diff --git a/PRIVATE b/PRIVATE
index e9254133c..75460bbb5 160000
--- a/PRIVATE
+++ b/PRIVATE
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit e9254133c1e9ea3855a4fd17078d4c6f7d8728b1
+Subproject commit 75460bbb55d8c8f48c43b0843c1cbc80a95f37e1
diff --git a/src/phase_damage.f90 b/src/phase_damage.f90
index ff262bc41..ad592a846 100644
--- a/src/phase_damage.f90
+++ b/src/phase_damage.f90
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ submodule(phase) damage
         S
     end subroutine anisobrittle_dotState
 
+
     module subroutine anisobrittle_results(phase,group)
       integer,          intent(in) :: phase
       character(len=*), intent(in) :: group
@@ -70,9 +71,9 @@ submodule(phase) damage
 contains
 
 !----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-!< @brief initialize damage sources and kinematics mechanism
+!< @brief Initialize damage mechanisms.
 !----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-module subroutine damage_init
+module subroutine damage_init()
 
   integer :: &
     ph, &
@@ -81,8 +82,6 @@ module subroutine damage_init
    phases, &
    phase, &
    source
-  type(tList), pointer :: &
-   sources
   logical:: damage_active
 
   print'(/,1x,a)', '<<<+-  phase:damage init  -+>>>'
@@ -101,11 +100,9 @@ module subroutine damage_init
     allocate(current(ph)%phi(Nmembers),source=1.0_pReal)
 
     phase => phases%get_dict(ph)
-    sources => phase%get_list('damage',defaultVal=emptyList)
-    if (sources%length > 1) error stop
-    if (sources%length == 1) then
+    source => phase%get_dict('damage',defaultVal=emptyDict)
+    if (source%length > 0) then
       damage_active = .true.
-      source => sources%get_dict(1)
       param(ph)%mu = source%get_asFloat('mu')
       param(ph)%l_c = source%get_asFloat('l_c')
     end if
@@ -287,7 +284,7 @@ function integrateDamageState(Delta_t,ph,en) result(broken)
 
   contains
   !--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-  !> @brief calculate the damping for correction of state and dot state
+  !> @brief Calculate the damping for correction of state and dot state.
   !--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   real(pReal) pure function damper(omega_0,omega_1,omega_2)
 
@@ -463,7 +460,7 @@ end function phase_damage_deltaState
 
 
 !--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-!> @brief checks if a source mechanism is active or not
+!> @brief Check if a source mechanism is active or not.
 !--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 function source_active(source_label)  result(active_source)
 
@@ -478,12 +475,12 @@ function source_active(source_label)  result(active_source)
     sources
   integer :: ph
 
+
   phases => config_material%get_dict('phase')
   allocate(active_source(phases%length))
   do ph = 1, phases%length
     phase => phases%get_dict(ph)
-    sources => phase%get_list('damage',defaultVal=emptyList)
-    src => sources%get_dict(1)
+    src => phase%get_dict('damage',defaultVal=emptyDict)
     active_source(ph) = src%get_asString('type',defaultVal = 'x') == source_label
   end do
 
diff --git a/src/phase_damage_anisobrittle.f90 b/src/phase_damage_anisobrittle.f90
index 86b133cb7..072dbcb7f 100644
--- a/src/phase_damage_anisobrittle.f90
+++ b/src/phase_damage_anisobrittle.f90
@@ -39,8 +39,6 @@ module function anisobrittle_init() result(mySources)
     phases, &
     phase, &
     src
-  type(tList), pointer :: &
-    sources
   integer :: Nmembers,ph
   integer, dimension(:), allocatable :: N_cl
   character(len=pStringLen) :: extmsg = ''
@@ -60,10 +58,9 @@ module function anisobrittle_init() result(mySources)
   do ph = 1, phases%length
     if (mySources(ph)) then
       phase => phases%get_dict(ph)
-      sources => phase%get_list('damage')
+      src => phase%get_dict('damage')
 
       associate(prm  => param(ph))
-        src => sources%get_dict(1)
 
         N_cl = src%get_as1dInt('N_cl',defaultVal=emptyIntArray)
         prm%sum_N_cl = sum(abs(N_cl))
diff --git a/src/phase_damage_isobrittle.f90 b/src/phase_damage_isobrittle.f90
index 8d0054c0c..ff91265b9 100644
--- a/src/phase_damage_isobrittle.f90
+++ b/src/phase_damage_isobrittle.f90
@@ -38,8 +38,6 @@ module function isobrittle_init() result(mySources)
     phases, &
     phase, &
     src
-  type(tList), pointer :: &
-    sources
   integer :: Nmembers,ph
   character(len=pStringLen) :: extmsg = ''
 
@@ -59,10 +57,9 @@ module function isobrittle_init() result(mySources)
   do ph = 1, phases%length
     if (mySources(ph)) then
       phase => phases%get_dict(ph)
-      sources => phase%get_list('damage')
+      src => phase%get_dict('damage')
 
       associate(prm => param(ph), dlt => deltaState(ph), stt => state(ph))
-        src => sources%get_dict(1)
 
         prm%W_crit = src%get_asFloat('G_crit')/src%get_asFloat('l_c')
 
diff --git a/src/phase_mechanical_eigen.f90 b/src/phase_mechanical_eigen.f90
index 263ef9db5..1e639b051 100644
--- a/src/phase_mechanical_eigen.f90
+++ b/src/phase_mechanical_eigen.f90
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ end subroutine eigen_init
 
 
 !--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-!> @brief checks if a kinematic mechanism is active or not
+!> @brief Check if an eigen kinematic mechanism is active.
 !--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 function kinematics_active(kinematics_label,kinematics_length)  result(active_kinematics)
 
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ end function kinematics_active
 
 
 !--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-!> @brief checks if a kinematic mechanism is active or not
+!> @brief Checks if a damage kinematic mechanism is active.
 !--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 function kinematics_active2(kinematics_label)  result(active_kinematics)
 
@@ -123,14 +123,12 @@ function kinematics_active2(kinematics_label)  result(active_kinematics)
     kinematics
   integer :: ph
 
+
   phases => config_material%get_dict('phase')
   allocate(active_kinematics(phases%length), source = .false.)
   do ph = 1, phases%length
     phase => phases%get_dict(ph)
-    kinematics => phase%get_list('damage',defaultVal=emptyList)
-    if (kinematics%length < 1) return
-    kinematics_type => kinematics%get_dict(1)
-    if (.not. kinematics_type%contains('type')) continue
+    kinematics_type => phase%get_dict('damage',defaultVal=emptyDict)
     active_kinematics(ph) = kinematics_type%get_asString('type',defaultVal='n/a') == kinematics_label
   end do