THE INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS THERAPY

Richard C. Schwartz

The Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) is an integrative approach to individual psychotherapy developed by Richard C. Schwartz in the 1980s. It combines systemic thinking with the perspective that the mind is composed of relatively separate subpersonalities, each with its own unique point of view and qualities. IFS utilizes systemic psychology, particularly developed for family therapy, to understand how these collections of subpersonalities are organized.

IFS posits that the mind is made up of multiple parts, with the core of the person, or the true Self, at the center. Similar to family members, a person’s internal parts can take on extreme roles or subpersonalities. Each part has its own perspective, interests, memories, and point of view. The core principle of IFS is that every part has a positive intention, even if its actions are counterproductive and/or cause dysfunction. There is no need to battle, coerce, or eliminate parts; the IFS method fosters internal connection and harmony to restore balance to the mind.

The IFS model identifies three general types of parts:

Exiles represent psychological trauma, often from childhood, and they carry pain and fear. Exiles may become isolated from other parts and polarize the system.

Managers take on a proactive, protective role. They influence how a person interacts with the external world, shielding the individual from harm and preventing painful or traumatic experiences from flooding the person’s consciousness.

Firefighters appear when Exiles break out and demand attention. They work to distract from the pain and shame of the Exiles, leading to impulsive and/or inappropriate behaviors such as overeating, substance abuse, or violence. They can also divert the person from pain by overly focusing on more subtle actions, such as overworking or overmedicating.

Managers and Firefighters strive to protect a person’s consciousness by preventing the pain of the Exiles from becoming fully conscious.