What?
A polyminded person is somebody who is able to distinguish their subpersonalities so well to the point they feel like unique individuals, despite the fact that they are simply different versions of the original self.Why?
Every person has several subpersonalities, however, these all work together and are blended in each other very well in order to allow the individual to work as a singular person. A great example of these subpersonalities is the tiny voice in your head telling you not to buy something and save the money. But that’s all that is, a voice.
Polyminded people are those who, in some way or another, were able to distinguish each of these subpersonalities to the point they view them as separate beings. Coming back to the example mentioned before, instead of viewing it as a simple conflicting thought, polyminds are able to connect the voice to a something they see more than a voice, an individual being.Who?
Each mind is slightly different from each other. This can be barely noticeable, as in just personality shifts. To full on identities with different genders, pronouns and such.
It is theorized that subpersonalities exist to help people deal with certain situations, this carries over as some minds may have specific “jobs”, such as protecting the body.

What?
A polyminded person is somebody who is able to distinguish their subpersonalities so well to the point they feel like unique individuals, despite the fact that they are simply different versions of the original self.Why?
Every person has several subpersonalities, however, these all work together and are blended in each other very well in order to allow the individual to work as a singular person. A great example of these subpersonalities is the tiny voice in your head telling you not to buy something and save the money. But that’s all that is, a voice.
Polyminded people are those who, in some way or another, were able to distinguish each of these subpersonalities to the point they view them as separate beings. Coming back to the example mentioned before, instead of viewing it as a simple conflicting thought, polyminds are able to connect the voice to a something they see more than a voice, an individual being.Who?
Each mind is slightly different from each other. This can be barely noticeable, as in just personality shifts. To full on identities with different genders, pronouns and such.
It is theorized that subpersonalities exist to help people deal with certain situations, this carries over as some minds may have specific “jobs”, such as protecting the body.

QA
“How do polyminds differ from systems?”Here I’m using “system” as the word for people who have DID or OSDD. For plurality see the next question.
Polyminds and systems differ greatly due to the fact that both are fundamentally different concepts. The main difference however lies between alters and minds; as alters are alternative states of identity which are unique to those who are systems whilst minds are simply subpersonalities, they are something that everyone has and aren’t inherently unique to polyminds. Another important difference is that both DID and OSDD are incredibly serious disorders that aren’t just about alters but are also associated with other symptoms such as amnesia, memory gaps, identity confusion, suicidal tendencies, hallucinations and more whilst polymindence generally has very little effect on somebody’s, life if at all.
“Can polyminds be considered plural?”This heavily depends on what kind of definition is being used as to define what plural means. If you are using it to refer to several individual beings sharing a singular physical body then no, as subpersonalities aren’t individual beings. If you are using it to refer to a person who identifies as multiple people, then it could fall under it.
From my own personal experience though, the majority of the polymind community wants nothing to do with plural or system spaces.
“Aren’t polyminds just IFS (internal family systems)?”Whilst the two are very similar, as they both function on the theory of subpersonalities, they differ in how they happen and what the goal is with them. IFS is a therapeutic module that targets to allow all the parts to listen to each other and live in harmony and is usually done under the supervision of a licensed professional. Polymindence can happen due to a number of different reasons, and generally speaking does not have a specific goal.

Polymind
A person who is capable of distinguishing their subpersonalities as unique individuals.Mind
An individual part or subpersonality of a polymind.Active
When a certain mind is present.Swap
When the currently active mind changes.Job
What a specific mind’s purpose is.Monomind
A person who doesn’t distinguish their subpersonalities.Trabeamind
A person who is fluid between being polyminded and monominded.For more terms, see this carrd.

The polymind symbol, can also be written out as ❖〇 or ❖⃝

The second polymind flag, both without and with the symbol

The first polymind flag.

The term was coined on 24th April 2024 by @spectral_cat on Discord.The symbol was created by the same person one day later.The first flag was created on 29th September 2024 by @enbugg.og on Discord
The second flag was created by @spectral_dog in 4th October 2024 on Discord