Subpersonalities: The People Inside Us

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This makes sense: we must not maintain false self-images as we undergo personal synthesis. For example, it is not helpful to keep speaking about a ‘raging subpersonality’ because such an identification will keep that raging energy alive just as we are seeking to transform it. Rather, we must own the sense of having rage but gradually learn to transform this energy through acceptance, and then give that energy a new positive function in the overall structure of our personality, perhaps through identification with the strong, powerful warrior archetype.

The creative imagination is a powerful tool for personal growth. It can be used to form an ideal model, concept, or image of oneself which provides energy and direction, and whic Key Expressions: “Can’t you ever do anything properly?”, “Why do you always do that?”, “That was stupid!”, “Should be…” Secondly, the message received is not always clear in its application and so must be interpreted correctly. A famous example of this is God’s injunction to St. Francis to “Go and rebuild my church”. At first Francis thought this meant to rebuild the little ruined church of San Damiano outside the walls of Assissi, and only later did he realise its true import—to rebuild the whole Catholic Church! Examples: “There are so many flaws in this novel of mine, I’m such a poor writer!”, “B+? I could have done way better!”, “I’m such a weak person compared to _____. I should be better.” The Victim If I am not very predominant, how would life be different if I, as a subpersonality, took more time and control in daily life?Open yourself to further ideas or images related to serenity that may emerge from your unconscious, and write down as above. This exercise to develop desired qualities can become the focus of a larger program. You can gather together poetry, symbols, music, drama, artwork, photography, dance,’ and biographical excerpts, all evoking or in some personal sense symbolizing serenity, and use them for a total experience. By surrounding yourself with these materials, you can evoke and develop a deep sense of serenity—or of any other quality. You can use all that you find in your environment to foster a sense of serenity through your own creation of a synthesis of experiential forms. I am not saying the darker subpersonalities need to come out and steal the show, or make your life any more difficult than it needs to be. But what I will say is this: every subpersonality needs something, wants something, and is ultimately trying to express something core in YOU. The mind, with its billions of neurons, is like a community made from smaller communities. The communities at the highest level (right under the level of wholeness) are something I like to call subpersonalities or inner voices… They are the competing aspects of ourselves, which try to govern the whole.” - Douglas Hofstadter That being the case, the reader may feel free to skip over sections where previously discussed material is discussed — however, it is also true that Assagioli sometimes added nuances and details to previously presented material, so the reader may take care before skipping “too lightly!”

It’s important to remember that the subpersonalities are originally created out of some early anxiety, mixed messages, repeated exposure to negativity, or trauma. They are established at a time when the authentic self has been battered and broken, and a fragmented self emerges out of that misfortune or trauma. Those fragments (subpersonalities) then seek ways to survive. From that point, a protective pose is adopted, and a culture of self-interest is born. As a result, cooperation, and collaboration within the community of the self are now lost. What were the valuable qualities and what were the limitations outstanding in each subpersonality? How did each help me or get in my way?

The Power Of Forgiveness

The exercise may be modified appropriately, according to one’s own purpose and existential needs, by adding stages of dis-identification to include other functions besides the three fundamental ones (physical, emotional, mental), as well as subpersonalities, roles, etc. It can also begin with dis-identification from material possessions. Some examples follow: There are several differences. Firstly, the most important one is that in IFS we place special emphasis on establishing relationships with a given part. We consider every part not as a mechanism of functioning of our mind, but as an internal person with whom we can establish a deep and meaningful relationship. When the parts feel recognized and heard, they relax, unbend and stop behaving in such a very extreme or vulnerable way. These layers of self- perceptions may be positive or negative. They represent different aspects of our personality and of our relationship to the world. Some of the layers may be like a façade, or mask, hiding those aspects of ourselves we do not like, some may be those unliked aspects themselves, and still some others may be those hidden and very positive aspects we have trouble accepting as well. Imagine yourself in circumstances common in your daily life which in the past would have tended to upset or irritate you; perhaps being with a hostile person—or facing a difficult problem—or obliged to do many things rapidly—or in danger—and and feel yourself calm and serene. (This step may be postponed until gaining some familiarity with the exercise).

Reading Eugene Smith’s 2019 biography Assagioli in his Own Words (based on a conversation between Assagioli and Eugene Smith just prior to Assagioli’s death in 1974), I took notice of the following statement by Assagioli: Roberto Assagioli was the first to coin the term subpersonalities, however, he was inspired by William James’s concept of various selves and sees subpersonalities primary as normal psychological formations based on our social roles and functions. e. What we can become: these are known as the ideal models we create based on a thorough analysis of our personality, or based upon our intuition. The one thing these Four Subpersonalities share is the ability to induce anxiety. They voice the different kinds of negative dialogues that occur inside each one of us. How They Cripple UsIt can be best done by a deliberate exercise of dis-identification and self-identification. Through it we gain the freedom and the power of choice to be identified with, or dis-identified from, any aspect of our personality, according to what seems to us most appropriate in each situation. Thus we can learn to master, direct, and utilise all the elements and aspects of our personality, in an inclusive and harmonious synthesis. Therefore this exercise is considered as basic in psychosynthesis.

Finally, a continuing identification with either a role or a predominant function leads often, and almost inevitably, to a precarious life situation resulting sooner or later in a sense of loss, even despair, such as in the case of an athlete who grows old and loses his physical strength; an actress whose physical beauty is fading; a mother whose children have grown up and left her, or a student who has to leave school and face a new set of responsibilities. Such situations can produce serious and often very painful crises. They can be considered as more or less partial psychological “deaths.” No frantic clinging to the waning old “identity” can avail. The true solution can be only a “rebirth” that is, entering into a new and broader identification. This sometimes involves the whole personality and requires and leads to an awakening or “birth” into a new and higher state of being. One of the most useful instruments for long term self-development is a workbook, diary, or journal. We use the term ‘psychological workbook’ because many people tend to associate the word ‘diary’ with memories of adolescence in which often trivial and burdensome accounts were kept of one’s daily activities. Perhaps we can think about it ilike a dance. You would move differently at a disco than you would at a ballet class, but you would also dance differently depending on who is around, or how you are feeling. It all gets blurry and overly-complex at this point, so I find the subpersonality concept a handy way to stay grounded, and a useful tool in excavating different parts of our being, while knowing that it is not the whole picture. a. What we believe ourselves to be: some images are based on inferiority or superiority (and others are based on a more or less realistic understanding of our development ). Examples: “It’s too late to do that now … I’m too tired/old/unpracticed/unskilled”, “I’ll never be able to get a pay rise, so what’s the point of trying?”, “I can’t do that – it’s too hard for me”. The PerfectionistThere are many purposes for keeping a workbook of this sort. One of the most important is to help ourselves formulate our thoughts, feelings, and observations with greater clarity. And in the act of putting something on paper we tend to commit ourselves to a greater extent. We are taking a step beyond simply thinking or saying something when we make the effort to write it down. Also, in the process of thought clarification through writing, we are obliged to choose between alternate points of view, we are thus less likely to deceive ourselves by holding contradictory views without being aware of it. If there is a problem to be solved or an area of real confusion, we are better able to define it and thus take the first step towards its resolution.