Subpersonalities

This simple yet powerful desription of subpersonalities is taken from John Firman and Ann Russell’s paper publshed by Psychosynthesis Palo Alto – What is Psychosynthesis?

“Central among the contents of the middle unconscious are what Assagioli (1965) called subpersonalities. While subpersonalities are not limited to the middle unconscious, they are often the most striking psychosomatic structures to pass in and out of awareness on a daily basis.

Subpersonalities are sub-systems within the personality, sometimes called “ego states” by later thinkers (e.g., Berne), which act as distinct, semi-autonomous entities. One may become aware of a judging subpersonality, for example, as a painfully self-critical train of thought entering awareness: “Why in the world did you say that, you fool!” Here one feels addressed inwardly by an angry judgemental “voice” which causes guilt and shame. This inner voice is not simply a free-standing train of thought, but is the expression of a particular subpersonality. In other words, the self-criticism is part of a whole complex characterized by a specific motivation and mode of expression; a consistent world view and range of feelings; and a particular life history with roots in one’s family of origin. This critical complex is one of the many subpersonalities within the personality…

Subpersonalities are extremely common even in psychologically healthy people, and while their conflicts can be the source of pain, they should not be seen as pathological. They are simply discrete patterns of feeling, thought, and behaviour which often operate out of awareness—in the middle unconscious— and break into awareness when triggered by different life situations. More research is needed before we can know whether this multiplicity is inherent to the human personality, or the result of trauma suffered at earlier stages of development.

A common way to become aware of subpersonalities is to notice that one seems to become “different people” in different life situations. One may encounter an authority figure and suddenly be overcome by feelings of anxiety and low self-worth; or interact with one’s parents and begin to feel like a child inside an adult body; or drive an automobile and find one’s usual patient disposition changing to violent ill-temper and vindictiveness. All such experiences may be understood as moments in which a subpersonality, normally out of awareness, suddenly bursts into awareness and expression.

Through a variety of different techniques, subpersonalities can be harmonized into a more consistent expression of the whole person. Such work may or may not involve “integrating” or “fusing” them into a larger whole, but it will tend towards a situation in which each aspect can make its unique contribution to the life of the person.”