Metaphor-based Internal Age

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Metaphor-based Internal Age is one way that systems, groups, and/or headmates can experience internal age.

In systems with metaphor-based internal age, members will identify with/as an age due to the meaning behind it and not necessarily because where they are in terms of development mirrors those who are bodily that age.

One example of this would be a member who is 14 because they formed to deal with an event that happened when their system was 14, but would be considered much older if their age was based on what developmental milestones they have passed. The inverse can happen as well.

Another example would be a member who considers themself 8 just because they like the number or it is otherwise significant.

In these cases, it may be more helpful to try and treat the member with a metaphor-based internal age based on their personal capabilities and boundaries than it would be to use their internal age as a guide to appropriate socialization.

Related Terms
Development-based Internal Age is another way that systems and/or headmates can experience internal age.

There is not a sharp cutoff between development-based internal age and metaphor-based internal age, but a fuzzy spectrum that can have overlaps.