Personal Reality

Personal Reality (自分だけの現実 (パーソナルリアリティ) ) is the term used to refer to the reality created by students who undergo the Power Curriculum Program, and replace normal reality. As the name states, it is a type of reality that is unique for each individual, and is the very foundation of an esper's power, specifically, it is the source from which all esper powers and phenomena are brought into the real world.

Concepts and Theories
The concept of Personal Reality is related to quantum theory. It allows the user to utterly ignore the Uncertainty Principle, and with regards to the Schrödinger's cat thought experiment, would allow them to choose the possibility they want, or more specifically, distort a micro world using different laws, or more accurately, control their microscopic observations of the world. This is in contrast with holism, which is based on major changes in the whole "system", the macroscopic world, to create a microscopic effect, which is in this case, their powers.

Tsukuyomi Komoe calls gaining a Personal Reality becoming "cut off from proper reality that differs from ours." Uiharu Kazari and Saten Ruiko referred to it as delusions, preconceptions, or the ability to believe. Assuming this is so, one's esper powers will grow if they strongly believe they will.

Development
Personal Reality is an Academy City term, and is normally attained by person's who enroll into the city's Power Curriculum Program, which uses drugs, hypnosis, and sensory deprevation techniques such as the Ganzfeld Experiment.

However, due to the existence of Gemstones, it is presumed that all humans have their own, normal reality. Furthermore, due to the existence of Level 0s, making the majority of the student population, the Power Curriculum Program is imperfect. Tsukuyomi Komoe states that there are still laws that they do not understand, despite the fact that the curriculum should theoretically allow the student to gain powers.

Uses and functions
It's growth is correlated with the brain's calculating ability, and in turn, with the esper's powers. The growth of the esper's personal reality, allows for greater calculating ability, making the esper's powers stronger. Kiyama Harumi's Level Upper, did away with the growth of the esper's personal reality, and simply had the esper connected to the Level Upper Brainwave network, to borrow the calculating abilities of its users.

If that processing ability is deterred like through the use of Capacity Down, the power can either lose its strength or become unusable, such as in Accelerator's case after being shot, or Kuroko's inability to teleport when she can't concentrate. This also extends to AIM, where it can be used to mess up an esper's Personal Reality. Also, according to Kihara Amata, the values a person inputs or sets into their Personal Reality can affect the abilities produced, and can acquire a clearance to a "new control area," which, based on the context when Amata said, could mean a new form of one's power. An example of this is the Dark May Project, where researchers saw how Accelerator’s calculation pattern worked and tried to optimize specific espers’ Personal Realities.

Through the investigation of someone's Personal Reality, one can investigate someone's personality and behavioral tendencies.

When Kiyama Harumi was the center of the Level Upper Network, as the brainwaves of it its users were modified to match hers, she could readily access the powers of the members of the network at the same time. In an analogy, it is like the main computer (Harumi), borrowing files (Personal Reality) from other computers in the network (users).

Dangers
Nevertheless, those who have gone through the Power Curriculum Program, have had their brains damaged in order to attain a Personal Reality. The program rewires the "circuits" of the student and makes them different from normal people,  in that they are unable to use magic without severe harm to the user (with only a few exceptions). What's more, if an esper becomes traumatized or incredibly stressed, they may lose control of themselves and are then unable to view reality properly, which would lead to the RSPK Syndrome, which in turn, if the espers have the same AIM dispersion, would resonate and cause a destructive earthquake-like phenomenon.

There is also a correlation of high level espers with strange or abnormal personalities, exemplified by the Level 5s, especially Accelerator, though this is simply speculation.

Differences with Idol Theory
Personal Reality is in direct contrast with Idol Theory, which allows magicians to use magic. First off, Personal Reality requires only that the esper to distort reality through their own will, while Idol Theory requires the belief upon a subject, an idol that a wielder requires to derive their magic from. Espers can have only one power, Dual Skill and Multi-Skill notwithstanding. However, due to the nature of magic, preparations, ingredients, and other rituals are required for the magic to take effect, which esper powers lack.

Due to the differing rules that magicians and espers follow, this maybe the reason why espers cannot do any magic, lest they injure themselves, assuming that these differing laws change the "circuitry" of the human body.