System Origins

From Pluralpedia, the collaborative plurality dictionary
(Redirected from System origin)
system origins ( n., adj.)
Synonymsorigins, headmate origins
Applies tosystems

System origins describe the way that a system, sisasystem, headspace, or headmate has formed, usually with a focus on what caused the formation.

Related Terms[edit | edit source]

-genic is a suffix that refers to general origin terms. The -orma suffix refers specifically to headmate origins and formation. The -seeded suffix refers to headspace origins, and the -dawn suffix to sisasystem origins.

The -epectic suffix refers to symbolic rather than literal origins, and the -based suffix describes concepts that influenced a system and its structure without directly causing its formation

For the mechanisms through which headmates may form, see Category:Headmate Formation.

For the thematic topics headmates may be sourced from, see Category:Sourced & Introject Terms

Origin Terms Overview[edit | edit source]

This page is intended for systems who are attempting to figure out their origin, or to quickly learn about them. This offers a basic overview for various origins. For ease of reading, this section will primarily refer to system origins, but all or most of the mentioned terms can apply to headmates, groups, or headspaces as well. For a complete overview, see Category:Origin Terms.


One of the most common categorizations of origins is into traumagenic and endogenic. Traumagenic origins describe systems that formed from trauma. Examples include:

In contrast, endogenic origins describe systems that formed for any reason other than trauma. Examples include:

Whether an origin may be classified as traumagenic or endogenic is often left to personal preference and interpretation. Though they overlap, disordered and non-disordered systems are not equivalent categories to traumagenic and endogenic systems. See Category:Traumagenic Origin Terms and Category:Endogenic Origin Terms for more details.


Adaptive origins describe systems that formed in response to adversity or to cope. The include both traumagenic origins and origins that describe other forms of adversity that do not quite fit under trauma. This may also describe system who view their system as a reaction to their lived experiences, whether in a positive, negative, or neutral light. Examples include:

See Category:Adaptive Origin Terms for more details.


Created origins describe systems that were purposely created in some way. Examples include:

See Category:Created Origin Terms for more details.


Spontaneous origins describe system that formed (or seem to have formed) without a direct cause. This may also include metaphysical or spiritual origins. Examples include:

See Category:Spontaneous Origin Terms for more details.


Unknown origins describe systems that simply don't know (yet) what, if anything, caused their formation. This may be a temporary descriptor while the system is still figuring out their personal history, or it may indicate that a system does not need or want to know (or share) their origins. Examples include:

See Category:Unknown Origin Terms for more details.


Metaphysical and spiritual origins describe systems whose formation was affected or caused by metaphysical means. This may also describe systems who view their plurality or their structure in a spiritual light. Examples include:

See Category:Spiritual Origin Terms for more details.


Mixed origins describe systems that have multiple origins, either because they feel their formation was caused by several factors, a single origin term does not fully describe their experience, or different headmates or groups of headmates have differing origins. Examples include:

See Category:Mixed Origin Terms for more details.


Xeno-origins are those that are lesser known, very specific or personal, or cannot be easily classified. This includes a lot of microlabels. Examples include:

Anthro-origins are all origins that are not xeno-origins. See Category:Xeno-Origin Terms and Category:Anthro-Origin Terms for more details.


Descriptive origins refer to the immediate cause of a system forming. In contrast, functional origins refer to the relationship a system has with their origins. Examples include:

The majority of origin terms are descriptive, and can be further grouped into the other origin categories. In contrast, functional origins usually do not belong to any other origin category. See Category:Functional Origin Terms for more details.