Last updated: 19 May, 2024
In a dissociative identity disorder (DID) system, alters may have certain roles, purposes or functions in the system. An “alter” is a unique, separate identity.
Not every DID system has all of these alter roles, and some DID alters may vary. Every DID system is different. Alters don’t necessarily need a particular role assigned, but it can help provide answers and understanding as a DID system, as well as help to open up communication and empathize with each other.
If you don’t have or know what kind of alter you are, it’s okay; DID alter roles exist to help provide understanding — not as a must-have guideline.
DID alters can change functions and roles, the same way people change jobs. Regardless of function or role, each alter is an integral part of the system — much like the cords in my kitten’s sisal rope scratching post.
All of these are subjective. Each DID system varies. There is no normal with DID, because every system is unique.
Moreover, DID alter roles and functions exist only as a way to help you understand your system. If your system works better not subscribing to particular roles, then don’t try to force it. 😌
If you see a lightning bolt emoji (⚡), this denotes a side note pertaining to our system for anyone who is interested in how these roles may function in a dissociative identity disorder system.Disclaimer: This post was written based on my/our experience with dissociative identity disorder, what we’ve learned from/in therapy, and what we’ve learned from other systems.
All dissociative systems vary in experience and roles.
There are so many dissociative identity disorder system roles that, despite our best efforts, we couldn’t list them all. Every system has their own structure, but the diversity is part of what makes DID so interesting!
So if you find you don’t meet any of the DID system roles/functions below, it’s okay. This list isn’t meant to be a checklist — just an informational list.
✨ TL;DR: Download this PDF list of the different alter roles!
Core alter
The core alter is typically perceived as the “original” person in medical communities, but there is no “original” alter because dissociative identity disorder forms before a child’s personality develops.
The core alter may be used interchangeably as the main alter, or the host.
Core/original alters are outdated alter roles that only add to confusion and misinformation. Dissociative identity disorder forms before a child’s identity comes together, therefore there was never any “original” to create parts from. In DID, those parts never came together.
Host alters
The host alter most frequently uses the body. Systems may have multiple hosts, e.g. a primary host and secondary host. Again, every system is different.
Over time, hosts may change. Some systems mayn’t even recognize official hosts, while many medical professionals recognize the host as the legal name of the body.
In our experience, and from who we’ve connected with, primary hosts in DID systems seldom associate with the legal name of the body. We do have a line of previous hosts, most of whom are dormant.
There’s this inside joke within the dissociative identity disorder community about each alter wanting to host, but it’s okay if alters don’t want to host, too. Hosting in a body you don’t identify with or recognize can be uncomfortable and alarming, and it doesn’t make you less of a system (or an alter!) if you have no interest in fronting.
⚡ Our system consists of two primary hosts, Jane and Izzy. The host who uses the body’s legal name is dormant and more of a scared, traumatized child/introject of her narcissistic guardians. The intended endgame host is Jane. We say endgame, because we do want to eventually fuse (even though the concept is terrifying!).Protective alter
Protector alters protect the system, body, alters, etc.
- Emotional protectors may take emotional abuse and/or comfort other alters from the blows of emotional abuse.
- Physical protectors may engage in aggressive behavior to protect or prevent from physical abuse. They also may personally endure physical abuse.
- Sexual protectors may engage in sexual affairs, regardless of consent, to try to feel more in control of the situation. They may also be more sexual by nature, as a result of trauma; ironically, this can lead to unsafe sex and related situations.
- Verbal protectors may take verbal abuse or attempt to counter verbal attacks.
Persecutors, or misguided protectors
Often referred to persecutors, some alters seek to harm the body, system, alters, and/or destroy personal relationships and the livelihood of which the body regards.
They may believe hurting the system is what protects it best, so their goal is to control and rule the system through perpetuated abuse.
They may be reenacting trauma, reasoning that more trauma isn’t harmful and will just balance it out.
They may be fearful of good news, good experiences, and even good feelings and seek to stomp it out to avoid hurt/bad feelings.
Some protectors are introjects of abusers and may not understand that they themselves are not abusers.
⚡ We prefer the term misguided protectors because, through healing, these alters are ultimately just…misguided. Our medically perceived “core” host is dormant.Caretaker alter
Caretaker alters care for specific members of the system, like littles, pets, teens, and system groups. They may act like a parental figure to other alters, and those they care for may refer to them as “mom” or “dad” instead of their names.
Caretakers may also ensure the body is taken care of.
⚡ In our system, the caretaker’s name is Kelly. She takes care of the children and non-human alters, and will cook/clean when the hosts of the system lack the energy. If the body lacks the energy, Kelly does what she can to take care of the children and non-human alters, and our head protector alter (Portia) manages the body and life admin.Introject alters
Introjects are alters based off outside people — e.g. a family member or guardian who supported and/or positively influenced the dissociative child; a historical figure the dissociative child found strong, brave, and relatable; abusers. Abusive introjects bring zero comfort, self-esteem and moral compass to the dissociative system.
Abusive introjects will reenact trauma and abuse to reinforce the “lessons” of their abusers, and may not see themselves as the person they represent. They may be disgusted by their origin.
Fictional introjects are common, but do not require the entire character/persona of the fictional person they’ve originated from.
Not all introjects are abusive or fictional, or mirror the entirety of those they’re based on or originate from.
⚡ We have a few introjects. One, named Effy, fused with our gatekeeper, Betz, and together they became Izzy. Collectively, we mourn the event and do not celebrate it, but we are also content with Izzy.Memory/trauma holder alters
We mostly call the memory holder a trauma holder, because they usually hold the trauma. Each alter has their own happier memories, but some alters have less pleasant memories and hold more trauma.
⚡ Jane knows of the body associated with the body, but hadn’t experienced much personal trauma before she started hosting full-time. Growing up, she experienced internal system-related trauma from our misguided protective alter holding the legal name of the body. As an adult, she has experienced external trauma. She is not a trauma holder. ⚡ In our system, one trauma holder bears additional system roles (gatekeeper, host); their name is Izzy.Gatekeeper alter
Gatekeeper alters controls the “switching”, or whomever gets access to the “front”. A lot of systems will just call it “fronting”, and we are one of those.
They’re essentially a DID system supervisor, not to be confused with a captain/manager/head of the system alter role.
⚡ In our system, our gatekeeper holds the keys to the Library of Memories, makes much of the system rules, and has access to most anywhere within the system they want to go. Betz had been around since the start, enduring countless abuse and did not associate with humanness. They existed — genderless, emotionless, ageless. Our trauma holder and gatekeeper merged to create Izzy, who is not genderless, emotionless or ageless.Fragment alters
Fragment alters didn’t fully develop or don’t have their own unique attributes. They may exist to complete certain tasks, or maintain single memories and/or emotions. Individually, they may not encompass an entire person and need other alters to complete them.
⚡ Our system low-key had/has one named Liz. She fused with Jane.Children alters
Child alters include littles, middles and teens, and the ages of each vary from system to system.
- Littles are usually 0-8.
- Middles are 9-12.
- Teens are 13-18, but might extend to age 19.
Sharing too much information about child alters online is dangerous, possibly more so when the DID system’s body is an adult, because certain triggers — like names, things and scents — can result in a child alter fronting and getting into uncomfortable, inappropriate, dangerous, unsafe and/or traumatizing situations.
Littles are not to be confused with the DDLG kink and should be considered children when fronting. This doesn’t mean a trusted person within the system’s vicinity should parent the child without explicit permission from the system, but they should ensure the child alter’s safety.
Something interesting about child alters is that they may have access to an adult brain! This means they might be able to comprehend, speak and behave in a way that children often do not — including using bigger vocabulary or doing laundry — but doesn’t always mean they should do all the things (like cooking on the stove or using the oven), and definitely does not mean they are secretly adults.
⚡ Our system does contain littles. We’re more likely to refer to them as “Little S” than we are their name — and no, Little S is not short for our legal first name!Historian/Archivist alter
Historian, or archivist, alters record memories and events. Although historians and archivists are not the same, DID systems often refer to them similarly.
If you have historians or archivists, please comment below and share about your experience!
⚡ In our system, we have a historian who does the typical role of historian careers: They (singular) research, analyze and write about our past by studying books in our Library of Memories. They look at patterns and help us identify areas where the system can improve.Symptom holder alters
A symptom holder alter holds the symptoms of all or some diagnoses.
In the event of autism and dissociative identity disorder, the mask may become its own alter instead of a mere metaphorical mask. Since DID forms because of chronic trauma, the alters will form as a coping mechanism. Autistic masking is a response to trauma, the brain realizing that it needs to hide itself in order to survive. The brain wants to survive. DID alters are coping mechanisms in DID systems.
The entire system is autistic, because autism is a neurotype. It’s literally your brain. Your brain just puts those symptoms into an alter instead of masking. There may still be a mask, it’s just different from the type of mask that other people are experiencing. Some other altars may mask, but most of your symptoms are held by an alternate identity.
Why wouldn’t these two come together? Or any other disorder with a list of symptoms? What better way to hide symptoms in a dissociative identity disorder system then through its alters?
⚡ Jane is a symptom holder of autism and is basically a textbook autistic.Other alters are autistic, and each alter is still capable of masking! It’s just more complicated than your usual mask. 🥲
Other symptom holders might hold more physical or medical things, from chronic pain to acid reflux or life-threatening allergies.
Factitious disorder by proxy
There is also factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA), formerly known as Munchausen syndrome, wherein someone else makes or convinces you that you must be sick or have severely poor mental health.
Note: This is really just something my system has been considering the concept of. Take it as it is, from our experience, if you take it at all.It involves lots of gaslighting, and might be why some alters are Deaf/blind/mute/etc. (e.g. told “You didn’t hear/see anything” or heard “[they] can’t speak”); this manifests DID alters that take on the role of this persona that meets the abuser’s expectations.
I daresay call these “proxy alters”, but I genuinely think that term fits best. The best advice I have at identifying this — and that’s I, as in this system collectively and me, Jane — is:
- Pay attention to how you/your system behaves around certain people.
- If you feel like you’re being gaslit, you probably are. Don’t doubt yourself, because that’s the whole point of gaslighting!
- It may be subtle, like a fragment, possibly not a full-on alter, but more like a system virus? I know it’s a bad analogy, but it’s the best I’ve got.
When my system is away from toxic, gaslight-y people, the virus/filter fades. Everything stops feeling foggy. We start to feel safe again, out of fight or flight mode.
So perhaps, instead of being alters, proxy alters may be a system-wide virus under the guise of a DID alter. It’s not an alter, but a filter or shade that washes over and around the system whilst under the influence of this toxicity.
It’s almost like we regress to the days before our diagnosis. We thought that we were free of toxic people — of our abusers — until we were shown their true colors.
Other DID alter functions exist, but these are the main ones we come across in other systems and the ones that exist in our own.
If you’re a system yourself, and you feel comfortable, please share which alter roles your system has! We’d love to meet you! XD
ALSO: Would you like separate posts dedicated to each of these roles? Let us know in the comments. 😊 We have more DID content planned, but it’s random and might not be specifically what you’re needing.
We no longer maintain a system TikTok due to our abusers stalking us. 💀
Other dissociative identity disorder content:
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Comments on this post
Dragonfly Collective/System
Heyyyy our name is Ajay. We kinda collectively go as our hosts IRL and online name so it’s not as confusing. Who is currently talking is Oli! Im a caretaker. We also have Ajay who is the host lol. She’s also a bit of a persecutor at times as she tends to spiral. Ley is a Introject and a symptom holder. He is actually a non-human alter. Dei is a protector and monarch. She tends to front and get aggressive when we get upset. She likes to also mess with people who have done us or others we care about wrong and ruin their lives. I think im also an archivist because I’m the one who is figuring it all out and writing it down. I’m unsure if we have a gatekeeper or not. Could be Jae maybe? Idk I’m sure he’s a symptom holder. Idk I‘m still trying to figure out who does what 😅
Raven
Thank you so much for this! It has really helped me understand more about DID and it’s been really helpful as I sometimes interact with systems. Again, thank you!
Bass
For me I have like 11 parts. I am the one who oversees daily functioning, maintains organization, and provides leadership. That would be Bass. I am also the gatekeeper. Though there is also Christina. She is both a caretaker part, who has me take care of the body, but also takes over when needed. Mostly when I cause an internal issue, by saying no to another part, and they get upset. Both me and Christina have fronted. Then there is a part that is central to the system but not fronting that is what we are working towards. Where one other part she is more tied to intellectual curiosity, knowledge and insights, supporting me and helping out with decisions. She is more like a librarian or philosopher of sorts. Then there is Feronia who takes care of emotional boundaries and stands up against verbal and emotional abuse. Where Frekki is non-human and the intense protector who is pretty aggressive.
There are also two more parts that lend me qualities when needed and feel to the child parts and even myself as older parental figures. Though the child parts both little, three middle and one teenager also see me and Christina as such figures too. Where there are also two more non-human protectors, one is more about resourcefulness, agility, and strategic thinking, where the other shuts down overwhelming emotions or experiences and takes over when the child parts feel overwhelmed and I can’t manage things any more. I used to have two parts that caused the system harm but I faced them internally and had a massive fight with them, together with Frekki. After that they were gone and instead Feronia and one of the others parts that lends me qualities were present instead.
Bebe/Choco (I’m a singlet, I just go by two names!)
Ohh! Interesting!! I like psychology and I’d like to understand people (and their conditions) better without any sort of bias!! =O I’m currentlylearning more about systems !!! =P got any tips?? =3
elle
hey, so i might be a system but idk. if i want to use “i” instead of “we” does that still make me a system (hypothetically)? and i could use some advice on how to deal with new voices/alters
Freya J.
Re: pronouns: yes! 💖 That’s what my system does 🤌
Cosmic Cradle Sys
Hi! I noticed by the end of your comment, you had mentioned asking for other system roles/functions that may exist elsewhere. I’ve got a few system friends that have demonstrated a role we’ve dubbed “Cheerleaders”, or alters who when active in our head uplift our emotions. Not sure how applicable or real it is necessarily (though I guess doubt comes with the territory), but we’ve got a few alters that when they front or become more active within us help cheer us up passively. It… might just be the fact that they tend to be very kind and optimistic in their mindsets, though.
Admittedly, the assigning of roles has caused a few issues within our system so we’ve opted to not define one another by roles. But back when we did, we had something like that!
Silas
You asked about memory alters ( can’t remember what you called them … archive alter?) We have one kinda like that but I only saw it ( that’s what he was referring to himself as ‘it’, he would repeat: it is ok, it is not evil, won’t harm body ). But the way he knew how to do things wasn’t by just knowing, but by visually accessing memories of the past. My memory is so bad so I was really REALLY impressed. We went as far as the body being breastfed by my mother ( he was having a shower at the time), and i saw it so clearly it was like watching a movie! every action was supported by countless snapshots of the body doing that action before so he knew how to do it ( what product to use, what technique, what not to do) and the timelines were insane! I can’t remember what happened last month! It was amazing to experience that. He got spooked by my partner knocking at the door and switched so we never found out who he was or where he came from but hopefully he’ll be back one day 😊🤞hope that helps 🤷🏻♀️
Mirror System
I (Aspen, the host) have recently become aware of our OSDD-1b system for the first time and it’s all really overwhelming. I know Henry (one of our protectors) won’t let me meet most of our trauma holders because he’s afraid it will be too much for me to handle. However, I feel like this is making it much harder for us to differentiate who’s fronting at a given time, and barring me from getting to know a large chunk of our system. Do you have any tips on how to get to know your trauma holders better (without actively triggering them of course)? I feel like where they typically are is one of the biggest areas of our inner world that I don’t have access to. I call it the Field of Fear, though I don’t know what it’s actually like there. Maybe a nursery or a psych ward? I’ve gotten both of those impressions before. But not having the ability to know and comfort so many of our system members feels terrible. Do you have any advice on this?
Midnight Sys
Heya Aspen (that’s our body’s name too, neat)! I’m Impulse, an introject in our system.
Getting used to being a system is difficult and definitely overwhelming, no worries. That’s a normal thing, and something that really only time and patience can fix.
It sounds like Henry has your best interests at heart, but maybe is a little overprotective? Like a parent who’s worried for a child, in a way. He wants to keep you and, by extension, the system safe at all costs, because that’s his job. Going behind his back might not be the best option, though. The reasons you listed are good, so I’d tell those to him if you haven’t already. Maybe you could ask if he’d be more comfortable allowing you to meet them if he was there too, to “supervise” per se? You can let him know if you’re getting a little overwhelmed at any point and he can cut the meeting short. You don’t have to meet everyone at once, either.
At the end of the day though, protectors do usually have your interests in mind and are making calculated decisions based on your current state. If not now, then hopefully you can meet everyone later, once you’ve gotten a bit more used to the whole concept of being a system. Either way I’d avoid going behind your protector’s back to meet anyone if you can, it can cause a lot of distrust and shake up the system if you’re not careful.
Good luck though, I hope you get to meet them soon 🙂
Kayla
I have an angry alter that has started taking over every time my abuser walks in, this is making life worse because he gaslights me really bad. This caused system “virus” I slept for almost a year. I guess angry is the only way to prevent the virus and responsible cares for life stuff. I am confusion.
Rachael Whitehall
How can you tell with a 17 year old female has Dissociative identity disorder and I probably have DiD because I got 22 out of 22 questions correctly, it says you have almost all the symptoms of DID. You most likely have this disorder. However, this quiz is not a diagnosis.
Freya J.
Rachael, there are various forms of dissociative disorders.
DID = 2+ different identity states. These can look and act similarly (kind of like identical or fraternal twins) or behave and carry themselves extremely differently. Either way, they are distinct identity states.
Other specified dissociative disorder (OSDD) is having dissociative symptoms, but not necessarily fitting into any of the types.
I can’t diagnose; I only share my personal experiences and share about my diagnoses as I know about and understand them.
Here’s a link to a site that shares about DID in a respectful way, though I’m not sure if the site itself is respectful because this is the first time I’ve heard about it: https://www.rethink.org/advice-and-information/about-mental-illness/learn-more-about-conditions/dissociation-and-dissociative-identity-disorder-did/
I hope it helps you on your journey to understanding your mind more 💗
I go by many… My host is Mei
Our system has a lot of different alters, 29 (including the host) we have persecutors, protectors, artistic alter, caregiver, gatekeeper, backup gatekeeper, trauma holders, littles/child alters, self-critic alter, observer, insiders, standbys, and a time keeper in our system…
Ash
I (Ash) am suspected (but as yet undiagnosed) DID, and am trying to learn more about it. How do you know which alter has which role? Can an alter have more than one role? We have a few different alters, and after reading this post we have managed to put role labels to some of our alters:
Sam – Caretaker of the littles, Devi (7) and Jaxon (4), and is a teen (14).
Kyra – possibly the sexual protector, tends to try to take control of any and all sexual situations we get involved in, is a teen (16).
Ash – host, teen (18), the one who carries the legal name of the body.
Sebastien – possibly a persecutor? verbally/emotionally abuses and gaslights several alters, mainly Ash, Sam, Aoife, Jason and Regal, is 24 years old.
Regal – symptom holder of autism/selective mutism, teen (19).
still struggling to understand what roles Aoife, Jason, Zach, Devi and Jaxon have though. We know that Aoife is a non-human alter (a wood nymph, to be specific, and is 468 years old), Jason is 21yo, Zach is 17yo, Devi is 7 and Jaxon is 4.
Aoife just kinda seems to hover around in headspace, occasionally offering suggestions on how to solve a problem we might be facing,
Jason is quite sulky/moody, doesn’t really like to interact with anyone, either in headspace or by fronting.
Zach seems to be the one doing research into gender/sexual identities, as the host (Ash) is questioning their gender/sexuallity.
Devi is very hyperactive, possibly a symptom holder for ADD/ADHD but not entirely sure.
Jaxon … we don’t really know very much about Jaxon, he very rarely speaks/engages with the rest of us, on the rare occasions he does front he just sits drawing/colouring until he either falls asleep or someone else fronts.
If anyone out there can help us learn more about who we are/what our roles are, we would very much appreciate it!
Freya J.
Ash,
Alters can have multiple roles; some even have no roles. Many of my alters know their roles, but then that knowing also waivers on occasion as well. It’s more or less a journey to self-awareness and a process of self-reflection. My system took about two years to map and sort out who had what roles — after kind of mostly ignoring the diagnosis for about 6-7 years.
Hazel
I’m not really sure if my system and I have a host, really. We’re still trying to figure that out, but I feel like I might be one of them if we do?? I might be a memory holder too, since somehow I can remember what my alters do when I’m not fronting. It’s like I’m watching but involuntarily. It happens all the time with some of them, but others I don’t remember anything except co fronting. One of my friends (outside our system) said I might be a memory holder, but I’m not sure exactly what that means or how they remember stuff. It’s really complicated and confusing
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