
Dissociated Identities (aka Alters) - How are they formed?
From PsyDactic by T. Ryan O'Leary
March 6, 2026 · 38 min · Episode 81
About this episode
Dr. O'Leary discusses the formation of dissociated identities and the failure to integrate the self during development.
Is it possible to house multiple alternate selves within the same brain? Dr. O'Leary argues that it is not only possible, but under certain conditions it is likely to happen. Dissociative Identity Disorder is discussed not as a "shattering of the self," but instead as a failure to integrate the self during development. Dr. O'Leary explores different biologically and computationally plausible models to explain how the self might fail to integrate during the normal proce...
People in this episode
Host: T. Ryan O'Leary
Topics covered
- Dissociative Identity Disorder
- multiple identities
- self-integration
- psychology
- mental health
Keywords
- Dissociative Identity Disorder
- alters
- self
- integration
- psychological models
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Dissociative Identity Disorder
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