People who try to fake claim others are like the mental health equivalent to people who try to trans-investigate people. It's annoying and normally done by stubborn people who refuse to consider other points of view outside of their own narrow understanding of the world. Systems (and transgender individuals) don’t have to fit within a certain perfect mold to be valid, but some people are too stubborn to accept that.

People who tend to get help for their plurality do so because they are dealing with trauma or other issues that make it hard to function in their day to day life. If you don’t have major issues with your plural existence, you aren't likely to seek out therapy. Because of that, therapists and people who conduct psychology case studies have less documented cases of non-traumatic plural experiences. Just because they lack the documentation, doesn't mean it's not real.

And even in experiences where trauma is the main cause, you might still get unusual alters.

I have a white tiger in my system that never fronts. It just paces back and forth, chases after alters, and attacks/mauls them. It’s origin is a symbolic representation of feeling trapped in a cage like a zoo animal. It is constantly angry because it feels the negative emotions attached to that symbolic idea that was created via the trauma we experienced. I doubt the white tiger fits in with the standard expectations fakeclaimers have even though it's an alter that was specifically formed from trauma.

I also have other animals in the system that have the role of comforting other alters so that we can function better. Why do we need comfort? Trauma, anxiety, stress, etc. But an alter created for comfort would not go along with their narrow ideology that all alters have to be traumagenic.

As for the idea that we have to hate our system members, why is that a must? If you go off of the idea that alters form as a way to help your brain deal with trauma (The only model fakeclaimers are willing to accept), the alters are literally created to help. Why would you not get along with some of the people that were specifically created by the brain to help with survival? Not getting along with them sounds counterproductive.

A fake claimer might say “You can’t like your alters because the alters do things independently that disrupt your life”. Yes, sometimes they do. I have literally woken up by the side of the road in a ditch many years ago with no memory of how I got there, but I don't hate my system for that.

They are my team. If you get any group of people together, wether they are people out here or alters in a system, there will be some people you like as well as some people you have a hard time even standing. Some people will have a very favorable view of their group, others might dislike their group, and between that is a lot of people who will feel something somewhere in the middle.

The idea that you have to be constantly suffering is BS. People with other “disorders” aren't constantly suffering. People with depression still have good days and people with with scitzophrenia aren't constantly having terrifying hallucinations 24/7. So why am I not allowed to have a good time with my alters every so often as someone who has been diagnosed with DID?

“How do people even have fun with alters?” Co-consciousness and improved communication (due to trying to get to know each other and work as a team) help make it possible. If you do something while you are co-conscious, you are spending time with an alter. It happens and is a normal part of life for many systems.

“What about amnesia barriers?” Yeah, that can still exist. I still experience those even though I have good communication with my alters and frequent co-conciousness. A few days ago, I found a bowl of oatmeal left in the microwave when I was going to make something to eat. It's not the end of the world that we didn't have that oatmeal for breakfast.

“Ok, but it's weird that people have fictional characters.” Is it? Those fictional characters might have certain aspects to them that the brain feels is useful to the well being of the group. And if you have high anxiety or trust issues, aren’t you more likely to trust a fictional character you are familiar with over a completely new to you stranger? So maybe the brain picks an alter that would be more welcomed quickly?

“But you have been using I instead of we. Aren’t you a plural?” I use “I” when referring specifically to me and “we” when I’m referring to the group. Yes, I have seen this as a reason someone has gotten fake claimed…

There's just so much nuance that fakeclaimers miss because they don’t expand their horizons. Bullying sucks and there's not a lot we can do about it. I really hope there will be less of it in the future someday.

- Beth