#Multiple Personality Disorders | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

hermitw · 3 months ago

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I think Sukuna might be the best representation of DID in fiction.

after rereading the manga again, I might have a longer analysis [edit to add: check my Sukuna's DID or 4th manga read tags for more] on Sukuna's DID (dissociative identity disorder / multiple personalities). this post is going to have some manga spoilers, but focus mostly on what's been animated.

there are a lot of in-depth analysis on Sukuna's trauma and what they could have been, so I won't speculate about it here [this post linked some that still rotate in my brain]. but what is clear is that Sukuna has severe trauma, which is what causes DID. You can't be born with multiple personalities. it's like a mirror breaking, the mind compartmentalizes in order to survive. your reflection is still yours, but the pieces reflect your face at different angles. (I hope this makes sense, I'll reply to comments / asks if anything needs to be clarified.)

I'm not an expert in this, I just have 9 years of coming to understand and work with my own, and while I'm down to answer questions about DID, for the sake of this post, let's focus on Sukuna with a bit of background knowledge.

Here’s a short little glossary of terms that will come up:

alter: the word “alter” can be controversial to them. I use the word “alter” typically to describe one that we don’t know much about, or to generalize.

Headmate: an alter with familiarity, camaraderie, one who is easier to understand and work with. “Headmate” tends to be the preferred term for themselves.

personality: a vague term that I use if I'm not sure whether the personality is an alter, or just a way of behaving.

(this is just so I have clarity when speaking about alters/headmates/personalities, this is not an official guide.)

In the end, every alter/headmate is like a roommate, just sharing the same body instead of the same apartment.

System: this includes all of someone’s alters/headmates.

Multiple: someone who has DID.

Fronting: the alter in the driver’s seat/front of the car - if they’re the one moving around, speaking to another person, going for a walk, etc, they’re the one fronting.

Co-fronting: Two or more alters/headmates are in the front. Working together on the same task, or having disagreements, trying to do different things. Just meaning that they are both in the front of the car.

I hesitated to write this, thinking that I needed to reread JJK and pay close attention to Sukuna, the expression in all his eyes, etc. and take lots of notes to be able to identify and share profiles on each alter, how many, etc. (and bc we are so often misrepresented, dramatized and demonized in stories but at this point I think Sukuna's like the most innocent jjk character so)

I’m not sure if that’s possible, and that’s part of what makes Sukuna the best representation of dissociative identity disorder in fiction.

DID is called the hidden disorder for a reason. It’s there in order to survive, and survival means to not let the disorder be noticed. Even for the person who has DID, they can be in denial about it for years despite suspecting it, and it can be a thing where some alters are aware and accepting of the condition, while others in the system are not. I get the impression of this calm, emotional awareness from Sukuna at times, but not since waking up in the modern era.

we aren't like Jekyll and Hyde, the changes can be visible but there's also a lot of masking so it's arrogant to think anyone can look at a multiple and identify who is fronting. our physical differences are largely attributed to differences in muscle tension, resting vocals, etc.

I’d also like to note the co-fronting phenomenon, which is when it isn’t just one alter who is in control, but several who are driving the car together, so to speak. Sometimes it can feel like you’re driving, or in the passenger seat, but others are climbing over the backseat and trying to mess with the controls.

and the misconception that every alter has a name and appearance - they don't always come that way. often, they already exist long before coming across some piece of art, a fictional character or a photoshoot and look at it like that's me, sometimes adopting the name as well. but until having that sort of mirror, there often isn't a visual form. alters aren't necessarily human, btw. they can be extraterrestrial or angels or, maybe in sukuna's case, a curse.

[side note: sukuna's disbelief in (or rejection of) his own humanity could be for lots of reasons, not due to an alter, but more like comorbid with DID. things like blacked out medical trauma, religious trauma, growing up queer but without being exposed to any representation or language for it - same could go for undiagnosed disability, physical or mental, not ever seeing another human who looks like him or seems relatable - these can all contribute to that. even if all Sukuna's alters are human, or never specify an identity with anything. Sukuna could also feel like a curse after being called that growing up and internalizing the sentiment - but it isn't realistic with the constant use of RCT that would exorcise a curse. it's common for autistic people to feel inhuman, like we're missing a soul or more closely aligned with robots or aliens or clones etc, and it's even projected onto us (changelings etc). every multiple that I know personally has a very visible physical disability, autism, or both (I'm sure that there are many of us out there without these, but the fact that all these elements easily apply to Sukuna is just. thrashing in my brain). so when Sukuna says "I am a curse", you could argue that it's an alter who believes themselves to be a cursed spirit, but I don't think he means it that way.]

often when you ask a multiple how many their system has, you'll hear something like “it depends on who you ask.” we don't even have all the answers. so how could anyone from the outside looking in?

recently I've learned about subsystems, which would make identifying alters in another person even harder. think of a system like a solar system with the alters as planets, but if a system has subsystems, then that's like a galaxy with its own solar systems which can switch out. that's the best way to describe it, from my understanding.

For a system to work harmoniously, or even integrate, i think the key is awareness, acceptance, and autonomy. To listen and understand the other alters/headmates, even if you don’t share their tastes, to let them have their outlets and expression. If they aren’t given the chance to work together like this, then there’s a better chance of acting out when they do front. Which will be less in control, because the thing that got them to that place was dissociation, the other alters stepping back and now they have the driver’s seat, unsupervised.

DID is different for everyone, each system and alter has their idiosyncrasies while a lot of experience can be relatable between them. In some cases, one (the host, if you'd like to use that term) can feel like a hollow shell, but assumes that whatever nearby alters’ opinions, religion, hobbies, etc. are their own - until those headmates step back, and then it’s like… you can remember spending whatever amount of time working on whatever project, but you also don’t know who did that. it's common for handwriting to change, you won't recognize your own even though you clearly wrote it, friends will say “remember when you did this?” and it doesn't even sound like something you would do. for someone who hasn't spent a lot of time becoming aware of and communicating with their alters, missing time is going to be there. when alters switch, it isn't as smooth of a transition from fronting to co-fronting, but far more dissociative. this can include depersonalization/derealization. or it can even mean watching yourself get dressed (maybe you can tell who is in control by what they put on) and go for a walk while other alters are scared and begging to turn back, but they can't control the body.

for the sake of this post, I'm not going to discuss Heian Sukuna (but if sukuna had reached integration, it would have been 1,000 years ago. integration isn't permanent) much until I've reread the manga again.

DID in JJK

episode 1

so I'll go in chronological order: we first see Sukuna acting crazy with that fish bowl effect, rambling about edgelord villain shit.

we see this same thing later in Shibuya, when Sukuna's putting on some theatrical king type character.

we can view these personalities as alters, if you'd like to. I see them as masks (which can go hand in hand, no mutually inclusive, I'm not confident with separating sukuna into identifiable alters). every time Sukuna wakes up, around strangers, that's vulnerability that he cannot cope with. which can fly someone into dissociation, unable to accept that they have been seen unconscious.

so he overcompensates for it with edgy speeches. acting unhinged or composed, it's all the same to me. DID is the hidden disorder because we adapt to survive in different environments.

overcompensating appears in even more ways in shibuya, which… I have a lot to say about.

but first, let's start with Sukuna's innate domain. this is Sukuna's safe place to go when he isn't fronting. Sukuna might be able to listen in, but prefers not to.

first time at school

and Sukuna speaking through the mouth on Yuuji's face or hand? that's just like co-fronting. it's like when one alter wants to have this conversation but doesn't know how to shut up, Yuuji tries to cover it but that doesn't work. sometimes all you can do is walk away (in this case, from Gojo).

Sukuna and Yuuji's co-fronting is always one of conflict. they could have had a symbiotic relationship (which is like DID after gaining awareness, acceptance, regular communication etc). but Yuuji never listened to Sukuna, just called him annoying to Gojo. Sukuna tried to communicate. this is like DID for someone in denial that they have it, shutting out things that are “crazy” or “not real” (assuming that Yuuji saw his body like a haunted house, because Sukuna was a “cursed object” and not a soul).

Detention Center

Sukuna and Yuuji fighting for autonomy when they share a body is also so early DID to me. they don't get along, so Sukuna can only truly front when the other is dissociating, stepping back and letting him take over.

Yuuji tries to call Sukuna out, but only to make demands and ask for help. which is… not great, and Sukuna (everything Sukuna's ever done was in a desperate attempt to claw for his own autonomy, imo) feels so uncomfortable being manipulated like this, just a puppet, a tool, toyed with and rejected.

Sukuna tries to make up for this, again with his edgelord stuff, threatening Yuuji's classmates. like, yeah i can exorcise the spirit but I'll kill people too.

Sukuna tortured and mocked the cursed spirit that had his own finger in it. this is the only time Sukuna ever tortures anything. (whether it has something to do with his self-image, I'll let go of now but it rotates in my brain.) we could argue that he's just taking his time to drag out this moment of freedom. or to feel as powerful as he can. or even to intimidate Yuuji, in case he's watching.

when Sukuna says “come on, switch back already,” that's so DID. Usually when a body is sick, no one wants to front so one of the headmates just gets stuck there. it's so funny to me bc this is practically a meme among multiples. (not evidence for Sukuna's DID, unless you feel like he's done this before).

then Sukuna goes outside and is in teacher mode. trying to understand Fushiguro's technique and train him. say what you want about brutality of it, but Todo's introduction was so much worse. it took me 5 times through jjk to forgive him for that. and every time, Sukuna just looks more harmless. not to mention that Sukuna has such RCT that he could easily heal Fushiguro. I feel like sukuna's main inherent trait is this caretaking mentor thing, but you could argue adaptability here. like, oh, here's a student without competent supervision. he needs to be taught how to survive and exorcise curses better. I can do that. it's also part of Sukuna begging to be seen.

and ripping out Yuuji's heart… that was an act of desperation. of “if you won't work together with me, then I have no other choice.” but looking at Sukuna's face there, that expression is so conflicted. he doesn't want to do that. he's in such an awful position. Sukuna could have been asking Yuuji to bring him another body, something like a cursed corpse to transfer into. we just don't know, because only Yuuji heard Sukuna's voice then. the first episode shows us they are capable of speaking internally. but Yuuji won't listen unless sukuna speaks audibly. even then he isn't listening to understand.

Sukuna was able to keep Yuuji alive enough (no pulse without a heart, but sukuna doesn't need one) from within his innate domain. Just like Yuuji not being frozen solid in Shibuya, when Sukuna was dissociating hard.

part of me keeps asking if sukuna offered Yuuji another chance at life because he was so uncomfortable in a medical setting. if that's why he disappeared for a second in shibuya, too.

last mission of season 1

when Fushiguro uses his domain for the first time, kills the curse who absorbed Sukuna's finger, and then curls up on the ground with it. we see Sukuna there, giving approval within his innate domain. why?

I think that Sukuna wants Fushiguro to have his own innate domain. that they could have been symbiotic from the start. Sukuna sees himself in Fushiguro, they both crave a lot of personal space, and Sukuna wants him to at least have that. someone without their own domain might be lost when used as a vessel - like the death painting wombs’, like Yuuji if he weren't designed to be this perfect cage.

Shibuya

so much happens here.

Yuuji is trying to rescue Gojo, who sukuna wants to fight more than anything (though maybe Yuuji doesn't recognize this is a love language to those two), but never thinks to ask Sukuna for help. Sukuna who has motivation to unseal Gojo. Sukuna who could easily heal Yuuji's liver.

Yuuji chose to take Sukuna to the grave, no deals to be considered. In the most desperate time. he's just ignoring sukuna completely (a bad sign. alters who are given no acceptance, acknowledgement, or chance of expression will find their own catharsis. they will front when no one else is. and they might be prone to lashing out. not being allowed a healthy outlet? they'll find another).

Nanako, Mimiko, Jogo

first, we get Sukuna waking up with his face being held. it doesn't matter that he'd already accepted death - this is unacceptable. how can hypervigilance live with that? I mean, look at Sukuna's face. we can often find hidden emotions behind the mask by looking at Sukuna's lower eyes. we can use this, and the way they can move independently, as more DID evidence. different alters controlling the eyes? I've heard cases irl where alters seem to reside in different parts of the body.

so sukuna puts on this theatrical appearance, all composed and “bow to me” type shit.

we can watch this mask break, his fronting alter freeze for a few seconds.

when mimiko's head explodes.

first, this is not Sukuna's CT (the explosion thing against mahoraga was a long process, this was sudden and unintentional). Sukuna has some trauma involving Kenjaku, more than just being put into the custom-made cage of Yuuji. I'm not sure what exactly it is, but “stitches in his forehead” was enough for him to know. The twins were asking Sukuna to kill Kenjaku - the one thing that he couldn't do, because of a pact (I'm assuming).

think back to when Gojo explained CE vs CT to Yuuji. those two soda cans. it struck me as weird that it never seemed to come up again, when everything in jjk seems to be on a cycle or parallel of some sort. until finally I realized. Nanako and Mimiko are the soda cans.

Mimiko was killed by Sukuna's uncontrolled cursed energy. her death was an accident. I meant to also write a post on age regression in jjk, especially on this moment and Tengen but idk if I'm the best person to do that. it just seems like there's something there, with kids not being able to control their CT and people dying because of that (inumaki toge, for example). and the many times where Sukuna's face, eyes especially, appear more childlike.

you could argue that Nanako's death was simply self-defense. I see it as overcompensating. Sukuna slipped up, Sukuna watched himself regress in front of witnesses, and he needs to appear in control. so to take back that image, Sukuna cubes Nanako. Cursed Technique.

they didn't know that the freak inside their late parent's body was such a trigger for sukuna. they just wanted sukuna to kill him - I think Sukuna wanted the same thing. oh, they make me so sad.

Sukuna entertains Jogo for a while, and remains in his edgelord era. a few of Geto's family didn't survive when he showed up and said they aren't allowed to move until he says so. not killing anyone directly, but putting on a show of power.

this is the only time I remember sukuna acting so weird, it feels out of character, even. (DID is looking back at memories you have of not being in control and getting mad at whoever was fronting for acting out of character lmfao)

Uraume

Sukuna not recognizing Uraume at first isn't necessarily DID evidence. Uraume's in a different body, Sukuna hadn't come across them since the Heian era. but speaking of Uraume. Sukuna is distant, even with them. partly because he recognizes that Uraume got the please tell me what to do anxiety, and fills the role that they need (another DID trait is filling whatever role you need to in whatever context).

But Uraume didn't know sukuna had a twin (or maybe sukuna felt like it was obvious, considering they met when he had two faces and four arms). it's around this time when we find out Sukuna doesn't seem to remember his childhood. Just guesses that maybe his mother was starving. that he must have been a creepy kid.

there's also the way that he doesn't seem to remember his own death, despite it being from self-mummification which is a lengthy process, and not an impulsive decision.

I have to wonder if Sukuna died integrated. at least, the first time that I reached integration was when I was doing Buddhist meditations, breathing techniques, etc. several times a day every day. studying that was really helpful, life-changing even. and after abandoning integration, it mostly feels like a forgotten past life.

Mahoraga

Sukuna pointing his hand like a gun at the camera to see himself like that on the screens?? he was trying to comfort himself (maybe be recorded, too, but I think it was really just to feel better, to see himself weild power).

THE SWITCH after defeating Mahoraga, it's like that entity of Sukuna stepped back. Yuuji appears for a second (no tattoos, tired numb looking face, not present, in both manga and anime so it isn’t just someone forgor), but he isn't ready to front, and Sukuna's time in control (from eating so many fingers at once) isn't up yet.

Then Sukuna is back, taking Fushiguro to Shoko, and killing Haruta, and telling Yuuji to savor this feeling (which imo was sincere. Sukuna had the time of his life. Mahoraga saw him so small in comparison. The feeling Sukuna was talking about was not hurting people - this only happened on accident. Mahoraga threw sukuna into a train, and the train into a building. and then came after him, so rly, mahoraga's fault you know?

Sukuna dissociating at the thought of taking Fushiguro to medical attention…?

Mahito (junpei flashback)

at first, they seemed to get along, right?...not really. Sukuna was laughing at Yuuji, whose orders he was sick of, before Mahito joined in. suddenly making demands was the only interaction that kid ever offered him.

Sukuna wasn't paying attention to anything until being called up like that. it didn't take long for him to feel disturbed by Mahito [if you want your skin to crawl, Mahito analysis is here]

the laugh sukuna had was an obnoxious hollow mask. maybe I'm projecting (that's what this whole post is, isn't it?) but it reminds me of the first alter I gained awareness (and 10 years of denial over DID despite that) of. they would come out at school, some class clown type despite the way (without them fronting) my face would turn red at the thought of being perceived. I would often know that I was missing time while joking. I'd be standing next to my mother, face feeling weird from smiling, and no memory of what I said. Just find myself there, not knowing what to do, so I would just leave the room.

that's what I see in sukuna's laugh with Mahito. even before then, the facial expression etc. is all such a mask.

and Sukuna disappeared quickly and quietly. retreated back to his innate domain. took no interest in Mahito (who I think of all people, Sukuna might be most disturbed by).

the first few times through jjk, I didn't expect sukuna to have depth of character, because he seemed to be so random and impossible to pin down. like he really didn't get to be a character. which all makes sense now.

Mahito in Shibuya

Sukuna mostly dissociates in their innate domain, but undeniably was aware of Mahito after the 0.2 second domain expansion.

If sukuna were such a prideful, arrogant, selfish prick, they might have stolen the show, obliterated Mahito easily to piss Yuuji off. Sukuna had already killed Jogo, who Kenjaku wanted to absorb, so while there's a chance that Mahito was explicitly off-limits, it isn't what I'm thinking.

Every time I see sukuna faced with Mahito, I see age regression. Look at those eyes. They're drawn bigger, more child-like, even glassy, which we only see when Mahito touches sukuna (manga and anime, both times).

Mahito certainly found the time to talk to Sukuna then, but there was no reply. Just this nonverbal stare.

Sukuna didn't appear for the rest of the Shibuya arc. Not when Kenjaku said “are you listening, Sukuna? Heian era. I said your favorite word. Jingle jingle” (ok so im paraphrasing but Kenjaku rly is such an abusive parent like, be so grateful I'm creating the golden age of jujutsu for you, even tho that time was hell for you and I brought u back to life in a cage :) Uraume was there defending Sukuna, and there wasn't even the opening of an eye or the appearance of an extra mouth. just absence.

even more evidence?

Sukuna seems to be inspired by Lucy from Elfen Lied. iirc she only has 2 alters (which is common in fiction, easier to show, I don't know any irl cases like that but still like it tbh). the baby diclonius look just like Yuuji, same hair and color. same technique, I at this point suspect sukuna has medical trauma also (kenjaku's Meiji era experiments, the way Kaori's pregnancy was carried - how was Yuuji born with a sealed finger in him?? and the way Kenjaku felt seen by Yuki's concept for the culling games, forcing people to adapt, and Sukuna's constantly running RCT even feels a bit suspicious. maybe too much of a reach, idk).

anyway the last time I watched elfen lied I noticed this in the first episode. JJK reference? the worm cut in half and Mahito's snail head?? I lost it. Gege I see what you've done and ily.

#jjk manga spoilers #jujutsu kaisen spoilers #jjk manga #jjk spoilers #sukuna #jjk theory #jjk meta #sukuna analysis #dissociative identity disorder #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jjk analysis #jjk sukuna #multiple personalities #jujutsu kaisen theories #jjk theories #jjk thoughts #Sukuna's DID

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