Internal Family Systems

Psychotherapy model developed by Richard Schwartz in the 1990s that conceptualizes the mind as a family of inner 'parts' — with exiles (traumatized parts), managers (protective parts), and firefighters (reactive parts) — governed ideally by the Self.

Provides the most systematic framework for working with psychological multiplicity — the observable fact that people contain contradictory impulses, voices, and patterns — by mapping these onto a family system metaphor that makes internal conflict workable through Self-led negotiation.