"Definitions and Terminology Related to Multiplicy"

From the book: "Expressive and Functional Therapies in The Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder" Edited by, Estelle S. Kluft

Although the source of this information is somewhat older, it is still, for the most part, relevant now. "The DSM-III and the DSM-III-R (American Psychiatric Association, 1980, 1987) placed MPD with other dissociative disorders, all of which feature dissociation as a primary defensive component. Dissociation was defined as 'a disturbance or alteration in the normally integrative functions of idenity, memory, or consciousness'

"Dissociation has been conceptualized as the separation of an idea or thought process from the main stream of consciousness that can occur in one or more of four realms: behavior, affect, sensation, and pathway of a number of potential mechanisms. There is probably a psychophysiologic basis to the mechanism involved in dissociating."

The essential characteristics of MPD are as following:

  The existence within the person of two or more distinct
  personalities or personality states. Personality is here 
  defined as a relatively enduring pattern of perceiving,
  relating to, and thinking about the environment and one's
  self that is exhibited in a wide range of important social
  and personal contexts. Personality states differ only in 
  that the pattern is not exhibited in as wide a range of
  context. 

At least two of the personalities or personality states alternate in taking full control of the person's behavior at some time.

Kluft (1984b, pp. 23-24) compiled a glossary of terms related to MPD which have come into general use among researchers and clincians. Many of them were derived from an earlier list and/or various statements by Braun. A selection of terms follows:

  1. Personality: an entity with a firm, persistent, and well-founded
                  sense of self and of a characteristic and consistent
                  pattern of behavior and feelings in response to 
                  stimuli

  2. Fragment:    an entity, as above, but with a more limited range
                  of function, emotion, or history

  3. Original     
     Personality: the identity which developed just after birth and
                  split off the first new personality in order to help
                  the body survive severe stress
  4. Birth 
     Personality: synonym for # 3

  5. Host 
     Personality: the one who has executive control of the body the
                  greatest percentage of time during a given day

  6. Presenting
     Personality: whichever personality presents itself for treatment

  7. Alternate:   denotes a personality other than the original, host,
                  or persenting. Determined by context

  8. Alter:       a generic term for any personality or fragment,
                  useful because, in clinical situations, it often
                  is unclear, for protracted periods, which 
                  personalities are original, host, presenting,
                  and so forth, or whether an entity is 
                  suffciently distinct and elaborate for a more
                  precise label

 9. Inner Self
    Helper (ISH): described first by Allison (1974), ISH's are
                  serene, rational and objective commentators
                  and advisors

10. Memory Trace
    Personality:  rather neurtal and non-interventive with more
                  or less access to the thread of historical
                  continuity over the patient's life-ascribed to Wilbur 
                  (cited Schreiber, 1970) 
                  

11. Ego State:    as defined by Watkins and Watkins (1988), this 
                  is a body of behavior and experience whose elements
                  are bound together by some common principle but are
                  separated from one another by boundaries which are
                  more or less permeable. All ego states are not
                  personalities. The Watkins' conceptual scheme
                  understands the human personality to be divided
                  into organized subsystems called ego states

12. Hidden
    Observer:     a term used by Hilgard (1977) to denote covert
                  cognitive systems which continue to register
                  ongoing experiences and sensations even when they
                  are hypnotically suggested out of awareness and
                  can be accessed and interviewed

13. Co
   Consciousness: Prince (1906) used this term to describe the
                  awareness of one personality of the feelings,
                  actions, and thoughts of another

14. Co-presence:  the influence of one personality on another to the
                  extent that the personality ostensibly in control
                  has its behavior or affective state altered. The 
                  term facilitates description of the passive 
                  influence experiences quite common in the condition

15. Splitting:    creating a new personality

16. Switching:    changing personalities between already existing ones

17. Fusion:       the unification of personalities, spontaneously,
                  in the course of therapy, or via hypnotic suggestion.
                  Criteria have been published (Kluft, 1982)

18. Integration:  used by some as a synonym for 17. However, others
                  understand it to denote a more pervasive and
                  thourough psychic restructuring, and see fusion
                  as a preliminary process

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