Otherkin are people who believe themselves to be partially non-human. Otherkin is also a self-applied label for the subculture of such people. Specifically, these individuals believe themselves to have biological, psychological, and/or spiritual aspects of an animal, legendary creature, or some other non-human entity. Many claim to have the mentality and instincts of the creature they claim to be.

Otherkin may claim their "otherside" to possess the nature(s) of cats, dogs, elves, fairies, angels, dragons, demons, vampires, extraterrestrials, or any other number of other non-human beings. Some walk-ins also consider themselves otherkin, if the spirit(s) involved are of a nonhuman nature. It is not altogether uncommon for them to profess their existence as a combination of these creatures. For example, someone might claim to be both an elf and a werewolf. Such people are called polyweres.

Otherkin should generally not be confused with role-players, although many otherkin are also role-players; nor with transhumanists, who seek to modify humanity rather than presuming that they are already non-human. Although many otherkin claim that "otherness" is similar to transsexuality.

The exact nature of otherness is open for debate in the otherkin community. While some otherkin believe themselves to be biologically non-human — for example, by claiming distant, or not so distant descent from a non-human — others believe themselves to be human in biology but "other" in spirit, often attributing this to reincarnation or a "misplaced soul". The reincarnationists, who currently are the dominant force in the subculture, disagree amongst themselves as to whether these otherkin souls come from Earth, other planets, or different planes of consciousness. Another idea otherkin associate with is totemism. Such an explanation for an otherkin's bond with another entity — with the totem guiding or temporarily taking possession of the human body — is especially popular among those involved with Paganism and the New Age movement.

Spiritual therianthropes are said to be a type of otherkin, though therians are classified as being of a strictly animalistic nature, while otherkin is regarded as a broader term which encompasses beings such as elves and vampires.

There is some controversy as to whether otherkin may be suffering from schizotypal personality disorder or clinical lycanthropy. Although there are some similarities, such as the sensation of possessing non-human attributes, there are two important distinctions to be considered:

• Clinical lycanthropy is defined as the delusion that one physically has become or is becoming a non-human animal; most otherkin, however, recognize their body is human but conceive that part of them, either in a mental or spiritual sense, is non-human. (A few otherkin perceive their body as human, but think that this perception is a "seeming" or illusion.)
• While it is true that some otherkin experience mental illness, a number of otherkin carry on stable, functional lives, which would make a diagnosis of otherkin as clinical lycanthropes or schizotypals unnecessary (and, quite possibly, incorrect, as mental disorders are usually characterized by maladaptive behavior).

It should be noted that otherkin who do suffer from mental illnesses usually claim that the psychological problems are not directly related to being otherkin.

See also

• Therianthropy
• Were

External links

• Otherkin.net
• Otherkin, Labels, and Spirituality
• The Otherkin FAQ
• What does it mean to be a were — and is were is the word to use?