Exiles in Internal Family Systems Therapy

Name of Concept

Exiles

Introduction

Exiles is a concept found in the Internal Family System model (IFS), founded by Richard Carroll Schwartz (Schwartz 1987, 1989, 1995, 2001).

The Internal Family Systems Model of psychotherapy (IFS) brought family therapy theory and technique to the intrapsychic worlds of clients. IFS has become not only a school of family therapy but also a major form of psychotherapy in general, with an extensive literature and training institutes throughout the world.

The premise of the Internal Family Systems model is that an individual’s intrapsychic world is not monolithic. Rather, the internal world is made up of a plurality of “parts.” Parts are subpersonalities, each is “a discrete and autonomous system that has a range of emotions, style of expression, and a set of abilities, intentions and/or functions” (Schwartz 1987, p. 3). The Internal Family System model posits that the intrapsychic world is governed by systemic principles, and functions best when it is...