Fictional introjects, also called fictives, are alters that are based off of fictional people or characters. While not as common as other types of alters, fictives are just as important.
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What are the different types of alters?
10 Types of ‘Alters’ in Dissociative Identity Disorder
- Animal Alters. Children often develop animal alters due to either being treated as an animal would be or they consider animals to be friends.
- Infant Alters.
- Child/Little Alters.
- Dead Alters.
- Demonic Alters.
- Fictives.
- Fragments.
- Gatekeeper Alter.
What is a fictive in a system?
A fictive is a system member who is or is based off a fictional character. They can have memories that may or may not have happened in their source’s canon, and they can internally look like their source’s self but they don’t have to. They may also act like their source’s self but not all do.
What triggers an alter?
There are a variety of triggers that can cause switching between alters, or identities, in people with dissociative identity disorder. These can include stress, memories, strong emotions, senses, alcohol and substance use, special events, or specific situations.
What happens when an alter dies?
✘ Myth: You can kill alters.
Their thoughts, memories, emotions will all still be there, so they must be as well. The part may have gone into extreme hiding, been momentarily immobilized, or merged with another part of the mind, but they most assuredly did not and can not disappear entirely or “be killed”.
How do you tell if someone is faking DID?
Individuals faking or mimicking DID due to factitious disorder will typically exaggerate symptoms (particularly when observed), lie, blame bad behavior on symptoms and often show little distress regarding their apparent diagnosis.
Can Fictives be trauma holders?
Fictives are real. They can hold memories and can experience trauma just as any other alter can.
How long does it take an alter to form?
Research has shown that the average age for the initial development of alters is 5.9 years old.
How do you know if you have alters?
Symptoms
- Memory loss (amnesia) of certain time periods, events, people and personal information.
- A sense of being detached from yourself and your emotions.
- A perception of the people and things around you as distorted and unreal.
- A blurred sense of identity.
Can alters become Introjects?
In people without DID/DDNOS, introjects will not be alters, but become incorporated (introjected) into their personality. Introjects can change with psychotherapy. See gatekeeper and internal self-helper.
What does it feel like to switch DID?
Strong, uncomfortable emotions. Extreme stress. Certain times of the year. Looking at old pictures.
Can alters have relationships?
Forming Relationships With Alters Requires Open Communication. Open communication is important when managing DID. For those with co-conscious alters, communication is similar to talking with any other person, just without the presence of a separate physical body.
Can a DID host go dormant?
Prevalence. In some very mild forms of DID, the host can be present for extended periods of time, up to years without ever allowing an alter to take the forefront. In these cases, the host is very resilient to stress and other factors that often cause switches.
Can you get DID without trauma?
You Can Have DID Even if You Don’t Remember Any Trauma
They may not have experienced any trauma that they know of, or at least remember. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that trauma didn’t happen. One of the reasons that DID develops is to protect the child from the traumatic experience.
Do I have DID or OSDD?
Differentiating Between Dissociative Identity Disorder and Other Specified Dissociative Disorder. Some people with OSDD have two or more distinct personality states, or alters, but don’t experience any gaps in memory or amnesia, a necessary symptom for a DID diagnosis.
What is the main personality in dissociative identity disorder?
The main personality is known as the “host.” The personalities can take over at different times. They may make you act very differently. That can make it hard for you to remember things that happen when another personality was in charge. It also means that memories or thoughts about what happened can be different.
Why is DID so controversial?
A third and very important reason for the controversy is the fear that criminals will “get off” without being punished by a gullible justice system, which attributes behavior to another personality7 and does not hold the perpetrator responsible. The diagnosis of DID is controversial.
What is an introject alter?
Introjects are alters who were split off to represent outside people, most typically an abuser (but not limited to that, by any means), and thus create the appearance of being “introjected” within your system from an outside person.
Can DID alters have their own memories?
Patients with Dissociative Identity Disorder do remember separate identities. People with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) are able to exchange information among their separate identities. This has been revealed by experiments conducted by NWO researcher Rafaele Huntjens of the University of Groningen.
Can you have DID and not know?
The problem people with DID have, though, is not that they mistakenly believe they are more than one person, but that they literally have more than one “personality.” Because of the way DID rewires a person’s brain, it’s possible to suffer from the disorder for years and not even know it.
How do DID alters communicate?
Alter communication varies across different DID systems, but the common communication methods include: talking aloud, to their alters or seemingly to oneself. communicating internally, to their alters. using a notebook/journal in a way that it appears to be a diary, but is actually used by the entire system.