A
Healthy functioning in internal family systems is defined by ____-_________.
Self-leadership. The Self organizes the parts of the internal system.
Developer of IFS
Richard Schwartz
A key ingredient to successful outcomes.
Self-of-the-therapist.
Describe the Self.
A state of consciousness. The preferred "orchestrator" and is considered the natural leader of the internal family system. The Self is a compassionate, curious state of mind that most effectively balances the other parts.
IFS integrates elements of these 4 therapy models.
Structural
Strategic
Intergenerational
Narrative
A type of family that is cohesive, flexible, communicative, and supportive to all of the members
Harmonious families.
ISF conceptualizes the parts as a system. How do these parts portray a "system" (think positive feedback)?
The parts work together to maintain homeostasis and to handle crisis.
What is the goal of therapy?
To have the Self provide inner leadership to the various parts; to help people move away from managing their life reactively with their parts to becoming led by the Self.
Types of parts (3)
Exiles: the parts that are closeted away due to burdens of shame, guilt, or fear of not being loveable.
Managers: has the job of keeping the exiles locked up so they don't escape and flood the person with strong, painful emotions.
Firefighters: when managers fail at their job, firefighters come to the rescue to contain the dangerous images, emotions, and sensations (i.e. cutting, substance abuse, binge eating, etc.).
Role of the therapist
Collaborative. There is a shared responsibility for change.
When one part assumes leadership (other than the Self) in order to protect the Self, which can lead to coalitions in which groups of parts are in competition with others.
Polarization
This occurs when one person is overwhelmed by his or her painful exiles and the other responds with his or her managers to help caretake for and contain the other.
*When the therapist identifies Parts Patterns between two people.
Manager-exile polarizations
Describe the fundamental premise of IFS.
Each person's inner life has multiple parts that form a system that functions like a family system.
Two basic types of relationships the therapist will track when assessing internal relationships.
1) The relationship between the Self and parts
2) The relationship between parts
When assessing the relationship between parts of individuals in relationships, the IFS therapist will identify patterns of _________ & _________.
Polarization & enmeshment.
Influence, resources, responsibility, and boundaries are assessed for family functioning. What definition do these terms fall under?
Imbalances. The elements do not need to be equally distributed among members, but an appropriate balance that is healthy for all members is needed.
Explain how IFS views transference and countertransference.
It's not the client per se, but a part of the client that is reacting to the therapist based on a past trauma (that part of the self is frozen in time).
The same can happen to the therapist.
Two ways of introducing the Language of Parts.
1) Summarize and reflect conflicting feelings using parts language
2) Inquire about inner dialogue and potential conflicting thoughts/emotions
These throw the system out of balance and require its members to take on extreme survival roles (5).
Traumatic burdens
Environmental burdens
Legacy burdens
Developmental burdens
Tangible burdens
This conflict occurs when two people frequently relate from one or more of their respective manager positions rather than relating from positions of Self leadership or other parts.
*When the therapist identifies Parts Patterns between two people.
Manager-manager polarizations.
As many troubled families are dominated by extreme managers, even a small amount of firefighter activity results in immediate controlling behaviors from another's manager.
*When the therapist identifies Parts Patterns between two people.
Manager-firefighter polarizations
This occurs most often when one person turns to another to manage and soothe his or her exiled parts, and it can take four forms.
*When the therapist identifies Parts Patterns between two people.
Enmeshment between parts.
*The four parts can be:
1) Person A tries to get B to take care of his/her exiles.
2) Person A tries to get desired qualities from B.
3) Person A turns to person B as a redeemer from his or her sense of worthlessness.
4) Person A fears loss or harm to B.
Parts of a therapist that can interfere with their effectiveness in session (7)
Striving managers: the part that wants rapid change.
Approval-seeking manager: the part that is worried about being liked and valued.
Pessimistic managers: the part that wants to blame or give up when therapy does not go to plan.
Caregiving managers: the part that wants to overfunction rather than allowing the client to engage in their personal struggle.
Angry parts: the part that feels burdened by the clients' needs.
Hurt parts: the part that overidentifies with clients' pain.
Evaluating parts: the part that is critical of oneself (weight, relationships, etc.); therefore, they can't stand those parts in others.
Management styles (8)
The controller
The evaluator/perfectionist
The dependent one
The passive pessimist
The caretaker
The worrier/sentry
The denier
Entitled one
Interventions (6)
Introducing the language of parts
Assessing internal relationships
Controlling blending
In-sight and imagery
The room technique
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