Myth The word ‘alter’ or ‘part’ in DID is synonymous with the alter ego. This is another misconception about the condition, where the terminology used to describe distinct personalities can be misunderstood. In the context of DID, ‘alter’ means ‘an alternate state of consciousness or the alternate personality.’ The terminology altered personality fits the clinical context the most and is used by clinicians and researchers. The word alter ego, however, does not correlate with the actual disorder. Witkins and Witkins described the alters as different from egos because of having distinct
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