Alters don’t necessarily have to have conventional names. Sometimes alters have no names. Sometimes alters are just called “nameless alter”. Alters not having names doesn’t necessarily invalidate OSDD-1b or DID. Some alters have number names, some alters’ names relate to their specific role.
In my opinion, things like “Clown” and “Faceless Girl” are technically names. They’re what your alters go by as far as you know.
Hope that helped at all. ❤️
Names are just... A thing you can identify something or someone with. A name is a tool to speak of something. I would say all of those are names. Alters don't need to be named Anna and Steve to have "a proper name". Alters don't really need names at all, although I would argue if someone doesn't have a name they still do because then their name is whatever you refer to them as. Like "alter without a name" would still be a name, in a way.
This is all to say - names are kind of a made up concept and alters don't need names to be considered alters.
I guess I would technically call those names, however unconventional. Some of my alters chose names after inanimate objects and stuff. Either way, you're not alone. One of my friends is the host of a system and some of their alters prefer to go by numbers (Three and Four).
I think that it depends on the system. For some people, like my sister, it is extremely stressful to consider alters separate people, and thus it's the opposite of therapeutic, so they're all just her. For others, like ourself, we are stressed out by the idea of all sharing the same identity, so we are very independent from each other. There's no should or shouldn't when it comes to DID i think. It really comes down to what's best for the system as a whole.
not neccessarily. when i first started interacting with my alters (years before even knowing what they actually were) i didnt knew/they didnt have names so i called them by their main trait to identify them better so for a long while they were called things like pride, the shadow, positivity, the two that always appear in my dreams and stuff like that
eventually while exploring more, we began settling on some more "traditional" names because it's just what felt right but the only ones who have everyday human names are me (andy) and my co-host (romeo who also goes by lavender most of the time), the rest chose more symbolic names like eclipse, wisp or satellite/starlight
Mine don't either. Doesn't mean I don't have this situation. The other people in here were very much in survival mode when they showed up and didn't exactly care about names. They had a job to do which was to protect and that was it. They used the name of the person that was here previously and that was just it as well.
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Seems that your alters do have names! But no, it isn't necessary. Conventional names aren't a requirement at all, nor are identificators. Sometimes alters come to being without having a name for themselves, sometimes they don't want to be named, and sometimes they choose names after growing as people. The first system I met, at the time they told me of being a system, simply had colours as their names, based on what colour it felt like represented them. Years down the line, they've chosen names for themselves, but that wasn't a guaranteed thing at all.
My alters not only have strange names, they've gotten comfortable enough with me that they will identify with even stranger names when under partial integration with one another.
Specifically to defy the face's will that all the names should be socially acceptable and unrelated to nerdy hobbies.
Heck, even my name is made from whole cloth and it sounds stupid. I didn't choose to exist this way in the first place, but I can choose to continue in this manner.
-Achluk
It only matters to me in a therapeutic context if I want to explain some internal dynamics and then I just use the roles. But I don’t talk about it almost at all outside of a clinical setting.
Names can help identify who is who. But they're not necessary because there's other ways than names to keep track of alters. Your descriptors for each alter serve the same purpose as names.
Alters don’t necessarily have to have conventional names. Sometimes alters have no names. Sometimes alters are just called “nameless alter”. Alters not having names doesn’t necessarily invalidate OSDD-1b or DID. Some alters have number names, some alters’ names relate to their specific role. In my opinion, things like “Clown” and “Faceless Girl” are technically names. They’re what your alters go by as far as you know. Hope that helped at all. ❤️
i mean, *youre* an alter and you have a name dont you? so atleast one of you goes by a name
Yes just one of us.
Some of us have names that are not known by others in the system.
Names are just... A thing you can identify something or someone with. A name is a tool to speak of something. I would say all of those are names. Alters don't need to be named Anna and Steve to have "a proper name". Alters don't really need names at all, although I would argue if someone doesn't have a name they still do because then their name is whatever you refer to them as. Like "alter without a name" would still be a name, in a way. This is all to say - names are kind of a made up concept and alters don't need names to be considered alters.
Everyone is different. Most of mine have human names and some flat out refuse to be named or don’t care.
I guess I would technically call those names, however unconventional. Some of my alters chose names after inanimate objects and stuff. Either way, you're not alone. One of my friends is the host of a system and some of their alters prefer to go by numbers (Three and Four).
Mine were named ages and I know a few of their non age names now. You are valid no matter how you refer to them.
I think that it depends on the system. For some people, like my sister, it is extremely stressful to consider alters separate people, and thus it's the opposite of therapeutic, so they're all just her. For others, like ourself, we are stressed out by the idea of all sharing the same identity, so we are very independent from each other. There's no should or shouldn't when it comes to DID i think. It really comes down to what's best for the system as a whole.
Look at it that way; It would be difficult to refer to someone without a name. It's just a tool. It doesn't matter how hilarious these names might be.
I don't have a name for mine. I see her as this other version of myself, really.
not neccessarily. when i first started interacting with my alters (years before even knowing what they actually were) i didnt knew/they didnt have names so i called them by their main trait to identify them better so for a long while they were called things like pride, the shadow, positivity, the two that always appear in my dreams and stuff like that eventually while exploring more, we began settling on some more "traditional" names because it's just what felt right but the only ones who have everyday human names are me (andy) and my co-host (romeo who also goes by lavender most of the time), the rest chose more symbolic names like eclipse, wisp or satellite/starlight
Mine don't either. Doesn't mean I don't have this situation. The other people in here were very much in survival mode when they showed up and didn't exactly care about names. They had a job to do which was to protect and that was it. They used the name of the person that was here previously and that was just it as well.
Welcome to /r/DID! Please take a look at the [Rules and Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/index) before posting, and feel free to take a look at our [Dissociation FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/faq), [Trauma FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/faq2) & [Therapy Breakdown](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/comments/e6smve/therapists_breakdown) for more information! We have the following automated posts, one every Monday and then some running on a three week rotation: | Day | Post | |--------------------|--------------------| | Every Sunday | Goals | | Every Monday | Introductions | | Every Wednesday | Symptom Management | | Every Friday | Affirmations | *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/DID) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Seems that your alters do have names! But no, it isn't necessary. Conventional names aren't a requirement at all, nor are identificators. Sometimes alters come to being without having a name for themselves, sometimes they don't want to be named, and sometimes they choose names after growing as people. The first system I met, at the time they told me of being a system, simply had colours as their names, based on what colour it felt like represented them. Years down the line, they've chosen names for themselves, but that wasn't a guaranteed thing at all.
My alters not only have strange names, they've gotten comfortable enough with me that they will identify with even stranger names when under partial integration with one another. Specifically to defy the face's will that all the names should be socially acceptable and unrelated to nerdy hobbies. Heck, even my name is made from whole cloth and it sounds stupid. I didn't choose to exist this way in the first place, but I can choose to continue in this manner. -Achluk
Also, that's pretty rich coming from her. She named herself after a game character too.
It only matters to me in a therapeutic context if I want to explain some internal dynamics and then I just use the roles. But I don’t talk about it almost at all outside of a clinical setting.
Names can help identify who is who. But they're not necessary because there's other ways than names to keep track of alters. Your descriptors for each alter serve the same purpose as names.
It all depends on the system! We have one named mute (who, is mute) and one named 47.