Multiplicity

I quite agree with the second portion of your paragraph. I chalk the need for everything to be literally real - the tendency of soulbonders to cling to notions that their soulbond is real in a parallel dimension or that they are full-on multiples - to a general trend in our culture of believing one must be a self-contained singular entity for your existence to be justified, and believing that one can only interact with a facet of the mind as 'other' if they are a self-contained singular entity. From what I've seen the multiple community is full of this idea, which is rather sad; it's a very limited view of the psyche in general to think that the only valid reality (or at least the 'best' reality) for another presence is as something completely separate and autonomous...