Core

From Pluralpedia, the collaborative plurality dictionary
core ( n.)
A flag for the core role
Core flag by Moon System
Synonymsbase (n.), firstborn (n.)
Applies toheadmates

The core is a headmate with a direct connection to the body's pre-plural self. Not every system has one, and not every system had a point at which they were not plural.

The core often inherits the personality, identity, and/or memories of the pre-plural self.

Related Terms[edit | edit source]

The host is the headmate who is most active or most responsible for day-to-day activities, which can be distinct from the core. Some systems also have an original, or a headmate that existed before becoming plural; these are more common in thoughtform systems.

Core is sometimes used in median systems to refer to the central member(s) or identity that most or all of the members are facets of. This is also known as a main. In this context, the core might not behave as a connection to who the body was pre-plurality, or be the original member.

History[edit | edit source]

 

One popular theory on the formation mechanisms of (traumagenic and especially DID) systems was the "broken plate" analogy[medical citation needed], according to which a unified sense of self would shatter upon being traumatized, with broken-off headmates forming to protect an original core member. The later theory of structural dissociation proposed that trauma would prevent the development of a unified sense of self, and lead to the formation of several concurrent headmates. This theory focuses on systems without cores, but does not fully disregard them.[1]

With the rise of the ToSD in popularity, the term "core" became associated with the broken plate analogy and the often-associated disregard of non-core headmates.[citation needed]