Endogenic Systems - And why they're bad
This carrd was reuploaded by the Sirène System!
this is still a work in progress!
Endogenic systems, commonly referred to as endos, are people who believe you can be a system without trauma and identify as such.According to the currently widely accepted theory of structural dissociation, endogenic systems are impossible.Most people who claim to be endogenic systems are:• traumagenic systems in denial of their trauma
• traumagenic systems who were mislead to believe that they are endogenic
• people with other similarly presenting symptoms (like psychosis borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, etc.) misidentifying their symptoms
• singlets with factitious disorders
• singlets who are misidentifying normal experiences, such as acting different around different people or having mood swings
• singlets who think that being a system is 'fun'(Please do not try to guess which one! People on the internet's private business are none of your concern unless they directly affect you. This is just a resource.)
Endogenic systems are harmful to the DID/OSDD community in a multitude of ways.(Note: This section mentions death, stigmatisation, trauma, and other misinformation. Please be careful while you read.)First of all, they perpetuate dangerous misinformation. Lots of endogenic beliefs are very harmful and stereotyped. The first major issue is that they perpetuate the idea that such a severe disorder can happen in the absence of trauma, which is scientifically impossible according to the theory of structural dissociation. According to the current theory, the mind doesn’t start out as a whole; it starts off as different loose states of being that a child needs to survive. During normal development, these parts integrate into a singular self, but if interrupted by severe¹ traumatic events, DID or OSDD can develop. There is no other reason why someone could experience being a system other than DID/OSDD.Endogenic systems also tend to perpetuate a lot of harmful misinformation and stigma, further demonising certain roles (persecutors being inherently bad, for example), spouting beliefs that are impossible (alter death, sys-hopping, etc.), and their continued presence on many platforms leads many people to believe that being a system is possible without trauma.Endogenic systems claiming to have or experience anything similar to a serious trauma disorder is also incredibly devaluing of all the trauma that DID/OSDD systems have gone through. Along with every single one of people with DID/OSDD being traumatised, we’re also incredibly stigmatised and demonised in media². For them to claim any sort of experience like ours is completely disrespectful and it disregards all the hardship DID/OSDD systems go through just for existing.¹ Severe is subjective. What can be traumatising to one person can be basically nothing to another.
² See: Split.
This is a small bit debunking endo myths! These are by far not the only ones, but these are the ones we have seen the most.
(Note: This section deals with misinformation, stigma, demonisation of alter roles, abuse, ableism, racism, and self-harm. Please be careful while you read.)Myth 1:
Systems can form without trauma.Debunked:
It’s scientifically impossible for systems to form without trauma. There is absolutely no reason for the brain to just not integrate — there has to be serious disruption in development for such dissociative barriers to occur.Additionally, if a singlet attempts to fragment their identity it can be incredibly harmful and lead to serious identity issues³.Myth 2:
Sys-hopping (alters jumping / transferring / otherwise travelling between systems) is possible.Debunked:
While systems are in the mind, the mind is inherently connected to a physical thing — the brain. It would be physically impossible for a piece of someone's mind to travel to someone else's mind.Additionally, this can be an incredibly harmful belief. Sys-hopping can and has been used as an abuse tactic.Myth 3:
Persecutor are evil and only want to harm the system.Debunked:
Persecutors exist in DID/OSDD because they believe they are protecting. What they intend as a way to protect the system actually ends up harming them, whether this be through self-injurious behaviour, returning to abusive people, or lashing out at others. These behaviours all occur because the persecutor thinks it will help. Being a persecutor does not inherently make one bad; it simply means what they do in an attempt to protect ends up hurting the system in the end.Myth 4:
Alters can have disorders the body does not.Debunked:
The neurological nature of disorders makes it impossible for individual alters to have disorders that the body does not, and impossible for any alter to not have a disorder the body has. If the body has a disorder, every alter will have it. Some may present it more than others, and these are called symptom holders. Claiming to have a disorder that the body does not have, though, is incredibly ableist. If the body does not have a disorder, it is impossible to truly know what said disorder feels like, and devalues the experiences of people with those disorders.Myth 5:
Introjects are their source / will be exactly like their source.Debunked:
Introjects in DID/OSDD are simply alters based off of an external concept. Most commonly, these will be characters from media like books or shows or people that exist in real life, but introjects can be based off of anything.Introjects are just alters based off of external things and concepts, and nothing more. They may seem very close to their source, or they may be very different. It's best to ask introjects what their boundaries are regarding their sources, in the end, as some may identify with their source and some may heavily dislike it. It can be quite harmful to expect an alter to be exactly like their source or treat them as such.Myth 6:
Alters can be a different race from the body.Debunked:
It is never alright to claim to be a race that the body is not. One can be an introject of a person of colour, or one can look a certain way in the inner world, but race is so much more complex than appearance alone. For us people of colour, race goes well beyond how we look. Our race is also defined by how other people discriminate against us for our heritage and how our family has raised us in our traditions. A white person cannot claim to have these experiences of discrimination and tradition which define a person of colour. One cannot claim to be a POC alter in a white body because they simply do not have the experiences of one. To claim to be a POC despite lacking these experiences is simply rude. Race is also defined by how others treat you, and in being part of a white system, one lacks the [discrimination] that comes with being of colour. Your understanding of a POC's race is that—an outsider’s understanding of a closed group. Being POC changes how we perceive the world and how the world perceives us, and a white person just isn’t capable of understanding these differences in perception because they are experiences which are exclusive to POC.This also applies to POC claiming alters from other POC groups. A Korean system is a Korean system and cannot have Arabic alters because they are still an outsider to that culture. Just as a white system can’t claim POC alters, a POC system cannot claim alters of a culture they’re not bodily part of. It also applies to introjects: no matter an introject’s source, that introject is going to be the same race and ethnicity as the system and body. You cannot claim to be a different race or ethnicity through your interpretation of a piece of media.While your gender can be different from your body’s, your race cannot, because unlike race you self-identify with your gender. Race and ethnicity is assigned to you by the world around you based on your physical body at birth.(Note: The last debunked myth is a slightly edited excerpt from a document by Serpentine, Strawberry, and Ambedo on race and cultural appropriation within system spaces. Read the full document here.)³ While you cannot be a system if you did not develop DID/OSDD, trying to separate the facets of your identity can be very stressful and harmful to your sense of self.
You can always help! Some ways to help are correcting misinformation when you see it, speaking up against endos and endo beliefs, and you can also share this carrd!(While correcting misinformation is important, it is also important for you to prioritise your well-being. Talking with them can be incredibly draining, and sometimes it it best to just leave things alone. Additionally, please do not actively seek out endos to argue with them. This is harassment.)If you are a singlet, please ask any traumagenic systems that you know what advice they have on what to do with endos.
Racism and Cultural Appropriation in System Spaces by Serpentine, Strawberry, and AmbedoTheory of Structural Dissociation from did-research.org