Assimilation

Assimilation:

Assimilation describes a process undertaken by a system or a headmate, consciously or unconsciously, to force one, a handful, or an entire system of headmates into becoming one person or taking on the identity of one person.

There are a myriad of reasons why this may happen, including but not limited to: (sub)conscious internalized ableism, having a very misguided persecutor-host being deeply convinced that they're the only "real" person of the system, having a Shell that has a tendency to be a source of identity absorption as a result of only serving as a mask, or the brain itself imposing defense mechanisms to protect the system from harm.

This can be more likely to happen in systems with strong communicative and memory barriers as these would make it easier to enforce this defense mechanism or method of overall control of the system, depending on the source of Assimilation and if it's done consciously or subconsciously. It can happen in any system type of any origin, and is not always the result of strong barriers, but these factors do make it more probable to experience this.

The long term effects of Assimilation include, but are not limited to:


 * Chronic identity loss in which the headmates affected have been emptied of their identity without the use of blending, fusion, or blurring on a physical level in that the headmate still exists, but they resemble something more of an NPC than an entirely new person or being gone entirely.
 * Without establishing communication (because of conscious efforts by those aware of them, or the brain sweeping the system under the rug because of deeply ingrained defense mechanisms), long term Assimilation can (but not always) give rise to Mutineers whose goal will be to destroy the barriers, or go so far as to take over in an attempt to fix everything.

Related Terms
Identity Absorber: Describes a headmate role who is often a protector or a Shell with the purpose of protecting their fellow system members from harm by forcing them to wear a mask of the person they have to outwardly present as.

Identity Absorption: Describes a process carried out by an Identity Absorber; can be consciously controlled, generated from an uncontrollable aura from said headmate, or a controllable but highly unconscious process done on instinct to protect.

Absorption Shell: Describes a Shell headmate that absorbs identity from other headmates; naturally, headmates blend with the shell, but an Absorption Shell makes it so a headmate slowly, progressively loses their individuality every time they blend or otherwise get into close proximity.

Singletsona: A Singletsona is a persona that represents the entire system as a whole, whether it's an entirely new headmate given the role to represent it, or the role is assigned to the main host(s) or to the host(s) that fully identify with the body's age, name, appearance, and the personality it has consistently outwardly represented and/or is known for. A singletsona does not cause identity absorption or a form of assimilation, but rather is a role assigned for protection and/or representation of an entire system.

It is important to remember that persecutor hosts and identity absorbers deserve love and respect and the space and time they need to heal and/or take control of their ability, as they're often misguided protectors or have taken on an ability that they may or may not be aware of and/or be in control of.

Sometimes, Assimilation is a process sourced directly from the brain itself to keep the system hidden from those assigned as the original/core/main/birth host and from the external world.

To combat this process, it's important to find ways to establish communication. Depending on system structure, origin, type, and the members it consists of, the result of establishing better communication can result in identity absorption being lessened and more easily recovered from, or have such side effects removed entirely.

History of the Term
The Etheridge Collective came up with this term to describe their past experiences with a past host, and have wanted to put their term here to help others who have had similar experiences, or know someone who is going through it.