I probably posted something like this before
I absolutely despise the "more augmentations mean you are less human" type things. Absolutely dogshit narrative device.
Oh but reverse it
not causal
but augmenting, changing yourself to be different. To express it.
You are not less human because of PROFANING YOUR SACRED TEMPLE
no
no no
You are less human because you want to. Because you finally get ways to become as you desire.
Becoming less human not as a result of prosthetics, changes, alterations. You are not less human because you have metallic hip.
You are less human because you are becoming more yourself
Don't mind me just out here developing cYbEr PsYcHoSiS and wanting to kill people because... checks notes I got tooth fillings, wear glasses, and have a phone that augments my ability to remember appointments.
The whole thing was purely made as a balancing mechanic in the TTRPG, so that people choosing to do wizard shit couldn't also have Adam Jensons's sword arms that also explosives.
It's old, shitty, and I personally love the view that augmentation doesn't make you see folks as less human, but that -OTHERS- see you as less human, less person-worthy. I would love a setting where Cyber Psychosis is 100% propaganda made up by religious fuckwads. That it's simply an excuse to forgive people harrassing someone who's aug'd when they finally punch back.
As someone who would -HAPPILY- give up the capacity to eat if it meant I would never HAVE TO eat ever again? Like yeah, aug's rock. I would love to opt out of the shitty parts of a human body, let me have a cute mechanical tail I plug into the wall at night when I nap D:
honestly, the best and most accurate setup for any of this, that I've seen, was one that worked specifically from the "alienation" angle. that alterations you make to your body that affirm yourself don't have any negative impact, but alterations you have forced on you, or that make you keenly aware that you are a tool and are less of a being with actual agency,* things that make you useful to others as a skill-softed cog or a living weapon, can cause dissociation that can lead to all sorts of not-great things.
problem: some people would want to be skill-softed, or want to be a living weapon. maybe not all the time, and they'd want to remove those alterations later, but if that's possible to do, why would it cause them to have problems?
another problem: this still doesn't get around the fact that the origin is, as you said, attempts at game balance. it's just points that go into your inventory of "your body" instead of "your weapons armor and accessory slots" but with an added side-effect of you wigging out in horribly unrealistic fashion.
I'm convinced this can't serve both a narrative and a game balance purpose smoothly. we're probably better off doing away with it.
*I was gonna say "person" here, but I know some would object to that term when talking about actualization, because their definition and mine don't match up. also there's other aspects I could get into here but that might be above-rating...
Yeah I'm extremely onboard with the read of the problem being alienation from an ideal self image. TBH, it's extremely trans!
At a like, RPG mechanics level.... I think the real answer shouldn't be "make these things a really convoluted and honestly problematic mental health analogy". Instead some quick vibes:
-Augs as a base level are just a thing, sorta assumed everyone can get or not get as they see fit.
-The augmentation that is dangerous is stuff like the stimulant injectors and other parts that wire into and overclock the brain and organs. You run the risk of just frying important parts of keeping you alive by using the stuff.
-Weaponized augmentations are either EXTREMELY obvious or EXTREMELY illegal. Street gangers see a hidden blade in an arm as a coward's weapon. Something for only a lowly gutter rat to use because they can't possibly win a real fight. This would assume a setting where you can't just open carry (so not Shadowrun), but would make you have to swap your limb from day to day nice hand to the violent shit.
-HSD's fun system where most augmentation is just mechanically identical to flesh, but the magic is weird implants that are honestly EXTREMELY DANGEROUS to everyone everywhere always.
-And yes as you pointed out, a game making a heavy importance on a reflection of self image. This would probably need some level of systematic flags maybe? traits that you see in yourself as good or bad and how other characters' opinions of those traits effecting their friendliness towards you?
Anyway, there are a LOT of better options than "you turned your thumb into a lighters and now you've lost 0.1 soul points too many and don't see other people as people anymore."