Glossary: Plural-Related Terms
NOTE [2021-March-21] : This glossary is considered outdated and is slated for an overhaul in the future.
This is a list of terms used in the plural community and relate to plurality. The words in [ ] brackets after words with similar meanings.
This is a list of terms used in the plural community and relate to plurality. The words in [ ] brackets after words with similar meanings.
Age-slider -- An age-slider is an individual system member who age fluctuates. This can include their mentality, their appearance to others in the system, or both. The age ranges included for an age-slider vary from age-slider to age-slider, going from sliding only a handful of years certain years to sliding around a whole lifetime.
Co-conscious -- A state of being when two or more members of a system are experiencing or are aware of what is going on around their physical body at the same time, and are aware of each others presence there.
Co-fronting -- When two or more members of a system are controlling the body at one time.
Cycling – When headmates switch fronters several times in a short amount of time.
Endogenic system -- A system that became so due to a internal causes rather than external causes (either from spiritual or psychological means).
Front -- The body’s view of the world. When someone is in the control of the body, they are often said to ‘be at the front.' Sometimes in the innerworld/headspace/etc of a system there is a representation of Front.
Fronting -- The act of being in control of the body and aware of the body's actions as one's own.
Headmate -- A member of a plural system, or an person or entity who shares a body with others. May or may not actively take the front or not. [Systemmate]
Host – A term sometimes used to refer to either/and - the ‘original’ person from which the other minds broke off, the main fronter, the leader of the system, or something else along those lines.
Innerworld -- The place where system members live and reside. May be considered a mental space or another realm altogether. (Some systems do not have headspaces, while some singlets do.) Some people can manipulate their headspace in supernatural ways and some cannot. Some are only a room or house to a whole plant or several plants. They vary greatly. [Headspace, otherworld, soulscape, wonderland]
Integration -- The ultimate goal of psychology when it comes to plurals most often - to get the system members to merge into one person. It is generally undesired by many plurals, as it’s equated with dying (or murder in the case of it being very much forced upon a system). [Merging]
Little -- A member of a system who is young (such as a baby, toddler, or child if human).
Losing Time -- The experience of not remembering what occurred when another headmate was fronting. This does not happen to all plurals, or can be brought on due to stress, lack of communication between members, medication, or other unusual circumstances. [Blacking out]
Median -- A plural that is in-between singlet and multiple. Can be defined as when the system is dependent on one certain member or there is a 'core' members and the others can be described as "aspects of" or "extensions of" the core.
Multiple -- A plural whose members are separate from each other (possessing a self identity distinct from the others in the system).
Multiplicity -- The state of being multiple.
Outerworld -- The world where the physical body is in. This reality.
Plural -- An umbrella term for when more than one person/consciousnesses shares the same physical body with others.
Plurality -- The state of being plural.
Possession -- The act of a spirit entering and taking control of body.
Quoigenic system -- A system that does not know of how their system came about.
Singlet -- A single person using a single physical body with no other minds or souls occupying the body.
Singleton -- A single person using a single physical body with no other minds or souls occupying the body. (Often used in a more derogatory manner than singlet.)
Subsystem -- A plural system within a plural system.
Switching -- The act of changing who is in control of the body. The act of a person who is fronting stepping down and another taking control in their place.
System -- A term referring to a group of consciousnesses sharing a physical body.
Trauma-based system --A system that became so due to a traumatic or multiple traumatic experiences (either from spiritual or psychological means).
Tulpa -- A created sentient entity through the power of thought.
Tulpamancy -- The act of creating a tulpa.
Walk-in -- An entity/spirit/person who was not born into the body but rather came into the body some time during life.
Walk-out -- An entity/spirit/person who has left the body after having inhabited the body for some time during life.
Co-conscious -- A state of being when two or more members of a system are experiencing or are aware of what is going on around their physical body at the same time, and are aware of each others presence there.
Co-fronting -- When two or more members of a system are controlling the body at one time.
Cycling – When headmates switch fronters several times in a short amount of time.
Endogenic system -- A system that became so due to a internal causes rather than external causes (either from spiritual or psychological means).
Front -- The body’s view of the world. When someone is in the control of the body, they are often said to ‘be at the front.' Sometimes in the innerworld/headspace/etc of a system there is a representation of Front.
Fronting -- The act of being in control of the body and aware of the body's actions as one's own.
Headmate -- A member of a plural system, or an person or entity who shares a body with others. May or may not actively take the front or not. [Systemmate]
Host – A term sometimes used to refer to either/and - the ‘original’ person from which the other minds broke off, the main fronter, the leader of the system, or something else along those lines.
Innerworld -- The place where system members live and reside. May be considered a mental space or another realm altogether. (Some systems do not have headspaces, while some singlets do.) Some people can manipulate their headspace in supernatural ways and some cannot. Some are only a room or house to a whole plant or several plants. They vary greatly. [Headspace, otherworld, soulscape, wonderland]
Integration -- The ultimate goal of psychology when it comes to plurals most often - to get the system members to merge into one person. It is generally undesired by many plurals, as it’s equated with dying (or murder in the case of it being very much forced upon a system). [Merging]
Little -- A member of a system who is young (such as a baby, toddler, or child if human).
Losing Time -- The experience of not remembering what occurred when another headmate was fronting. This does not happen to all plurals, or can be brought on due to stress, lack of communication between members, medication, or other unusual circumstances. [Blacking out]
Median -- A plural that is in-between singlet and multiple. Can be defined as when the system is dependent on one certain member or there is a 'core' members and the others can be described as "aspects of" or "extensions of" the core.
Multiple -- A plural whose members are separate from each other (possessing a self identity distinct from the others in the system).
Multiplicity -- The state of being multiple.
Outerworld -- The world where the physical body is in. This reality.
Plural -- An umbrella term for when more than one person/consciousnesses shares the same physical body with others.
Plurality -- The state of being plural.
Possession -- The act of a spirit entering and taking control of body.
Quoigenic system -- A system that does not know of how their system came about.
Singlet -- A single person using a single physical body with no other minds or souls occupying the body.
Singleton -- A single person using a single physical body with no other minds or souls occupying the body. (Often used in a more derogatory manner than singlet.)
Subsystem -- A plural system within a plural system.
Switching -- The act of changing who is in control of the body. The act of a person who is fronting stepping down and another taking control in their place.
System -- A term referring to a group of consciousnesses sharing a physical body.
Trauma-based system --A system that became so due to a traumatic or multiple traumatic experiences (either from spiritual or psychological means).
Tulpa -- A created sentient entity through the power of thought.
Tulpamancy -- The act of creating a tulpa.
Walk-in -- An entity/spirit/person who was not born into the body but rather came into the body some time during life.
Walk-out -- An entity/spirit/person who has left the body after having inhabited the body for some time during life.