Multiplicity (phenomenon)

Multiplicity is a phenomenon that describes having multiple distinct consciousnesses, identities, or self-states within a body. It is often used within clinical research to describe associated conditions such as dissociative identity disorder (DID) or identity disturbance, even while some people reject the suggestion that their experiences are inherently disordered and even report finding the experience to be soothing.

Origins and characteristics

See also: Hearing Voices Network

Some people become multiple based on the practice of tulpamancy; similarities between that practice and the experience of multiplicity are a major conversation point in plural communities.

Those distinct identities may be called "headmates" or "systemmates" as well as terms that some people consider to be problematic such as "alters" or "parts". Headmates that identify as animals or other non-human entities may also identify as "otherkin", a separate but overlapping community.

Certain terminology is taken from queer spaces, for example, coming out of the closet. There is also a documented overlap between transgender and being multiple; transgender headmates (different from the body's sex) are not uncommon.

According to a doctoral thesis written by a Manchester Metropolitan University student, being multiple seems to have certain identifiable commonalities. For example, those who described themselves as "non-disordered" typically found it to be soothing while those with DID typically found it to be distressing. Also commonly reported was that their inner world exhibited elaborate individualities that changed based on specific emotions or events. A different study on tulpamancers reported that they also visualised an inner world, commonly calling it a "wonderland". Most of those interviewed in two separate studies reported that their headmates were aware of and communicated with each other. Christensen provided accounts of headmates marrying or procreating new headmates.

Mental health

How Multiplicity overlaps with other communities within itself

Multiplicity has been proposed as an "extreme form of identity splitting" present in individuals with symptoms of DID. A study by Turrel et al. reported that many people who consider themselves multiple said they felt disconnected from their body and experiences in a way that matched dysmorphia and gender dysphoria, while additional stigma derived from popular media which often portrays those who are multiple as dangerous. Alternatively, recent clinical research has questioned whether identifying with multiplicity necessarily leads to distress. Indeed, some people with plural identities do not agree with, or seek, a DID diagnosis, instead rejecting the suggestion that there is anything inherently pathological about their experiences.

A rise in self-diagnosed DID cases has coincided with a growing popularity of social media content relating to multiplicity, a development that dovetails with ongoing concern over links between social media and mental health, particularly in relation to TikTok communities. Some professionals also worry that online spaces could sociogenically exacerbate adverse effects of DID. In the Harvard Review of Psychiatry, Salter et al. hypothesized that the rise in the 2020s of social media self-diagnoses was the result of multiple intersecting factors including undiagnosed neurodevelopmental issues, social isolation, and hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing a parallel to the significant increase in tic-like presentations to Tourette syndrome clinics during this period. The publication also warned that distinguishing genuine DID cases from malingered, factitious, or imitative DID, is difficult. On the other hand, most members of the plural community who identify specifically as non-disordered reject the DID label and do not claim the diagnosis.^:6

Other reports suggest that participation in plural communities might remedy some aspects of social isolation arising from DID. According to The Plural Association, a Netherlands-based nonprofit, "[d]enying the existence of separate experiences can be harmful and may not facilitate healing. Acknowledging and respecting the multiplicity-plurality of individuals with DID is essential for promoting understanding, acceptance, and support." On a further note, Elizabeth Schechter, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Maryland, reported that the related practice of tulpamancy was used as a coping method during some practitioners' mental health crises. She along with religious studies PhD student Elizabeth Hale at UC Santa Barbara equated such practices with praying, noting that they could potentially impute therapeutic benefits for mental health and wellbeing.

Notable people

• Akwaeke Emezi

See also

• Spirit possession § Medicine and psychology
• Hypostatic model of personality
• Personality style
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Social media and mental health
• Subpersonality

Further reading

• Mckie, Silver; Flynn, Sana; Wolf-Gould, Christopher; Turell, Susan C.; Adan, Matthew A.; Redwoods, The (2025-10-30). "Reaching internal consensus: Decision-making by transgender and plural people". PLOS ONE. 20 (10). Bibcode:2025PLoSO..2035714M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0335714. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 12574927 . PMID 39761444 .

References

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