Psychology of Nameless Narrators and Protagonists: It is common sense to ask in what psychological condition nameless personalities are normally found.

The only psychological condition with nameless narrators is multiple personality. (Note: Most people with multiple personality are not mentally ill. For every person with the mental illness, there are probably thirty people with a normal version, which is the subject of this blog.)

In multiple personality, although only one personality (usually the “host” personality) is out and in overt control at any given time, it is common for one or more of the alternate personalities (“alters”) to be paying attention from behind-the-scenes—and to sometimes make comments, which the host personality hears as a “voice” or “loud thought” in his head.

If the alter is talkative and has a story to tell, he is a narrator, and may be his story’s protagonist as well.

Nameless Personalities

Like most characters in novels, many alternate personalities (alters) have ordinary names. But like some characters, some personalities do not.

“Alter personalities may also be named by the…function they perform (e.g., ‘the driver,’ ‘the maid,’ ‘the cook’…). Or they may be named for the affect that they manifest (e.g., ‘the angry one,’ ‘the sad one,’ ‘the scared one,’ etc…

“Many personality systems will have one or more ‘unnamed’ personalities…” (1, pp. 116-117). Often it is found that alters who are initially thought to be nameless, actually do have names, but “Many alters are unwilling to reveal their names” (1, p. 117), because if you know their names, it gives you a certain degree of power over them, such as the ability to call them out.

In Roxana by Daniel Defoe (see recent posts), the protagonist appeared to be nameless, but eventually it was discovered that her name (or, at least, the name of one of her personalities) was “Susan.”

1. Frank W. Putnam MD. Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder. New York, The Guilford Press, 1989.