They Think, Therefore They Are: The Essential Feature of Multiple Personality

Stereotypical Multiple Personality: John suddenly behaves differently and calls himself Robert. After a while, he switches back to his usual behavior and name, but has amnesia for the time he had called himself Robert. This happens repeatedly. It is obvious. You couldn’t miss it.

Typical Multiple Personality: Although John has had multiple personality since childhood, the overt scenario described above is seen very rarely. In practice, when John does switch to Robert, the latter will almost always remain incognito (answering to the name of John among people who know him as John). Moreover, neither John nor Robert will tell you they have multiple personality, because neither one sees it that way.

Even the incognito switches from John to Robert may be rare. For example, if Robert is a protector personality, he may come “out” only if John is threatened with serious bodily harm, which may now be rare. So Robert, though always there and monitoring what is happening with John, usually remains behind the scenes. Which is where most alternate identities usually prefer to be.

In short, John has had multiple personality continuously since childhood, but if you are thinking in terms of something overt and dramatic, you will never suspect that he has it. Stereotypical multiple personality is rarely seen, and is, really, atypical.

What, then, is essential to multiple personality? Simply this: One person has the conscious thoughts of two or more autonomous thinkers.