underself

Etymology

From under- + self.

underself means one of several conscious selves supposed to occupy the same brain, in early theories of multiple personality. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.

Why “underself” is a great word

UNDERSELF — [Noun] A distinct, co-conscious personality theorized to exist within a single brain, subordinate to yet separate from the primary self, as posited in early psychiatric models of multiplicity. From the English prefix under- (meaning "beneath" or "subordinate") + self. Unlike an "alter ego" (a consciously crafted second persona) or the "subconscious" (the broad terrain of latent mental processes), an underself is a hypothesized discrete and sentient rival. It is the silent interlocutor in a one-sided argument, the unwilled hand that writes in a foreign script, and the quiet watcher behind your eyes during an unrecalled action—a ghost in the machine of the mind, haunting the very premise of a singular "I".

noun

One of several conscious selves supposed to occupy the same brain, in early theories of multiple personality.