Establishing Foundations

Plurality is still relatively unknown to much of wider society, and many definitions are still being actively debated.
Here's the basic concepts again as a refresher - or if it's your first time, as an introduction.

Plurality

Conventionally, we treat a human body and an identity as a one-to-one relationship. A body represents (or, contains) one person, and while they may change over time, they remain the same individual. This "singlet" model of identity suits the majority of the population. However, there is a significant minority (roughly 1 in 50) that instead utilise a "plural" model. These plural systems identify multiple "selves" within their body - each with potentially differing attitudes, memories, or even (by exchanging control of their body) voices, skills, and relationships.

Terminology

• Headmates - The individuals that comprise a plural system (aka its members) - used similarly to "roommates". May or may not be able to directly communicate with one another.
• Fronting - A system member having control of the body they're in (i.e. being "in the front" of the body; at the wheel). Usually not black-and-white, with partial and shared fronting common.
• Switching - Headmates exchanging control of the body (i.e "switching in" to the front and "switching out" to the back). Not universal, but a common experience.

Relevance

As with non-conventional differences in gender or sexuality (or anything else perceived as "in the brain"), plurality is largely met with skepticism. While diagnoses like DID (previously Multiple Personality Disorder) can inspire dismissal of plurality as a disordered delusion that just needs "fixing", plural systems without a diagnosis (or those with plural experiences not classified under DID) can equally have their experiences dismissed as baseless attention-seeking.

As such, it's productive to understand that plurality is a new term, but one that seeks to describe widespread, pre-existing phenomena. Those that choose to use a plural identity model do so because it's the best way (or, indeed, the only way) to describe their life experiences. Knowing exactly what those experiences are is less important than allowing individuals to choose the model that works for them. This means someone with experiences others understand as plural might still choose a singlet model, and even those using a plural model may decide to keep it purely to themselves.

To this end, the intent of plural advocacy is not to have more people be openly plural, but to offer more options with which to understand ourselves and eachother. Plurality is an umbrella, attempting to provide support and community for those with specific, undeniably human experiences - whether they're personally understood as spiritual, cultural, psychological, or incidental. And of course, Plurality is also a movement - advocating for plural systems' right to exist, be recognized and understood, and have the same autonomy, privacy, and participation in life as any singlet does.