Otherkin
Otherkin are people who believe themselves to have a connection to a species other than Homo sapiens. Otherkin is also a self-applied label for the subculture of such people. Specifically, these individuals believe themselves to have biological and/or spiritual aspects of an animal or legendary creature. Many claim to have the mentality and instincts of the creature they claim to be.
Otherkin may claim to be cats, dogs, elves, fairies, angels, dragons, demons, werewolves, or some other animal-human hybrid. 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, this claim is generally taken with offense by transsexuals.
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.
There is some controversy as to whether people claiming to be otherkin may be suffering from schizotypal personality disorder or clinical lycanthropy. However, given that many otherkin carry on stable, functional lives, one would be hard-pressed to diagnose all otherkin as having a mental illness.
There is ultimately no practical difference between the distinctions; furthermore, there can be none, due to the subjectivity of any personal psychological experience and the lack of precise terms with which to describe the associated phenomena.
Shifting
Many otherkin — though not all — experience a phenomenon known as shifting. While complete physical transformation is generally regarded as relegated to the realm of myth, some do claim that subtle physical shifts occur, such as the changing of eye color, or heightened senses. Far more common are the other types of shifts. In mental shifts, supposedly human concepts such as abstraction and time may be hard to grasp. There are also dream shifts, astral shifts, and phantom shifts.