Why Every Part Is Important (LEGO Metaphor Continued)

(Summary) In Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and Other Specified Dissociative Disorder (OSDD), no single part makes up the whole personality—every member of the system contributes something unique. Think of each part as holding different “pieces” of resources, like Lego bricks. Some carry anger that helps set boundaries, others hold creativity, playfulness, or attention to detail. When communication and cooperation grow, these resources can be shared, strengthening the system as a whole.

The previous blog post addresses how no member in the system is complete on its own. All the members of a system together equal one complete personality, even when some members experience themselves as complete and independent personalities.

Looking at it from this perspective, every member of the system contains resources that are unique to them and which are missing from the other members of the system, at least to some extent. That’s not to say that only one part or alter can contain a resource, but if all the blue Legos, for example, represent a particular resource, some parts of the system have some blue pieces, some have many, and others have none at all. But none of them have all the blue pieces. That means without all the members of the system who have at least some of the blue resource, the system is lacking some of that resource. But what am I talking about when I say resource? Let me use a specific example.

Let’s say the red Legos contain anger in all its forms, from irritation to rage. Maybe the small pieces are irritation, the biggest pieces are rage, and the pieces in between are anger. Anger can be a resource, although many people believe anger is bad and fear getting angry. You might be like this too. All emotions are meant to give us information. Anger is no exception. Anger tells us that something isn’t right, or that it needs to change. And anger can give us the energy to make the change or get away from the situation that isn’t right.

Perhaps you, as an everyday life partner, have trouble holding boundaries. You might want to make everyone happy. So you give into what people want and end up feeling overwhelmed worn out, and miserable. Using this metaphor, you probably only have a few red pieces, almost all of them are small. You may not have enough red anger pieces to help you change the situation. So at the worst, you mostly feel irritation. Maybe you feel helpless to change it.

But another member of your system has a nice mix of red pieces. This alter has the ability to hold boundaries that are good for them. They can say no to unreasonable requests or to emotional manipulations. This is anger being used as a protective resource. It is not out of control rage. It’s anger that says this isn’t fair, and I’m going to stand firm and look out for myself.

When a system is communicating and cooperating, the alter who has the anger resource can share it with you, the everyday life part, to help you begin to hold boundaries that work for you. As another example, a critical altar can also be a resource for paying attention to details. A young playful part may be a resource for fun and creativity. I hope this helps you look at any of the members of your system you’ve been wishing weren’t there in a new and more positive way. They have resources that will benefit the entire system once communication and cooperation are in place.