DID/OSDD Systems

Alter Roles

Hi again!
Today I'm going to explain some basic alter roles. Some systems have hyper specific ones to help themselves, and I shall add them if asked! These are very watered down versions, and do not explain EVERYTHING about roles. I suggest you do your own research on it as well if you're truly curious.

Animals - Some alters are animals/animal hybrids. This can come from the person identifying with certain animals .

Caretaker - An alter who cares for everyone else, usually the littles.

Cohost - A group of alters that shares the most fronting time.

Core - Not a commonly used term and mostly offends systems. Cores are referred to as 'the original personality' or 'original child.'

Dead Alters - Although alters cannot die, some alters form believing they're dead- usually stemmed from the idea of someone threatening to kill them repeatedly.

Fragements - Alters that contain a very specific memory, or can only feel certain emotions.

Gatekeeper - Alters that prevent certain people from fronting/overall make sure everything goes smoothly with fronting.

Host - The alter who fronts the most/does the most day-to-day life.

Inhumans - Alters that aren't entirely human. Some may think of themselves as elves, demons, gods, etc.

Internal Self Helpers - Alters who are focused on helping the system from the inside (we like to think of them as therapists XD)

Introjects - An umbrella term for alters based off of something. To be more specific:

     Factives - Alters based off of real           
     people

     Fictives - Alters based off of            
     fictional characters.

     Fuzztives - Alters that are a mix of
     fictional and real characters.

Littles - Alters who are young children/babies/toddlers.

Memory Holders - Alters who hold memories. Some of the memory holders may have many memories, while some may have very few.

Protectors - An umbrella term for alters who front to protect the system. To be more specific:

      Persecutors - Alters who try and     
      protect the system but may end
      up being more destructive

      Physical Protectors - Alters who 
      make sure the body doesn't get
      physically harmed

      Sexual Protectors - Alters who
      make sure nothing sexually-bad
      or unhealthy occurs

Soothers - Alters who calm down other alters/soothe situations.

Trauma Holders - Alters who hold trauma. Some may hold lots, some may hold very limited or maybe even one traumatic experience.

FAQ:

Can an alter have more then one role? Yep! I'm a protector and caretaker myself, and I used to be a co-host.

Can an alter change roles? Depends on the situation, you'd have to supply an example.

That's all for now! Goodbye!
- Ryan
(He/They/Xe/It)