Plurality Disinformation

Danger

Popular media tends to portray various forms of plurality as inherently dangerous. While this trope isn't always harmful, seemingly many folks have trouble separating fictional media from reality, and this has resulted in discrimination aimed at real-life plural systems.

Some examples of poor plural representation include:

• The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960) is a classic British horror film based on the 1886 novella, "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". In this adaption, Hyde emerges when Jekyll tests an experimental drug on himself. Portrayed as an alter-ego, Hyde commits a string of murders and frames Jekyll for his crimes, knowing Jekyll will have to give up control of the body to Hyde to avoid becoming a hunted fugitive.
• Split (2016) is an American psychological thriller film, criticised by some mental health advocates for its stigmatization of neurodivergent disorders. The antagonist is Kevin, a man diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder. The story follows the actions of some of his headmates, who engage in sexual harassment, kidnapping, murder, and cannibalism.
• Nightmare Reaper (2022) is a first-person shooter video game, where the player character is one of a series of headmates that have been in control of a girl known as "the patient". Late into the game, you learn that your character exists to fight the other headmates in the patient's system, with the goal of freeing an "innocent little girl", the "original" headmate. The game also tells you that "the patient" is guilty of a string of murders, caused by her mental state, and that the root of everything is severe childhood trauma.

As is probably clear from the descriptions, these are examples of fictional representations. The reality is that most members of plural systems are just like anyone else. In fact, reports like this one from 2017 show that one cannot correlate dissociative disorders with criminal behaviour, and folks suffering from dissociative disorders are often the subjects of violent crimes, rather than the perpetrators.

It is important to recognise when you have an internalised bias based on this form of disinformation, and to avoid letting it cloud your judgement when interacting with plural systems.

Disorder

While many folks only think of plurality in the context of mental disorders, many non-disordered systems exist. The DSM-5 defines a disorder as follows:

A mental disorder is a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning. Mental disorders are usually associated with significant distress or disability in social, occupational, or other important activities.

Many systems simply don't meet this definition. Some don't experience negative effects from their plurality, while others experience positive effects through a symbiotic relationship with their headmates.

It is important to avoid making assumptions about plural systems. Instead, you should talk with them and show an interest in learning about and understanding their unique experiences.

Medicalisation

As with many psychological states, it is important not to medicalise plurality. While it is true some systems will need therapy and other support from medical professionals, this will not be the case for many. Indeed, many members of the plural community believe in self-diagnosis, and many approaches exist to aid with this.

It is important to understand that you can’t force anyone into seeking therapy, even if you think they need it. This is not just rude — it is actively harmful, and will make the plural systems around you feel uncomfortable and unsafe.

Above almost everything, finding community tends to be helpful and therapeutic for plural systems. This report from 2017 supports this, as does this presentation on Power to the Plurals.

Recency & Visibility

A relatively common misconception is that the concept of plurality is new, and some blame the rise in self-identified plural systems on the so-called "TikTok generation". However, this couldn't be further from the truth.

As pointed out by this research paper, a 1646 medical report of a potential plurality was the first known, written by Paracelsus. Eberhard Gmelin described another potential instance in 1791. By the early 19th century, such cases were becoming more common, with regular reports on both sides of the Atlantic.

As acceptance for minority groups grows, those minorities feel more comfortable openly expressing themselves and talking about their experiences. The following graph often neatly illustrates this effect:

Left-handedness isn't a trend or "social contagion", left-handed folks have always existed, and we simply stopped forcing folks to be right-handed. As acceptance grew, left-handed folks felt safe to be themselves and stopped hiding. The same is true for many minority groups, including plural folk.

System Bucketing

Every plural system is unique. Generalisations and attempts to sort systems into buckets are often rather harmful, especially given they're often used as an excuse to discriminate against "certain types" of systems.

The most common example of this is through sorting systems into their origins:

• "Traumagenic" refers to systems formed through trauma.
• "Endogenic" refers to systems without traumatic origins, or with unknown origins.

It is important to stress that all plural systems are unique and valid, and there's no reason whatsoever to discriminate against them, regardless of their origins or other factors. Discrimination is always harmful, but intra-community discrimination is infinitely more so, as it denies support, resources, and a feeling of community to systems that others feel don't "fit in".

Unfortunately, this is a surprisingly common problem, and causes immeasurable damage to both plural systems and the plural community at large.

System Structure

Outside the basic concept of plurality, it is important to avoid making assumptions about how any plural system functions. Every system is unique, with its own approaches to structure, function, and form. For that reason, it is critical to avoid making assumptions about any systems you happen to encounter.

Some examples of assumptions to avoid are:

• Emotional labour — Many systems are open to talking about plurality, but it can be incredibly overwhelming to be bombarded with questions and demands for information. It is important to approach plurality from an educated viewpoint, so we recommend exploring online resources before quizzing any systems. You can find some recommended resources on the resources page.
• Member archetypes — While system members will be proficient at different things, they're still separate entities with their own thoughts and wills, and it is important not to assign roles to them without permission. You should also avoid treating them as if their roles and proficiencies fully define them.
• Suggestion consent – Suggestions hold a lot of power for many plural systems, and you must be responsible when trying to help out. Do not assume that a system wants your help unless you confirm it with them, and try to avoid pushing systems or headmates towards predetermined outcomes. For example, if a system is looking for names for a new headmate, you should provide links to name lists rather than pushing for or suggesting a specific name you like.
• System origins — How or when the system formed, what the reason was, or if there's a known reason at all. It is also worth noting that this is an uncomfortable topic for many systems, and you shouldn't ask about it unless you're sure they'll be fine with it.

Remember to treat plural systems with the same respect you'd give anyone else, and get to know their members as individuals in their own right.

Treatment

Treatment approaches for plurality-related disorders are a challenging thing to talk about. As mentioned, many non-disordered systems exist, and many of those systems won't need any treatment.

For systems that do need external help, therapists generally take one of several approaches:

• The traditional/western approach, working with the plural system to merge all of its members into a single entity. This approach can be traumatic, and some consider it a western-ism, rooted in the idea that every disorder is a deviation from the idea of what a self is and does. For more information on that, take a look at this article from 2023.
• The modern/non-western approach, working with the plural system and individual headmates to find common ground and stability. The aim here is to encourage cooperation and help the headmates to create a symbiotic relationship, where they all help each other and exist together. This approach anecdotally seems rather successful, and is in line with common knowledge in the plural community. Accepting and supportive spaces may also make this treatment approach more effective.

It is worth stressing that plural systems of all types and from all walks of life exist, and your idea of "disordered" is unlikely to match others'. It is rude and harmful to push plural systems away based on that, or whether they're receiving treatment. Each plural system's journey is as unique as they are, and you'll gain nothing positive from judging them.

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Attribution

1. The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll, Wikipedia
2. [Split (2016 American Film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_(2016_American_film), Wikipedia
3. Nightmare Reaper, PC Gaming Wiki
4. Webermann, A. R., & Brand, B. L. (2017). Mental illness and violent behavior: the role of dissociation. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-017-0053-9
5. DSM-5, American Psychiatric Association
6. Ribáry, G., Lajtai, L., Demetrovics, Z., & Maraz, A. (2017). Multiplicity: An Explorative Interview Study on Personal Experiences of People with Multiple Selves. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00938
7. [How they took the Multiple out of Multiplicity](https://powertotheplurals. com/how-they-took-the-multiple-out-of-multiplicity-understanding-the-history-of-dissociative-identity-disorder-did-terminology/), The Plural Association
8. Dissociative Disorders, Richard . Loewenstein and Frank W. Putnam
9. A New Therapy for Multiple Personality Disorder Helps a Woman with 12 Selves, Scientific American