While defining exactly what I mean by my "self" is not a

trivial problem, neither is it, thankfully, a practical one.
 
During an ordinary day I manage to do what I do with little 

concern for who the "I" is that is doing the doing. But there

are those for whom the idea of a single self does not apply,
 
who see themselves as collections instead of as individuals.

They hold meetings, make agreements, resolve (or fail to

resolve) disputes among their various selves--selves who
 
differ in name, in age, even in gender. The psychiatric

profession refers to such people has having Multiple 

Personality Disorder (MPD) or Dissociative Identity
 
Disorder (DID).




Solving the day-to-day problems of living as a plural
 
self can be tricky. In a world where everyone is presumed
 
singular, the lack of other multiples to talk to can, paradoxically,

make one feel alone. One place where those with MPD can 

meet and support each other is on the Internet. The Usenet 

newsgroup alt.support.dissociation, special Internet Relay Chat 

(IRC) channels, and role-playing interactive  environments called 

MOOs serve the on-line community of those who are themselves mini-

communities. Alt.support.dissociation is a public forum. There
 
is no one counting personalities at the door so you may participate
 
even if you have only one to speak of.
 



Among the first things you may discover reading ASD 

(the usual shorthand for alt.support.dissociation) is that
 
the designation MPD--the "D" standing for the pejorative

"Disorder"--is avoided. "Multiples" is usually how they refer
 
to themselves, sometimes joking about those with SPD,
 
Single Personality Disorder, who are disadvantaged in their
 
paucity of selves. The various personalities are referred to
 
collectively as a "system" and individually as "alters." The
 
word "system" plays up the interrelatedness of the "alters"
 
who may alternate, taking turns driving the vehicle of the
 
body, or who may fight among themselves for control. They

may even participate as backseat drivers, encouraging or
 
jeering at the alter who, for the moment, is in charge.



In addition to sharing a body, alters share an Internet 

account. The names on the accounts are collective names,
 
often expressing a colorful plurality in themselves. There's

"Crowded House," "Puzzle pieces," "juggling," "me + 

others," and my favorite, "The Sapphire Gazelles." A post
 
under one account must then be signed by the alter or alters
 
who wrote it. New arrivals, some feeling misunderstood by
 
their therapists, some not even sure if they are multiples,
 
are welcomed and counseled by the regulars. "Very few
 
psychiatrists understand us," posts one, and others join in
 
to agree. Therapy is respected, but it is understood that good
 
help is hard to find. The focus is on empathy and support. A
 
doctor posting in the group with insufficient sensitivity is
 
ravaged in the discussion that follows.



The participants don't always agree on whether a therapist

is or is not a good one, but, then, even the alters of a single

patient may disagree on the quality of treatment they are
 
getting. On ASD, many multiples reject the traditional idea
 
that the selves should be merged. Instead, they believe the
 
alters simply have to learn how to get along with one
  
another. Multiples, often speaking in the pop-psychology

language of self-help books, tell of the necessary work that

must be done to improve internal communication. Some run

their collective life as a business and describe the board

meetings in which they iron out their internal differences.

For others, it's more like managing a family. The "littles"

(vulnerable alters who remain at the level of inner-child) are

protected by better-defended selves. Those personalities
 
with special talents or skills take control of the body when
 
their expertise is needed.