My issue is, here, that because a multiple's identity gets questioned so often, they (quite understandably) balk whenever they're reduced to mere elements of one single identity. That's good, insofar as they're defending themselves against misconceptions, but the mind's a multi-faceted thing, and I really don't see what's wrong with being an element of a single identity. I don't think it necessarily reduces someone to a puppet or anything "lesser."
*nods* I think I understand better now. I think my personal problem with the concept of being viewed as elements of a single identity is that when people do so, they tend to single out one particular person as being the real or original identity from which all others are created or which they represent aspects of, and then unconsciously treat everyone else as being less real, valid, and important. Possibly, we've just heard, and seen too many friends who heard, people expressing the opinion that it's overly weird for 'alters' to want to be treated as separate people, or explaining matter-of-factly that they were going to go on viewing you as one person with a lot of aspects because it was too confusing to think of you as many people.
On the other hand, I don't want those experiences to lead me to deny that there really are people who see themselves as a single aspected identity, or that there are people who split and wish to be integrated, for that matter. The aspected-identity setup seems more like how some people have described the 'median' experience.
I should probably mention at some point that I don't think it's necessary to use gateways or other realities to explain people being in a system without having split off an original. If someone says they are, I'll take it at face value, but it's also possible to create someone from scratch without needing to detract from what already exists-- you're not necessarily cutting off a part of yourself to make a new person, just giving them some genetic material, so to speak. Though I'm also not sure if an original person, providing there is one, is necessarily less created-- in a sense, everyone, even single people, creates themselves.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
Re: Part One
Date: 2005-08-11 12:32 am (UTC)*nods* I think I understand better now. I think my personal problem with the concept of being viewed as elements of a single identity is that when people do so, they tend to single out one particular person as being the real or original identity from which all others are created or which they represent aspects of, and then unconsciously treat everyone else as being less real, valid, and important. Possibly, we've just heard, and seen too many friends who heard, people expressing the opinion that it's overly weird for 'alters' to want to be treated as separate people, or explaining matter-of-factly that they were going to go on viewing you as one person with a lot of aspects because it was too confusing to think of you as many people.
On the other hand, I don't want those experiences to lead me to deny that there really are people who see themselves as a single aspected identity, or that there are people who split and wish to be integrated, for that matter. The aspected-identity setup seems more like how some people have described the 'median' experience.
I should probably mention at some point that I don't think it's necessary to use gateways or other realities to explain people being in a system without having split off an original. If someone says they are, I'll take it at face value, but it's also possible to create someone from scratch without needing to detract from what already exists-- you're not necessarily cutting off a part of yourself to make a new person, just giving them some genetic material, so to speak. Though I'm also not sure if an original person, providing there is one, is necessarily less created-- in a sense, everyone, even single people, creates themselves.