Understanding Complexes and Subpersonalities: Pathways to Healing and Wholeness
Today, I’m exploring the psychotherapeutic concept of complexes or subpersonalities—terms I use interchangeably. These ideas originate from Jungian psychology and have been further developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz in his Internal Family Systems (IFS) model. They’re incredibly useful concepts because we all carry these inner parts to varying degrees, and they can profoundly influence our life experiences and enjoyment. I hope this discussion resonates with you.
What Are Complexes and Subpersonalities?
In Jungian psychology, complexes are accumulations of emotional energy that form at specific moments in time and space, often triggered by dramatic or traumatic events. They take on a life of their own, sometimes manifesting as distinct subpersonalities.
More recently, IFS has built on Jung’s ideas, renaming these as protectors (defensive parts that shield us) and exiles (vulnerable parts carrying pain). This framework makes the concepts more accessible, inviting us to view our inner world as a family of parts surrounding a central Self.
How They Form: Survival Mechanisms in Childhood
We’re all wired for survival—it’s in our DNA. When a child encounters trauma or adversity, they adapt swiftly, creating behaviours that flow from this emerging complex or subpersonality. These are designed to keep us alive.
For example:
- A child might learn to avoid a drunk father or an unpredictable, drug-addicted mother to minimize harm.
- These strategies get embedded in the unconscious, and as we grow, we often forget they’re there.
As Carl Jung wisely noted: “Until the unconscious is made conscious, it will direct our lives, and we will call it fate.”
The Hidden Impact on Adult Life
As adults, we pursue conscious goals—careers, relationships, personal aims—but these unconscious parts can derail us. We engage in self-sabotaging behaviours we know aren’t serving us, blaming fate, the universe, or even feeling like perpetual victims.
Consider this pattern:
- In relationships, a subpersonality rooted in childhood abandonment might prompt you to avoid tough discussions when things get difficult.
- Your partner, feeling dismissed, eventually leaves—reinforcing the old wound: “Why does everyone abandon me, just like my parents did?”
Without awareness, you’re trapped in cycles of suffering. The key realization? This is your subpersonality at work—not fate. It’s failing to engage your adult self fully, perpetuating the pain.
The Therapeutic Process: Bringing the Unconscious to Light
Therapy helps us make these complexes conscious. We:
- Recognize the Pattern: Identify the recurring behaviours, emotions, thoughts, and cognitive structures driving the subpersonality. How does it “think”? What stories does it tell?
- Analyse in Detail: Examine its origins and triggers without judgment.
- Confront with Compassion: Approach it like a lost, orphaned child from your past. In IFS, we thank the part for its protective role—”You’ve kept me safe all these years”—but gently challenge its utility: “Is this still working for me?”
- Address the Fears: Acknowledge the original fears that birthed the adaptive behaviour, then invite the part to “stand down.” Its job is done; now, step back to let healing unfold.
This compassionate dialogue fosters integration, freeing us from outdated survival modes.
The Goal: Accessing the Self and True Wholeness
At our core lies the Self—in Jungian terms, an interconnected essence linked to all things. It’s infinitely capable of healing, regeneration, renewal, creativity, spiritual guidance, love, and compassion.
This is what Buddhists call Buddha nature or Christians the Kingdom of Heaven within. We all possess it, but complexes block access. By showing ourselves the love we lacked as children—through therapy or self-reflection—we clear the path.
Therapy is vital for many who’ve endured tough childhoods. Those early adaptations served us then but hinder us now. By integrating subpersonalities back into the Self, we create wholeness: We get out of our own way and step into the vibrant life we’re meant to live.
Thank you for joining me. If this sparks curiosity about your inner world, explore more through Good Thoughts Psychology—our sessions, upcoming podcast episodes, or the Good Habits Weekly newsletter for practical tools to build lasting change.