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System: A body/mind with multiple consciousnesses

Plural: Adjective, meaning system

Singlet: Person who is not a system

Alter: A member of a system; derived from 'alternate personality.' Used more in previous years, but some still use it to describe themselves

Headmate: A member of a system; a portmanteau of 'head' and 'roommate.' Generally considered the polite term nowadays

Headspace: A visualization of the brain as a physical space, such as a house or a ship

Front/Fronting: To front is to become on control of part or all of the body

DID: Dissociative Identity Disorder, previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder; the most well-understood form of plurality. Those who experience dissociation but do not meet the diagnostic criteria for DID will likely be given a diagnosis of one of the conditions below

OSDD: Other Specified Dissociative Disorder; a grouping of conditions (labeled 'sub-types') commonly diagnosed in lieu of DID. The subtypes are: 1a, 1b, 2, 3, and 4

PDID: Partial DID; a largely internalized representation of DID symptoms, where one headmate does most or all of the external functioning tasks, and other headmates exist largely internally.

DDNOS: Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified; used as a catchall diagnosis for 'not-DID' in the DSM-4. Largely unused now, in favor of OSDD

Traumagenesis/Traumagenic: Plurality originating from trauma, usually ocurring in childhood. From 'trauma' meaning 'wound' and 'genesis' meaning 'origin;' made from traumatic experience. All above diagnostic terms deal with this type of plurality. This will also be the lens we view plurality from most often, as this is how we experience it

Endogenesis/Endogenic: Plurality originating outside of trauma. From 'endo' meaning 'within' and 'genesis' meaning 'origin;' not made from outside influence

Syscourse: A portmanteau of 'system' and 'discourse,' referring to the ongoing debate on whether endogenic systems are 'real' or not

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Role: The primary 'purpose' a headmate has within their system. These will vary wildly based on the system and the individual, and headmates can have multiple. For simplicity's sake, we will only list those applicable to us

Host: A headmate who is out most often and does the body & social maintenance tasks primarily

Stuckfront:To be stuck in the front of the headspace, controlling the body. Our hosts are always stuck in the front

Cohost: A headmate who is out less than the host, but more than others. Often there to pick up whatever task the host can't/won't do

Protector: A headmate whose job it is to protect the system from difficult events happening in their lives. For us, this role has frequent overlap with cohost

Social Mask: A headmate who is especially good at filling an acceptable social role within society. For us, this is usually masking autism or dissociation

Operator: A headmate who can 'throw' their voice, look, and sound like others

Trauma-Holder: A headmate whose job it is to contain trauma so that it does not hurt or overwhelm others

Emotion-Holder: Same as above, but for emotions. For us, this is usually anger

Caregiver: An alter who takes care of others, provides emotional support, and comforts. For us, this usually overlaps with protectors

Little: An alter who is younger than the biological age of the body

Introject: An alter who was formed based on someone from the 'outside world,' such as a family member, friend, or fictional character

Fictive: The more specific term for an introject based on a fictional character