Multiplicity (psychology)
 | It has been suggested that this article should be split into a new article titled Multiplicity (subculture). (discuss) (June 2023) |
Multiplicity, also called plurality, is a noun used to describe people having or using multiple personalities.[1][2] It is often adopted as an identity by members of dedicated multiplicity communities, especially online.[3][4]
Definition
Members of online multiplicity subcultures define multiplicity to include both:
- Psychological conditions like identity disturbance or dissociative identity disorder.[1][5]
- Spiritual or cultural practices, like tulpamancy.[4]
They criticize media portrayal of characters with multiple personalities as inaccurate and stigmatizing.[6]
History
The practice of tulpamancy predates modern multiplicity communities.[4]
Online communities
Multiplicity communities exist online through social media blogging sites like LiveJournal[7] and more recently, TikTok.[3] They are composed of individuals who identify as "systems" of multiple distinct personalities, often called "alters", which can have different names, ages, genders, sexualities, personalities from one another.[7][6] Other common terms within multiplicity communities include:
- "Fronting", of the alter currently controlling the "system".[4]
- "Switching", when an alter fronts in place of another one.[3]
- "Headspace" or "inner world", the concept of a mental space in which alters interact together.[7][4]
- "Singlet", referring to a person that does not experience plurality.[1][4][5]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Ribáry, Gergő; Lajtai, László; Demetrovics, Zsolt; Maraz, Aniko (2017-06-13). "Multiplicity: An Explorative Interview Study on Personal Experiences of People with Multiple Selves". Frontiers in Psychology. 8: 938. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00938. ISSN 1664-1078. PMC 5468408. PMID 28659840.
- ^ Rowan, John, ed. (1999). The plural self: multiplicity in everyday life (1. publ ed.). London: Sage Publ. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-7619-6076-8.
- ^ a b c Lucas, Jessica. "Inside TikTok's booming dissociative identity disorder community". Input. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
- ^ a b c d e f Telfer, Tori (2015-05-11). "Are Multiple Personalities Always a Disorder?". Vice. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ a b Schechter, Elizabeth. "What we can learn about respect and identity from 'plurals'". Aeon. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ^ a b Parry, Sarah; Eve, Zarah; Myers, Gemma (2022-07-21). "Exploring the Utility and Personal Relevance of Co-Produced Multiplicity Resources with Young People". Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma. 15 (2): 427–439. doi:10.1007/s40653-021-00377-7. ISSN 1936-1521. PMC 9120276. PMID 35600531.
- ^ a b c Riesman, Abraham (2019-03-29). "The Best Cartoonist You've Never Read Is Eight Different People". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
Further reading
- Ian Hacking (2000). What's Normal?: Narratives of Mental & Emotional Disorders. Kent State University Press. pp. 39–54. ISBN 9780873386531.
- Jennifer Radden (2011). "Multiple Selves". The Oxford Handbook of the Self. Oxford Handbooks Online. pp. 547 et seq. ISBN 9780199548019.
External links
- MoreThanOne.info, an information page on plurality