still a defense mechanism, but I can create them and erase them whenever I choose. A lot of them have come and gone over the years. I am most attached to two of them - Francoise (who I often "am") and Dunisun.

You can PM me if you feel the need to, since this forum is for DID and not BPD, and I don't want to...y'know, intrude. I'm here on this forum to help my boyfriend.