System Dynamics
Hi, I hope you're doing well. in this site we'll be covering what are called System Dynamics, or how Systems work, such as how Alters interact, Alter Roles, and other things.
firstly Systems, if you didn't know, are a collective of Alters, the members of that system, and how they work together to function can be vastly different, and be extremely complex, but some common dynamics and other information are found below. read through them and look at how some of these dynamics work.
(this is a work in progress)
Overall/System-Wide Dynamics
-Family
this dynamic includes/entails that members treat each other like family, as siblings or cousins, or other such dynamics, with parental figures as well
-Friends
in this dynamic, Alters will treat each other as close friends or best friends, and will generally have pretty close bonds
one important thing to note is that some Alters may have more power in a system, and while this may be ok in some cases, that power can't be used to abuse, hurt, or harm others, because that becomes a serious issue. in-system abuse is a real thing, and can happen quite easily in dynamics that permit one or more Alters to have a lot of power over others, and so systems need to be careful if they notice these things
if you notice these behaviours, try to start system votes, where all Alters or most vote on changing something, typically to remove power from the Alter that is abusing their power. always try to change these before they get out of control. if you notice these behaviours in a system that you know, try and tell them politely that an Alter is being a problem, and try and help them get the courage to change the dynamic or structure of power
Alter Roles
Host - an alter who handles most (or large aspects) of everyday life. Some systems may not have a host, or may choose not to label one. Some people may define a host as the alter who fronts the most often, and some systems may have an Alter who is "frontstuck", meaning they are stuck fronting and either can't, or have a hard time leaving fronting, and label them the Host
Co-host - similar to a host. Some systems do not have a co-host, or may choose not to label one, they may be the person who usually Fronts when the Host switches out
Protector - an alter who protects other alters from abuse or trauma. This is typically done by either taking the abuse themselves, or by fighting back against it. they will be typically triggered by threats or violence or other things relating to being hurt
Persecutor - an alter who harms other parts inside the system, or harms the body because of maladaptive coping mechanisms or internalized beliefs from experiencing abuse. They are sometimes called "misguided protectors" and over time may heal and learn to mature and become protectors
Caretaker - an alter who takes care of young or otherwise vulnerable alters. They are typically considered a type of protector, but focus more on Inner World protection, sometimes from Persecutor Alters
Internal self helper - an alter who has a lot of knowledge about their system. This could be information about alters, trauma, internal workings of the system, etcetera, and will generally help keep the Inner World from falling apart. Often shortened to ISH.
Gatekeeper - an alter who has control of certain aspects of a system. This could be switching/fronting, memories, subsystems, access to areas of the internal world, etcetera. Gatekeepers are often (but not always) ISH, as well.
Trauma holder - an alter who "holds" memories, emotions, and/or sensations associated with trauma or abuse. Some trauma holders may be stuck in a flashback, and feel like they are permanently trapped in the traumatizing situation(s) that they experienced, however some may just have frequent flashbacks, or just hold the memories like a "quarantine", there are many different ways these Alters do this and each is generally unique to the type, extent, and specific trauma(s) they hold
Nonhuman Alter - an alter who appears as some type of non-human. This can range from humanoid species like elves or robots, to a species of animal such as a dog or cat, to typically non-sentient objects in their internal world, such as a mountain or bridge
Little - an alter who is perceived as child-age, and typically "stuck" in a time when childhood trauma occurred. They are also called "child alters".
Introject - these are alters that are based off external character(s), people, or otherwise, for example, a character from a show you loved as a kid, or a family member. additional specification may be done by referring to them as either of the following terms, albeit unnecessary
-Factive - these are introjects based off real people, pets, or otherwise
-Fictive - these are introjects based off fictional people, pets, characters, or otherwise