Internal Family Systems (IFS) Practice Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on the Introduction to Internal Family Systems transcript, focusing on the roles of managers, firefighters, exiles, and the Self.

Richard C. Schwartz, PhD

The developer of internal family systems (IFS), a form of psychotherapy recognizing multiple inner parts within each person.

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

A form of psychotherapy that recognizes multiple inner parts or subpersonalities within each person, often resulting from trauma or adverse experiences.

Subpersonalities

Also referred to as parts or families, these represent the different perspectives, memories, and interests that exist within an individual's psyche.

Managers

A proactive protector group that looks after daily functioning and prevents the feeling of difficult emotions by encouraging one to perform, produce, perfect, or please.

Firefighters

A reactive and impulsive protector group that emerges after managers fail to maintain order, working to extinguish or numb difficult emotions through distractions or soothing.

Exiles

The group of parts that carry the burden of painful memories, trauma, or abuse and are often characterized by intense feelings of shame, fear, or loneliness.

The Self

An individual’s essential nature which, within the IFS framework, can heal fully only once internal parts express their sadness or anger and work in unison.

Integration

A state where parts exist in harmony, achieved through freeing parts from their roles, restoring trust in the Self, and allowing them to work together.