Musings upon multiplicity

[kiya]

Last night, I wrote to netdancer, who I know from alt.callahans, asking about resources for multiplicity that didn't pathologize.

I got a few website links.

So I've been reading them.

I could almost have written this. Well, aside from the pronouns. I even have a period in my memory that is definitely "identity amnesia". And my thoughts associating with that make me wonder if some of my internal plurality was in response to those events, though I suspect I'm at least partially a "born that way" sort.

And this also has a strong familiarity for me. (Remember I was talking about multitasking the other day, Brooks-love?)

It seems to me that a lot of systems have personalities divided up on age-bands in some way; I wonder how common it is for the divisions to fall more along purpose than age.

I also find it interesting to note that I have four aspects whose significant roles include processing anger. (Rage and other "red" emotions, moral wrongness, self-hatred, and cold poison.) (I have three that process religious stuff as a prime role, two that are 'fronts' for dealing with the outside, two that do intimacy, two that do music . . . these are overlapping sets, incidentally. The "moral wrongness" anger-processor is one of the religious processors, f'rex.)

Noodle, noodle.

Comments

[kiya]

To a certain extent, you can give netdancer credit for that; it more or less hadn't occurred to me to consider plurality before seeing (mostly Kennet's) comments about it. Further evidence that just being there and being out can make a difference, eh?

I've been using aspect-names for years without really thinking it through, mind. . . .

I'm finding it interesting the processing simplifications that come of thinking of myself of plural, actually; for one thing, it's helped one of my partners figure out how to make sense of me. But also I'm finding more nuance in each of my aspects, recognizing how things sort out internally where before there was sort of mental goo. I'm also suspecting that the aspect I "discovered" in this past week finds it easier to manifest strongly now that I'm aware that she's there. . . . (And this is a good thing. She's actually organized.)

[kiya]

I think there's a lot of tendence of people who are different-in-some-way to presume that other people who are similar are exactly like them (and sometimes even that people who aren't similar are like-them-but-repressing-it). Frustrates me no end; I see it on and off a lot in polyamorous circles.

I wandered over to the Pavilion livejournal (I'm entirely too likely to forget to check up on things that aren't in areas I already look at), and it seems to require contact with its maintainer. Merble. (Who, me, awkward about talking to people I don't know? ;} )

[kiya]

That's one of the things that I was worried about in trying to find more information about plurality, actually; knowing the overall tendency of people to do that sort of thing, I was wary of being singtuple in a world full of "real multiples". I've been pleasantly surprised by the sheer amount of stuff I've found that didn't carry huge One True Way overtones; part of that is, I think, filtered by the people who've been giving me links, but I find it very reassuring in its way. (Though on top of that I have the weird discouragement of not seeing any quick summaries of how people experience their plurality that sound anything like mine to me; look, ma, instant diversity!)

I'd appreciate being added, though, if you'd be so kind.

[kiya]

Thank you muchly for adding me on. :)

I can see parallels in the things you've seen people pull in my experiences observing the poly community; I've now got a bit of me (probably Lightweaver) wondering at the patterns manifested thusly. (Such as whether or not there's a parallel between 'If I have more than one relationship involvement I don't have to be responsible with any of them' and 'If I have more than one self/aspect/personality, I don't have to be responsible with any of them.')

Much to think on.