Secondary Personalities — Clue Archive
1. What specific claims did Seth make about this concept? How many times was it discussed, in which books, and did the wording change over time?
Regarding "secondary personalities," Seth stated in Early Sessions 2 that secondary personalities are "gestalts of more or less loosely affiliated psychic events." They cannot achieve value fulfillment through physical growth and construction the way a main personality can, and therefore seek fulfillment along more readily accessible pathways [early-sessions-2 §57]. They attain a certain prominence and fulfillment through the dream state, and may entice the main personality to sometimes adopt conscious or unconscious ideas that would not ordinarily be chosen by the main self, thereby potentially altering the main self's course [early-sessions-2 §57]. Secondary personalities occupy a more important position in reality than psychologists have supposed; no psychological act is invalid, and every psychological act contains within it the potential for value fulfillment, translation, and even energy transformation [early-sessions-2 §57]. They find fulfillment primarily in the dream world, which is as real and valid as the physical world [early-sessions-2 §57]. They also handle problems that are too trivial for the main self or that cannot be resolved through physical construction [early-sessions-2 §57].
In Early Sessions 4, Seth further added: secondary personalities typically gain energy as a result of an overly strict and rejecting ego, and in many cases may represent the whole personality's long-denied attempts at healthy expression [early-sessions-4 §165]. Such a secondary personality may be regarded as an "impeding action," whose value or harm must be judged by its overall service to, or detriment of, the whole personality [early-sessions-4 §165]. Without such secondary reorganization, certain cases could lead to more severe open rupture or deep personality fragmentation [early-sessions-4 §165]. In some cases, a secondary personality is an emergency measure that helps the whole personality through a difficult period, allowing certain actions to be expressed before they erupt, after which it may be temporarily set aside [early-sessions-4 §165]. If the formerly dominant ego proves incapable, then adopting a new ego (a secondary personality) may instead better express the whole personality and strengthen its persistence and identity [early-sessions-4 §165].
2. What mechanism did he provide?
- The formation of secondary personalities results directly from an overly strict and rejecting ego [early-sessions-4 §165]. When the ego develops its classifying tendencies to an excessive degree, it may reject entire areas of action experienced by the whole personality; this rejection impedes the natural flow of energy, which underlies many cases of so-called neurosis [early-sessions-4 §165].
- Mechanistically, this rejection leads to a regrouping of action—that is, a "regrouping of the action of unifying principles, and a division of energy around two different ego systems"—thereby forming secondary personalities [early-sessions-4 §165].
- In many, though not all, cases, secondary personalities may represent the whole personality's attempts at healthy expression that have been denied over a long period [early-sessions-4 §165].
- Functionally, a secondary personality may be viewed as an impeding action, similar to illness; its overall value or negative impact is judged by the same standard as illness, namely the overall service or detriment it provides to the whole personality [early-sessions-4 §165].
- In some cases, a secondary personality is an emergency measure that allows certain actions to be expressed before they become completely dissociated from the whole personality system; in this state, it may temporarily fulfill the function of maintaining the whole personality, after which its structure may actually be discarded, though it will be recalled in another emergency [early-sessions-4 §165].
- In other cases, if the prior ego proves incapable, then adopting a new ego (i.e., a secondary personality) may constitute a better expression of the whole personality and may actually strengthen its permanence and identity [early-sessions-4 §165].
3. Are there observable inferences or explicit predictions (including time, quantity, conditions)?
Secondary personalities will attempt limited physical construction in the physical world, but only to a limited extent and with limited success [early-sessions-2 §57]. Secondary personalities will attain a certain emphasis and fulfillment through the dream state, and may induce the main personality to adopt at the conscious or unconscious level ideas it would not ordinarily choose, sometimes thereby altering the main personality's course [early-sessions-2 §57].
Secondary personalities typically gain energy when the ego is overly strict and rejecting of action—"the ego being overly strict and rejecting" being one identifiable condition [early-sessions-4 §165]. In most, though not all, cases, a secondary personality may be viewed as the whole personality's long-denied, healthy expression effort; it brings about a reorganization of action, causing energy to be split between two different ego systems [early-sessions-4 §165]. It belongs to the category of impeding actions, and as to its overall value or harm, it must be assessed by its service to, or damage of, the whole personality, just as illness is evaluated [early-sessions-4 §165]. In certain cases, a secondary personality is an emergency measure that can sustain the whole personality through a crisis for a period, after which it may be discarded at the practical level but will be recalled at the next emergency [early-sessions-4 §165]. Without such secondary reorganization of action, certain cases might undergo more severe personality disintegration [early-sessions-4 §165]. When a previously dominant ego is inadequate, the secondary personality may become the new ego, through which the whole personality finds better expression and actually strengthens its persistence and identity [early-sessions-4 §165].
Regarding observability: the ego itself is in continual change; only when this change is exceptionally pronounced and clearly perceptible is it designated a secondary personality [early-sessions-4 §165]. One additional case observation is recorded: a secondary-personality phenomenon called "Augustus," in which the individual reported having an invisible friend from another galaxy inside him who, under its command, killed a lawyer; the individual presented in a hostile, battle-ready posture and claimed he could make 150 people in the room obey his commands [personal-reality §627]. This case was presented as a concrete demonstration of genuine personality polarization under "conflicting related beliefs" [personal-reality §627].
4. Where did he say contemporary science was wrong, and in what direction should it look?
- Seth stated that when scientists classified him as a "secondary personality," he considered them mistaken, and he announced that a "surprise" would come to correct this view; however, he did not specify in detail where science was wrong or in what direction it should look [early-sessions-5 §238].
- The material does not provide a detailed explanation of this issue.
5. What experiments or exercises did he suggest? What did Jane and Rob actually do and observe at the time?
Seth stated that when scientists judged him to be a secondary personality, "he would give them a surprise, a demonstration," one that would embarrass the scientific staff but would also lead to a clearer understanding of the Seth phenomenon [early-sessions-5 §238]. Regarding experiments actually conducted by Jane and Rob, the material records the following:
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Spontaneous experimentation and trance observation: Seth suggested they try various experiments on their own, calling them "homework," and stated that this would train their abilities [early-sessions-1 §12]. In one spontaneous, self-induced trance state of Jane's (which occurred spontaneously rather than by attempt), she experienced a strong sense of dissociation, weightlessness, her body feeling like water or air, unusually acute senses, handwriting that became extremely small and unlike her own, and written words carrying a childlike quality [early-sessions-1 §14].
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Dark-room sitting experiment: Following Seth's suggestion, they tried various things—sitting for an hour in a dark room under a red light bulb, with a ring or badge placed on a black cloth; Jane observed that her own hands or objects sometimes "disappeared" from view; after this experiment, Jane made an automatic verbal response to Rob's question in the dark [early-sessions-1 §12].
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Hint regarding changes in facial features: Seth suggested that if Jane's facial features should change "imperceptibly" during an evening's conversation, Rob should wait until after the session ended to mention it [early-sessions-1 §14].
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Pendulum training: Jane and Rob made an effort to conduct routine experiments using the pendulum as prescribed, as an exercise suggested by Seth [early-sessions-4 §153].
6. Supplementary or contradictory material from other concepts in the corpus related to this concept?
In the corpus, secondary personalities are defined as a psychological structure: they are not static entities independent of the main personality, but rather gestalts formed by loosely affiliated psychic events that cannot seek value fulfillment in the physical world the way the main personality can, and therefore achieve fulfillment through other pathways [early-sessions-2 §57]. These secondary personalities exist within the psychological framework of the dominant personality; they are among the personality's self-possibilities that have not been fully constructed, exerting a limited influence on the main personality and attempting limited physical construction [early-sessions-2 §57]. Secondary personalities achieve fulfillment primarily through the dream world and can induce the main personality to adopt conscious or unconscious ideas it would not ordinarily choose, sometimes thereby altering the main personality's developmental course [early-sessions-2 §57].
The corpus provides supplementary remarks on the origin of secondary personalities: they may arise from the third layer of the individual subconscious, which contains developmental possibilities that have not grown sufficiently and that lacked sufficient force to emerge into the light of ego consciousness [early-sessions-3 §88]. The emergence of secondary personalities is typically triggered by some disturbance at the psychological level; in such cases they carry fragments from other layers of the subconscious, often personifying themselves as those deeply buried fears that until then had found no vehicle of expression [early-sessions-3 §88].
On the question of judgment criteria, the material states that whether the emergence of a secondary personality is beneficial or harmful to the main personality should be judged by the good or harm it produces for the main personality, because during earthly existence the main personality is necessary and must remain in a position of authority to deal with the physical world [early-sessions-3 §88]. When secondary personalities are forcefully brought forth through excitation, they may sometimes appear with a force beyond what the main personality can handle, thereby placing themselves in a position to dictate to the main personality [early-sessions-3 §88].
The corpus emphasizes that secondary personalities do not represent past reincarnations, even though some of their traits may originate in a previous life [early-sessions-3 §88]. Secondary personalities will often temporarily assume a moral guise conforming to the main personality in order to conceal themselves, but will gradually discard these disguises afterward [early-sessions-3 §88]. However, the material also notes that benign secondary personalities sometimes do become outlets for creative abilities that the main personality cannot utilize [early-sessions-3 §88].
The corpus contains a contradictory assertion regarding the relationship between secondary personalities and the subject: Seth denied being a secondary or split personality of Ruburt, explicitly stating that he was not an offshoot personality formed by the aggregation of Ruburt's male leanings, nor a collection of his vaguely defined creative aspects [early-sessions-2 §83]. Here Seth defines himself as an energy personality essence and emphasizes that his communication with Ruburt involves no intrusion—a refutation of the possibility that secondary personalities might be misconstrued as the source of Seth's channeling [early-sessions-2 §83].
7. Questions not yet asked
Appendix: Claim List (for Stage C)
| id | claim | type | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| secondary-personalities-1 | A secondary personality is a "gestalt of more or less loosely affiliated psychic events" that cannot achieve value fulfillment through physical growth and construction the way a main personality can, and therefore seeks fulfillment along more readily accessible pathways. | ontological assertion | early-sessions-2 §57 |
| secondary-personalities-2 | Secondary personalities attain prominence and fulfillment through the dream state and may entice the main personality to adopt ideas not ordinarily chosen consciously or unconsciously, thereby potentially altering the main self's path. | mechanistic description | early-sessions-2 §57 |
| secondary-personalities-3 | Secondary personalities occupy a more important position in reality than psychologists have supposed; no psychological act is invalid, and every psychological act contains within it the potential for value fulfillment, translation, and even energy transformation. | ontological assertion | early-sessions-2 §57 |
| secondary-personalities-4 | Secondary personalities typically gain energy as a result of an overly strict and rejecting ego, and in many cases may represent the whole personality's long-denied attempts at healthy expression. | mechanistic description | early-sessions-4 §165 |
| secondary-personalities-5 | A secondary personality may be viewed as an "impeding action," whose value or harm must be judged by its overall service to, or detriment of, the whole personality. | ontological assertion | early-sessions-4 §165 |
| secondary-personalities-6 | A secondary personality is an emergency measure that allows certain actions to be expressed before they erupt, after which it may be temporarily set aside; without such secondary reorganization, certain cases could lead to more severe open rupture or deep personality fragmentation. | mechanistic description | early-sessions-4 §165 |
| secondary-personalities-7 | If the formerly dominant ego proves incapable, adopting a new ego (a secondary personality) may instead better express the whole personality and strengthen its persistence and identity. | mechanistic description | early-sessions-4 §165 |
| secondary-personalities-8 | Secondary personalities will attempt limited physical construction in the physical world, but only to a limited extent and with limited success. | testable prediction | early-sessions-2 §57 |
| secondary-personalities-9 | When scientists classified Seth as a secondary personality, Seth announced that a "surprise" would come to correct this view. | testable prediction | early-sessions-5 §238 |
| secondary-personalities-10 | Seth suggested that Jane and Rob try various experiments, including dark-room sitting and pendulum work, as a means of training their abilities. | methodological recommendation | early-sessions-1 §12; early-sessions-4 §153 |
| secondary-personalities-11 | Secondary personalities may arise from the third layer of the individual subconscious, which contains developmental possibilities that have not grown sufficiently and that lacked sufficient force to emerge into the light of ego consciousness. | ontological assertion | early-sessions-3 §88 |
| secondary-personalities-12 | A secondary-personality phenomenon called "Augustus," in which the individual reported having an invisible friend from another galaxy inside him who, under its command, killed a lawyer. | case evidence | personal-reality §627 |