Terms

Plural: The state of having multiple headmates living within a single shared body. Umbrella term for multiple and median experiences. 

System: A collection of headmates living in a specific body. Many systems name themselves as a whole under a specific title as a collective name.

Alter: A specific person or identity within a system. It is considered a medical term but can be used in non-medical contexts as well.

Headmate: An alternate term to alter. Often considered to be more inclusive of those who dislike medical labels. Community term.

Body: The shared physical form that a system utilizes. 

Front: To take control of the body. A fronter is the person controlling the body, and fronting refers to this state of control.

Switch: When the headmate fronting changes. 

Split: When a new headmate forms within the system.

Co-Conscious: When two or more headmates are aware of the physical world at once. Headmates will not necessarily be fronting together but are both aware of the outside world. External communication is possible in this state. 

Co-Fronting: When two or more headmates are in control of and sharing the body. External communication is possible in this state. 

Blurring: When multiple headmates are in front and begin to struggle to distinguish who they are. This often happens in moments of panic or severe negative emotion. 

Frontstuck: When a headmate is unable to switch out of being in the front.

Inner World: The mental world where headmates spend time when not fronting. 

Headspace: An alternate term to inner world. 

Outer World: The physical world that the body navigates on a daily basis. 

Multiple: The state of having multiple distinctive headmates in one body. 

Median: Being between multiple and singlet; members often identify as facets of a shared identity. 

Singlet: A person who occupies their body alone; one body, one mind. 

Fragment: A headmate that is not fully fleshed out or lacks elaboration. 

Facet: A median headmate who is often considered a facet of a single person.

Singletsona: The single mask that the members of a system conform to when closeted as plural.

Subsystem: A smaller system within the general system. 

Fusion: When multiple system members fuse into a new headmate. 

Final Fusion: When all members of a system fuse into a single identity. A recovery option.

Integration: The process of lowering amnesia barriers and strengthening communication to improve daily life for a system.

Dormancy: When a headmate becomes inactive and cannot be contacted.

Functional Multiplicity: When alters live together in their shared life peacefully and without distress. A recovery option.

Internal Communication: Communication between headmates that takes place inside of the mind. 

External Communication: Communication between headmates that takes place in the physical world.

Exotrauma: Trauma that happened to a system member but not the body itself. Common with introjects.

Exomemories: Memories linked with a system member but not the body as a whole. Common with introjects.

Age-Slider: A headmate whose age can vary within a specific range. 

Host: The members of a system that front the most often. There can be one host or multiple. Some systems have no hosts at all. Note: host as a term has been used to identify who others think of as the "central" or "most real" member of the system. Hosts are alters just like every other member of the system, and their headmates should be given consideration just like the host instead of being seen as extensions of the host.

Protector: Headmates who protect the body, system, or specific headmates. General umbrella term. Terms under this umbrella include physical, verbal, emotional, social, sexual, and amnesiac protectors, but the specific identification is up to the member in question.

Gatekeeper: Headmates who can control switching and memories within the system. In systems with headspaces, they may have the ability to influence the inner world.

Caretaker: Headmates who take care of others in the system. This can manifest as looking after the body or other headmates in the inner world. Alternate word is caregiver.

Internal Self-Helper: Headmates with notable knowledge about the system and its workings.

Persecutor: Headmates who may lash out at fellow system members as a response to trauma or adversity. It's worth noting that they aren't inherently bad people and deserve help as all other trauma victims do, but this does not excuse their behavior since they must still take accountability for their actions. This term is controversial because some systems feel it labels alters unfairly. It is up to the individual system to do their research and decide if this label is right for them.

Prosecutor: Headmates who may lash out at those outside of the system as a response to trauma or adversity. Much like with persecutors, they aren't inherently bad people and deserve the aid necessary to move past and cope with their pain, though accountability must be kept with them regardless. 

Avenger: Headmates who hold anger within the system and may lash out at those who have hurt them, such as abusers. This is often a response to abuse or trauma. The same rule of persecutors and prosecutors applies here as well, and avengers deserve care like all other types of alters.

Memory Holder: Headmates who hold a specific set of memories, positive or negative. 

Trauma Holder: Headmates with a strong grasp of traumatic memories. 

Symptom Holder: Headmates who hold symptoms of a specific mental illness, neurodiversity, or disability, often presenting with much stronger and more prominent symptoms of said neurodiversity or disability than others in the system.

Socalizer: Headmates who handle social situations if others cannot. 

Archivist: Headmates who hold important memories or information regarding the system and its history. Some have the ability to control what others within the system remember, particularly in systems with strong amnesia.

Hygienist: Headmates who look after the body physically and ensure it is taken care of. 

Absorber: A headmate that takes in a specific emotion for the rest of the system. This can be any emotion whether it be positive or negative, and in some cases, the headmate may take on stronger symptoms of a specific neurodiversity, such as dyslexia. 

Little: Headmates who are children. There is no specified cutoff age for littles, so it can vary between systems. Also known as child alters.

Middle: Headmates who are considered the middle ground between littles and bigs. Again, there is no specified age cutoff, so many systems negotiate it differently. 

Big: Headmates who are adults. Like with littles and middles, the age range can fluctuate between systems. 

Introject: Headmates based off an outside source. This is an umbrella term for everything listed below.

Fictive: Headmates based on a fictional character from media. 

Fuzztive: Headmates who are almost fictives but not quite. The line between fictive and fuzztive is up to the headmate in question since it's far from definitive. 

Factive: Headmates based on a real person. 

Fogtive: Headmates who are almost factives but not quite. Once again, the line between factive and fogtive is up to the headmate using the label. 

Dreamtive: Headmates who either appeared while the body was dreaming or came from a dream. 

Myctive: Headmates from religious or spiritual sources. 

Songtive: Headmates whose sources are songs or pieces of music.

Soulbond: A headmate that comes into the system fully formed, oftentimes a fictive or other type of introject. Often connected with thoughts of spirituality.

Thoughtform: A headmate that was formed through parogenic methods.

Textform: A headmate created through methods of storytelling. The headmate eventually gains free will this way.