InDesign - repeating XML tags

[#1]

I have XML that I'm using to make a catalog, but I'm facing a problem with a certain repeated tag.

In the structure I have short lists

<item>content</item>
<item>othercontent</item>
<item>somethingelse</item>
<item>entirelydifferent</item>

I have <item> assigned to a paragraph style, which works fine for font, bullet points etc. but the problem is that this list is being counted as one single paragraph. The bullet point is being applied only at the front of the first <item> tag, and not the subsequent tags. Subsequent tags are also not having a line break applied to them, any line break in the template gets applied to the end of the last tag when xml is imported.

InDesign is basically treating the above list as:

<item>contentothercontentsomethingelseentirelydifferent</item>

Why does InDesign count repeated identical tags as one and the same tag (and thereby one and the same paragraph), and what can I do to resolve this issue? I need each <item> tag on its own line and with its own bullet point.

n.b. These lists vary in length by product, so I can't just use dummy/placeholder content with a specific number of <item> tags.

Thanks a million for any help that can be provided!

[#2]

I have XML that I'm using to make a catalog, but I'm facing a problem with a certain repeated tag.

In the structure I have short lists

<item>content</item>
<item>othercontent</item>
<item>somethingelse</item>
<item>entirelydifferent</item>

I have <item> assigned to a paragraph style, which works fine for font, bullet points etc. but the problem is that this list is being counted as one single paragraph. The bullet point is being applied only at the front of the first <item> tag, and not the subsequent tags. Subsequent tags are also not having a line break applied to them, any line break in the template gets applied to the end of the last tag when xml is imported.

InDesign is basically treating the above list as:

<item>contentothercontentsomethingelseentirelydifferent</item>

Why does InDesign count repeated identical tags as one and the same tag (and thereby one and the same paragraph), and what can I do to resolve this issue? I need each <item> tag on its own line and with its own bullet point.

n.b. These lists vary in length by product, so I can't just use dummy/placeholder content with a specific number of <item> tags.

Thanks a million for any help that can be provided!