I didn't know either
>ARROW
written by dandysworld on discord! i am part of a sys myself so this whole thing's based on our research and general knowledge ^_^
PLEASE DO NOT COPY+PASTE ANYTHING FROM THIS RENTRY. THIS IS FOR EDUCATION PURPOSES, NOT A CHEAT CODE.
a system is someone whose brain has been affected by severe and/or repetitive childhood trauma which caused it to not fully integrate, thus forming seperate identities (or what some may call personalities) known as alters. systems are also an 'umbrella term' for anyone with DID/OSDD/P-DID/etc.
please note that systems can only form FROM TRAUMA before the age of 10-11. if someone says they are a system but lack those two properties, they are not a system. this is known as an endogenic 'system', and they are considered harmful to the community.
TL;DR: a system is someone with a dissociative disorder caused by trauma at an early age. Because of this trauma, they have formed alters to help them progress through daily life and prevent them from recieving further harm.
What ARE alters?
as stated earlier, alters are the result of the system's brain splitting into seperate identities. alters are NOT kintypes and should not be used as one.
some alters have what would be called 'roles' in the system, where they will front to fulfill their duty. for example, a caretaker alter may front to take care of the system's body.
alters' purposes are to: help the system get through daily life (e.x.: one alter fronting during school because they are believed to be more fit for it than the rest of the system), attempt to prevent further traumatic events towards the system, or overall just to cope with trauma. alters can have seperate genders, personalities, likes, dislikes, boundaries, etc. from the rest of the system or other alters, but they can also be very similar to each other. please do not assume a system is fakeclaiming because "their alters arent different enough!!1"
What types of systems are there?
there are four diagnostic labels / disorders that go under the umbrella of a system. these are called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), Otherwise Specified Dissociative Disorder (OSDD-1), OSDD-1A, and OSDD-1B.
Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, is a disorder where one experiences having multiple identities due to childhood trauma forcing a lack of one integrated identity. DID specifies the type of system whose alters are specifically linked with dissociation and amnesia, and both can be mild or severe. a DID system can have as few as 2 alters or as many as 100 - they're all pretty different somehow!
Otherwise Specified Dissociative Disorder (OSDD) is a group of mental conditions that fall under the system umbrella.
normally, OSDD is diagnosed when an individual experiences symptoms similar to DID, but does not meet the exact diagnostic criteria. individuals with OSDD usually lack clearly separated parts or amnesia, but this doesn’t mean people with it can’t experience amnesia outside of the disorder.
OSDD-1a is one kind of OSDD. those with it can experience amnesia upon switching, though instead of having a multitude of distinct alters, OSDD-1a systems are filled with versions of the person.
these “other selves” are similar to masks that are used in different day-to-day situations (a work persona, a school persona, etc) or are fragments of stages in life (a childhood self, a middle school self, etc) and usually don’t have many differences other than appearance or age.
OSDD-1b is characterized by a lack of amnesia (unless, as stated above, it is already present outside of OSDD), but a presence of alters with more distinct identities and solid differences, similar to that of a DID system.
p-did section coming soon because i completey forgot that existed while writing
What should and shouldn't I say to a system?
reminder that all alters can have different boundaries, but there are a lot of things you should never discuss with a system unless stated otherwise BY who you're talking to.
âś® NEVER ask about a system's trauma.
for obvious reasons this is not okay unless the system is okay with answering said question. otherwise this is a very personal and potentially triggering question for the system.
âś® unless the alter is okay with it, please do not treat them as their source.
this applies to introjects. saying things like "OMG _ FROM _?!?!!" or "hey _ have you (specific objective from source) yet" counts as treating alters as their source. this could potentially be discomforting and even dehumanizing to said alter. alters are not fictional characters for you to entertain your thoughts with.
âś® do not assume all alters share the same memories.
due to fronting at the same time, being informed of certain events in life, etc, some alters can have the same memories. however this does not mean all alters have the same memories or that alter A is aware of something alter B has done. reminder that not all systems experience amnesia with switching, and memory loss can vary between systems.
âś® do not only trust the system's bodily age.
yes, i am aware this is worded weirdly, but a lot of pedophilia cases can come from relationships where a minor is dating an adult alter while only knowing they're bodily a minor, an adult dating a minor alter while only knowing they're bodily an adult, and so on. this may be confusing, but it's best to know an alter's specific age rather than assuming all alters are the same age as the body. same goes for trying to have romantic interactions with child alters... just don't.
Why are endogenics harmful?
if you remember the former mention of endogenic systems, you'd know that they are extremely harmful to the system community. here's why.
âś® what ARE endos?
endogenic systems are 'systems' who claim to have formed without trauma. this is impossible, since systems cannot begin forming without prior trauma. this is basically a huge "i wanna be a victim!" punch in the face to the system community.
âś® okay... but i still don't see why they're bad.
they're bad because it can be disrespectful or feel like mocking to actual systems. for example, if you've recently gone through something traumatic, you wouldn't like it if your friend pretended they had that trauma and/or made fun of your trauma, would you? that is basically the comparison between endogenic systems and actual systems.
This is basically everything I can think of that can be written about systems in general. This will be updated over time! Thank you for reading :3
![[doctos]](/data/assets/smilies/ledoctosface2.png "Doctos [doctos]")
