The Inner Parts and Roles of a Person
The Inner Parts and Roles of a Person
|
Exiles |
Exiles are parts that carry the burdens of past traumas, pain, or negative beliefs. They're often young parts that carry feelings like fear, shame, or sadness. To protect the person from feeling these difficult emotions, the exiles are kept out of consciousness, or "exiled" by other parts. |
|
Managers |
Managers are proactive parts that try to keep the exiles exiled and prevent further harm. They do this by trying to keep the person in control of every situation. Common manager parts include the critic (which tries to keep the person in line by criticizing them) and the caretaker (which looks after others' needs at the expense of the person's own needs). |
|
Firefighters |
Firefighters are reactive parts that step in when exiles break out of exile. Their job is to distract the person's attention away from the exiles' pain. Firefighters can lead to impulsive or destructive behaviors, like binge-eating, drug use, or rage, which can numb the pain or take the person's mind off it. |
The Self isn't a part; it doesn't carry burdens or play roles like the parts do. It's the "you" that remains when you're not identified with or carried away by any of your parts.
By Richard Schwartz, “No Bad Parts”
Some discoveries I made about parts:
· Even the most destructive parts have protective intentions.
· Parts are often frozen in past traumas when their extreme roles were needed.
· When they trust it’s safe to step out of their roles, they are highly valuable to the system.
It’s as if each part is like a person with a true purpose.