People with dissociative identity disorder (DID) have two or more distinct identities, known as alters. These alters may have certain roles, purposes or functions.
Alters may also be called
- alternate identities
- dissociative identities
- headmates
- other identities
- otherkin
- other selves
- parts
- parts of the self
- pieces of the self
- self-states
- system mates
DID alters often have special functions, known as alter roles.
Alter roles help people with DID make sense of their alternate identities. Not all systems need roles in order to function well.
Also, there is no “normal” with dissociative identity disorder, because every DID system is unique. Therefore, no definitive list can exist.
This post was written based on my experience with DID, but some people with other specified dissociative disorders (OSDD) may relate to the alter roles within this post.
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.As I heal from my own trauma, I’m updating this post with tips on how to heal each alter’s trauma(s).
If you find this post helpful, please it with your friends/followers on social media or save to Pinterest! 💖
Last updated: 8 March, 2025.
Types of alters
DID alters can be sorted into two different categories: Apparently Normal Parts and Emotional Parts.
Apparently Normal Parts (ANPs)
Apparently Normal Parts are alters responsible for daily life activities. They’re rational and grounded — integral parts to have at the front.
Responsibilities of ANPs include:
- Feeding the body
- Personal hygiene
- Sleep
- Socializing
- Taking care of other people and/or pets
- Work
Unlike Emotional Parts (EPs), ANPs are present-oriented, meaning they don’t think about the past a lot and are less likely to be triggered.
Emotional Parts (EPs)
Emotional Parts hold traumatic memories and may be stuck in the memory regardless of how far in the past it was.
In other words, EPs struggle to focus on the present because they’re mentally stuck in the sensory atmosphere of the trauma, like a dissociative flashback.
List of DID alter roles
Animal alter
- May be anthropomorphic
- Not uncommon for abused children to befriend animals better than people
People with animal self-states may believe they’re animals because they were treated that horribly or because their pet became their role model.
⚡ An early sign of DID my family missed was my animal alter. Others saw this as me simply “pretending to be a cat” despite acting like a cat to the annoyance and discomfort of others.
While I was seen by psychiatrists, I never returned to the ones who asked about or mentioned signs of child abuse.
Angry alter
- Is angry
- May negatively influence other alters to be angry as well
- May be mistaken for a misguided protector
- Heal by acknowledging and working through emotions, and learning how to accept anger as a mood/emotion like it’s a part of you
⚡ I have Tourette syndrome. For the longest time, I thought anger was part of it. Learning how to accept and feel my feelings helped me see otherwise. I’m not sure if this means my angry alter was healed and fused, but I haven’t seen it in a while.
Caretaker alter
- Cares for specific alters (single or group) or ensures body is taken care of.
- May act like a parental figure to other alters.
⚡ My caretaker alter helps me manage chores and take care of myself. It also took care of the child alters.
Cheerleader alter
Cheerleader alters lift the emotion(s) and/or mood(s) of other alters within a DID system.
Cheerleader alters may have formed due to lack of positive reactions to an individual’s experiences and needs in the past (e.g. caregiver was never happy or always criticized, regardless of achievements).
Child 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.
A healthy boundary someone who child alters might create is not sharing the child alter’s name online/in public or with anyone they don’t trust 100% — especially the Littles.
This is because child alters may be triggered more easily by sounds, smells and memories.
Little alters are NOT to be confused with the DDLG kink and should be considered children [by others] when fronting.
During dissociative child states, the person’s mind is like that child state. They are not adults pretending to be children.
However, child alters may have access to an adult brain. This means they may be able to comprehend, speak and behave in a way literal children do not, e.g.
- cooking on the stove or using the oven
- doing laundry
- driving
- using big vocabulary
but this doesn’t always mean they should do all the things and definitely doesn’t mean they are secretly adults.
Child alters may be healed by
- Embracing your inner child by doing things they like
- Inner child healing
- Identifying child alter trauma and working through it
- Identifying child alter triggers and working through them
- Reparenting oneself
- Accepting your inner children as parts of you and being okay with engaging in “childish” activities
Learning about attachment theory, child development and possibly even healthy parenting may help heal your child alters.
Play therapy may be much more effective in working through trauma related to child alters than the typical talking therapy.
⚡ My child alters are less individualistic now and more integrated with me/other alters as I heal from my trauma. Imagining this was scary at first, but it sort of happened naturally on its own…and I’m oddly okay with it.
I’m learning to accept all of myself — which means accepting my inner children and engaging in activities that honor them.
Core alter
The core alter is typically perceived as the “original” alter by non-systems and may be used interchangeably with “main alter” or “host”.
Some psychologists still push this alter role, which is problematic — and harmful — because core/original roles add to confusion and misinformation.
DID 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.
No child is born with all their identities whole.
That said, systems may still have a core alter.
⚡ I had a core alter for the longest time. I thought I had to be her, too. Then I learned that I could be myself — that I didn’t have to be someone who fits other people’s expectations and can be myself.
Director alter
The director alter is the director or “boss” of the system and oversees all dissociative states within the body.
A director alter may be active or passive. They may go into dormancy and come out when necessary.
⚡ My director alter oversees the system board, which is comprised of alters who represent specific groups or often host.
Disabled alter
Disabled alters are nuanced, in that they may be disabled when the body is not truly disabled.
This doesn’t mean they’re pretending — and it’s not as simple as “mind over matter”.
Abused children who are told,
- “You didn’t see anything,” may develop a blind alter.
- “You didn’t hear anything,” may develop a deaf alter
- “Don’t talk,” may develop a mute alter
Disabled alters may hang out in the headspace, where they disable other alters’ abilities from fronting as typical, or front on their own.
Upon healing from the trauma related to the disability, the disabled alter may no longer be disabled in that way. Healing a blind alter could improve overhaul vision of the body, for example.
Fragment alter
- Not complete/full/whole alters
- Doesn’t have their own unique attributes
- May exist to complete specific tasks or maintain single emotions/memories
Individually, they may not encompass an entire person and need other alters to complete them. In action, this may look like fronting with a complementary alter.
Gatekeeper alter
- May control the switching between alters or who gets access to the front and when
- Some gatekeepers are capable of pulling necessary alters out of dormancy at will
- Some gatekeepers can put an alter into dormancy if deemed harmful for the body’s life
⚡ My gatekeeper alter fused with me and my Director alter, so we share the role. 🤷♀️
Historian/archivist alter
- Records memories and events
- Terms are often used interchangeably
- System may have multiple historian alters to cover different areas of life/types of memories
⚡ My historian alter works in the Library of Memories.
Host
- Most frequently fronts within the body
- Doesn’t necessarily associate with the legal name of the body
- System can have multiple hosts
- Some alters want to be hosts more than others, even when it’s not good for the body/system
- Medical professionals mistakenly assume the “host” of someone who has DID is the same as the legal name
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.
⚡ I used to have a handful of hosts, but now it’s mostly me. Host alters happen based on need, in my experience. I have a line of previous hosts, now either dormant or fused.
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.
Not all introjects are abusive or fictional, or mirror the entirety of those they’re based on or originate from.
⚡ My introject alters healed and fused as I unpacked and worked through my trauma.
Abusive introjects
Abusive introjects bring zero comfort, self-esteem and moral compass to the dissociative system.
They 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 and thus engage in self-harm due to self-hatred.
⚡ Mine was a misguided protector.
Fictional introjects
Fictional introjects are common, but do not require the entire character/persona of the fictional person they’ve originated from.
⚡ My fictional introject was Jane, but
Librarian
Librarian alters perform different tasks per each DID system.
Some DID systems have a “Library of Memories” or equivalent, where books of different memories line the shelves.
Sections of this library may be life stages, attachments, relationships, dynamics, experiences, hobbies, etc.
While the Library of Memories is akin to a library, activities done within the headspace are not as consciously deliberate as in “real life”.
In this case, the librarian alter often knows exactly what memory is in what book. There may be locked sections the librarian doesn’t have access to.
If the librarian has another role, they may have more restrictions placed on them.
Memory/trauma holder alters
Memory holders and trauma holders are often used interchangeably.
Each alter has their own happier memories, but some alters have less pleasant memories and hold more trauma.
Memory and trauma holder alters may be healed by
- healing from the trauma they hold
- other alters accepting their memories
⚡ My trauma holder hated being one. It’s like living in a constant state of PTSD flashbacks. Everything reminded her of the 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.
Non-human alter
Non-human alters may be anything that isn’t human, e.g.
- Aliens
- Animals
- Demon/evil alters
- Dragons
- Fairies
- Ghosts
- Inanimate objects (e.g. a doll)
- Mermaids
- Monsters
Non-human alters may be healed by accepting the characteristics about you that seem non-human.
My animal alters were healed when I became a cat mom. 💖
⚡ I think I lean towards fairies and mermaids because of this, though no specific alter(s) exist to fit this role. There is cognitive dissonance here, because I dislike the beach and swimming, yet I lean towards wanting to be a mermaid. 😅
Observer alter
Observer alters are pretty self-explanatory: They observe.
This can contribute to a state of hypervigilance, as the observer likely developed out of the need for awareness of surroundings, sensory input, other people’s behaviors — the whole environment.
Observer alters may heal only when the rest of the system feels safe enough to not be so hypervigilant. This may take longer than desired, so managing expectations is necessary.
I had to work through anxiety and learn how to accept this part of myself as a part of myself.
Persecutor alter, or misguided protector
Persecutor alters often 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.
When healing from trauma, a persecutor alter may be perceived as more of a misguided protector.
Protector
Protector alters protects the system/body. Protectors may be broken down into more specific roles:
Emotional protectors
Emotional protectors may take emotional abuse and/or comfort other alters from the blows of emotional abuse.
Physical protectors
Physical protectors may engage in aggressive behavior to protect or prevent from physical abuse.
They also may personally endure physical abuse.
Sexual protectors
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 abuse protectors
Verbal protectors may take verbal abuse or attempt to counter verbal attacks.
⚡ We consider memory and trauma holders “protectors”, but we also think of them as separate from protectors because they’re not always protective.
Pure alter
A pure alter does not have any childhood trauma and may not have experienced trauma until they began fronting within the body more often.
⚡ I didn’t realize my brain developed a pure alter until I comprehended the out-of-body experiences of DID:
My alter, Jane, was reacting as part of another alter’s trauma responses, not her own.
This became more true when we began healing from trauma. Jane was the “endgame”/”final alter” alter. She was “pure”, because our brain needed a “pure” alter to heal.
You could also call her a “blank slate alter” or “tabula rasa alter”.
Self-critic alter
A self-critic alter takes the “inner critic” up a notch by being one’s own voice, rather than the inner critical voice of caregivers, friends, etc.
Similar to an abusive introject, the self-critic alter is an introject alter.
Healing the self-critic introject alter requires similar therapy to that of healing the inner critic.
Symptom holder alter
A symptom holder alter holds the symptoms of all or some diagnoses.
In the event of autism paired with DID, the mask may become its own alter instead of a mere metaphorical mask.
Symptom holders can also hold medical symptoms, e.g.
- acid reflux
- chronic pain
- life-threatening allergies
Since DID forms because of chronic trauma, the alters will form as a coping mechanism. Medical trauma, or symptoms of trauma, may result in a specific alter.
Time keeper alter
People with dissociative identity disorder experience time differently, hence the need for a time keeper alter.
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
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