The Wordsmith's Forge

I know very little about multiplicity besides what I've picked up in this and other fic threads about it, and at least one person's blog. Your first ¶, stardreamer, reminded me of a different view, though not (AFAIK) from personal experience: Lois Bujold's Mark Pierre Vorkosigan, Miles's years-younger cloned brother, who split in four under torture. The original self was still there but in hiding. During his reëmergence he talked to the fragments, something to the effect of "You've all helped save me/us. I'm going to reintegrate, but you'll all still be part of me, and I'll never forget you." (Books are in storage, and it's been years.)