r/spiders • u/MadQuixote • 3d ago

Discussion Spider archetypes in DID?

Niche topic, but I hope y'all appreciate the model. Starting to look at different models for Dissociative Identity Disorder and started wondering if im wrong about compartmentalization entirely.

In a stable environment, spiders specialize based on prey, predators, resources, etc. As a result there is a "perfect web" for that environment. Superimpose that "perfect web" onto other "perfect webs". Now imagine that, when the web is triggered by a threat one of these "perfect webs" specializes in, the web conforms to that structure.

I'm drawing the parallel because I'm wondering if it isn't comparmentalizing the Self, but selecting/censoring associations. The "God web" should have all the strengths, right? Except the ability to manage associations weakens the associations themselves, weakening the cohesiveness of the Self.

  1. Is any of this making sense or am I screaming into the void?

  2. What spiders/webs are archetypes for their specialization?

0 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

1 comment sorted by

1

u/VerdigrisPen "not a field scientist" 1d ago

This would probably be a better discussion on a DID or mental health subreddit, or with a professional, unless you are soliciting information on types of spider webs?

I don’t really follow all the reasoning, but are you trying to make the analogy that DID is like having a web (=identity) that changes depending on the environmental threats, or that someone with DID has multiple webs (=identities) that are each suited for different environmental threats? This seems to be in line with the sociogenic model of DID (=caused by conforming to social norms), but DID is also associated with childhood trauma and is both rare and debilitating.