Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) Terminology with A Wheeler
*NOTE: A Wheeler uses first person terms, such as "we, us, our, etc."
Along with inaccurate myths about dissociative identity disorder (DID) circulating the zeitgeist, there is often rampant misinformation on social media. There is even inaccurate information throughout circles of practitioners. One of my most impactful brushes with the misinformation surrounding DID was in my abnormal psychology class in undergraduate school.
When getting our undergraduate degree, we were undiagnosed. My professor spent the entire abnormal psychology class period ranting about how DID is “overdiagnosed” and “might not even exist.” The professor, who is also a practicing clinician, needs to teach evidence based, accurate information. Sharing information that further perpetuates stigma is unacceptable. Students are fresh minds expecting to be taught accurate information to begin forming their future careers. This makes them impressionable.
Yet, the lack of education surrounding DID reaches beyond an undergraduate classroom. I have several friends with Master of Social Work (MSW) degrees who told me about how little their programs taught them about DID.
As a system*, and someone in the public health field, let’s dive into some essential terminology and information!
We’ll begin with common system* roles. The host is the primary alter* who fronts* the most. Usually (but not always) they are an apparently normal part (ANP)*. Some hosts rarely leave front*, while others often leave front*. This varies system* to system*. Regardless of what information you think you know or think should be the case, it’s important to listen to systems in your care and your personal life. Each system's* experience is different.
Another common alter’s* role is to be a caretaker. This is an alter* who takes care of the body, living quarters, and sometimes the inner world. Some systems* draw a distinctive primary caretaker, or they may have a couple of caretakers who do different aspects of the "job."
For example, in our system, we have a caretaker who helps maintain hygiene, medication, and the house. Another caretaker is the primary painholder and helps us remember to eat or forces us to take it easy.
Protectors are also a more common alter* role. A protector does as their name suggests; they protect. This protection comes in many forms, ranging from high-stress situations like stepping in during a crisis or traumatic event, down to dealing with someone arguing with the system*. What triggers a protector to form and/or front* is often rooted in particular traumas and experiences. A term associated with a protector is a persecutor.
The persecutor is an alter who usually has the intention to protect the body but may behave in a damaging way. For example, this can look like snapping at someone to get them to leave you alone so you can go gather yourself and calm yourself down. However, the behaviors in which persecutors engage can be dangerous to the body. Sometimes this involves engaging in non-suicidal self injury (NSSI)*.
Non-suicidal self injury (NSSI)* is something to work through and try to find alternate solutions or make safety plans for. But persecutors should not be shamed. Shaming persecutors can amplify internal shame about their actions. As a result, this can lead to more dangerous actions if they feel unsafe or triggered due to shaming. They may also resist working with the professional who shamed them.
A term many people hear of in the DID social media space is "introject." An introject is an alter* whose name, appearance, etc. may be based off of someone or something in the real world. Introjects come in two main categories: fictive and factive. The forming of both are rooted in similar reasons. In our system, we formed introjects because we see a character or person who has a trait(s) that will help us better survive in times of distress.
As an example, we have an introject of Theo from The Haunting of Hill House. She is a protector. She split because canon/source Theo is a natural protector who goes out of her way to shield and protect others - especially young people and kids who are struggling. The instinct to protect, and the way she handled herself around perpetrators with strength and smarts, helped us survive as a teenager. (This is our perspective and wording that we use on fictives. Some systems* may have different explanations or words for it.)
Factives are similar, but they’re based in reality. Both fictives and factives are usually aware they aren’t their source. But different introjects will have different feelings and attachments to their sources.
On the internet, I’ve seen many people try to "fake claim" (say a system is faking) based on the fact that they have a lot of introjects. If you do not know the person and/or treat them, you have no right to say someone is not a real system. Access to DID diagnosis is limited, and many clinicians harbor harmful beliefs about the disorder. This creates another barrier to diagnosis. It’s always a risk to "self diagnose," but with limitations in diagnosis access, it can feel validating. Using the internet to do research or using a therapeutic workbook may be the only resource someone has to better understand themselves. "Fake claiming" someone based on their being introject heavy, or a lack of access to diagnosis, is harmful to the community at large. Even if that person doesn’t end up having DID. Fake claiming and creating standards of what DID should look like is an unjust form of gatekeeping - and harmful for the community.
Next, let’s talk about trauma holders. This is a pretty straightforward label. Trauma holders contain memories and sensations of the lived trauma of a system*. These alters classify as emotional parts (EPs). These are the alters* who usually don’t have a consistent memory stream. They can block the system from remembering trauma that would create a debilitating and/or dangerous reaction.
The last role I’m going to talk about is a gatekeeper. Gatekeepers keep an eye on front* and help sort out who should be in front*. They help keep the system* organized. There are many other roles that an alter* can have. But these are the most common roles.
If you are interested in learning more about roles, an essential resource I recommend is pluralpedia. However, listening to systems* with an intent to understand is always the most important factor.
*See “Term Definitions & Further Information” below to better understand the terminology used in this article.
RESOURCE MENTIONED IN THE ABOVE ARTICLE
Pluralpedia: https://pluralpedia.org/w/Main_Page
TERM DEFINITIONS & FURTHER INFORMATION
Alters (or Parts): Alters (sometimes referred to as parts) are associated with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), but can be part of other dissociative disorders. Alters are dissociated states of self, and make up a system within a person with DID. They commonly have the ability to take executive control of the body (Reuben, 2016).
Apparently Normal Part (ANP): present-oriented alter or parts that handle daily life. They can be in charge of caring for the body, getting work done, or dealing with certain situations (Pluralpedia, 2024).
Front/Fronter/Fronting: A fronter refers to an alter that has control of the body and is responsible for thoughts, emotions, and actions in the moment that it is fronting (Reuben, 2021).
Host: The host in a system is the alter that frequently has primary control over the body (Reuben, 2021).
Non-Suicidal Self Injury (NSSI): This form of self injury is a behavior that is common in patients with DID, as well as other dissociative and trauma disorders. It is a form of self-injury that does not have suicidal intent behind it (Nester, 2022).
Switch/Switching: A switch occurs in Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) when an alter takes over the body, is given control by another alter, or has prominence over another alter (Reuben, 2016).
System: A system within Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is defined as a collection of alters within one body. Many individuals with DID refer to themselves as systems (Reuben, 2016).
References
Nester, M. S., Boi, C., Brand, B. L., & Schielke, H. J. (2022). The reasons dissociative disorder patients self-injure. European journal of psychotraumatology, 13(1), 2026738. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2022.2026738
Pluralpedia. (2024). Apparently normal part. https://pluralpedia.org/w/Apparently_Normal_Part
Reuben, K. (2016). Alters in Dissociative Identity Disorder. Dissociative Identity Disorder Research. https://did-research.org/did/alters/
Reuben, K. (2021). Alter functions. Dissociative Identity Disorder Research. https://did-research.org/did/alters/functions
Reuben, K. (2021). Switching and Passive Influence. Dissociative Identity Disorder Research. https://www.did-research.org/did/identity_alteration/switching
Reuben, K. (2016). Systems and Subsystems. Dissociative Identity Disorder Research. https://did-research.org/did/alters/systems
This article has been edited and fact checked by Sage Nestler, MSW on August 5, 2025. He also compiled definitions and explanations of terms, including references.
