Roles, Not Types: The Dynamic Nature of Parts in IFS Therapy

Those new to Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy often get caught on the idea that parts need somehow be categorised in terms of whether they are Managers, Firefighters, or Exiles. Clients and Supervisees alike are often surprised when they learn that I rarely talk about the category of parts and largely see it as superfluous to the process. That's because when you look beyond the shorthand of the types of parts, you can get to one of the most freeing ideas in IFS: that the defining nature of parts isn't that they have types or rigid categories, it's actually the roles they take on that really matters.

When we often hear about the classic IFS categories of parts, it can sound as if each part permanently belongs in one of these boxes, like a fixed identity. I often hear new clients say things like, "That's my inner critic, and it's definitely a Manager,” or “That angry teenager part is a Firefighter.”  But in truth, these are not types of parts, they are the roles parts take on that develop in response to pain, fear, and unmet needs. This distinction becomes important when you start to connect experientially with your parts because in relationship with the Self, it soon becomes very clear that parts are more complex than a category, and they take on their own multi-dimensionality. For example, an angry part can get sad, and it too can become curious.

The Role Isn’t the Essence of Parts in IFS

Every part of us has essential qualities, what we might call their original nature.  In IFS, this is what we call the Self, or Self-energy. When a part isn’t carrying a burden, it expresses qualities like creativity, playfulness, confidence, curiosity, joy, or tenderness. But when life gets challenging and the system becomes threatened or overwhelmed, parts step up and take on extreme roles to help us survive.

Some parts become proactive, trying to control the environment to prevent pain from surfacing. Others become reactive, acting impulsively to distract or numb us when underlying, hidden pain breaks through to the surface. And some parts carry the core emotional wounds and burdens from earlier experiences.

However, the roles that parts become stuck in don't necessarily need to be permanent states. For example, the “Perfectionist” part isn’t fundamentally a perfectionist. It’s a devoted protector that learned to manage anxiety by trying to do everything right. The “numb” or “avoidant” part isn’t lazy or uncaring, it’s protecting us from feelings that once felt overwhelming.

When we see the role instead of the type, we stop pathologising our inner world, which sets the scene for us to begin to bring curiosity and understanding to it.

Roles Form Around Burdens

In IFS, a "burden" is a belief, emotion, or somatic experience a part has absorbed during time/s over overwhelm or trauma. The part came to believe something about itself, or felt it had to behave in certain way during a painful or threatening experience.

Burdens can sound like:

• “It’s my fault.”

• “I’m not good enough.”

• “I have to be perfect to be loved.”

• “If I let people in, I’ll be hurt again.”

Again, these burdens aren’t the part’s true nature, they’re the psychological/emotional/physical weight it carries. And over time, the part organises its entire identity around that burden.

For example, a part carrying the burden of "I am responsible" might take on the role of a Manager, trying to keep everything under control. A part carrying shame might exile itself, believing it’s too bad or broken to be seen. Another part might take on a Firefighter role such as using substances, humour, work, or distraction to keep pain at bay. Each role makes perfect sense when we understand where it began and/or what it’s protecting us from.

Roles Are Highly Flexible

Because roles form around burdens, they’re inherently flexible.  When the part receives connection and is deeply listened to, the burden is witnessed and the experience gets processed setting up the possibility that the role can change. This is one of the most hopeful ideas in IFS: parts don't need to be permanently stuck in their roles.

A part that once seemed critical or harsh can gradually soften into discernment or wisdom. A part that numbed with alcohol might rediscover its capacity for play or adventure. Even the most extreme protectors have a positive intent beneath their strategy. They want to help, but they’ve been forced to do it in rigid or outdated ways.

When we approach our parts with compassion, we create the conditions for transformation. We don’t need to push, fix, or “fire” them from their roles. Instead, we help them trust that they no longer need to work so hard, or be so extreme.

The Process of Unburdening

The central processing piece of IFS Therapy is not to eliminate parts or make them behave differently, it's to witness their story and in doing so, help them unburden. When a part feels safe enough to let go of its burden (e.g, fear, shame, responsibility, rage, or guilt) it sets up the conditions for the part to return to its natural state. Its energy becomes available to the system again in a balanced way.

For example:

• A part that managed by being overly controlling might, after unburdening, become a natural leader.

• A part that fought with anger might rediscover its courage and strength.

• A part that hid in shame might reveal sensitivity and empathy.

  
  

These shifts don’t happen because we “change” the part, they happen because we witness it with compassion, understand its role, and allow it to release the pain it’s been carrying.

Unburdening restores the internal equilibrium that’s always been possible underneath the protective layers.

Why This Distinction Matters

So, when we label parts as fixed types such as “my Manager,” “my Firefighter”, etc, we risk losing access to our curiosity. We start to believe that’s just who they are and they risk becoming static. However, when we recognise that parts take on roles, we open up space for movement and hope. This distinction helps us meet our inner world with humility and warmth. Instead of saying, “I need to get rid of this part,” we can ask, “What role is this part playing?", or "What is it trying to protect?", or even more importantly, "Who can this part become if it gave up it's extreme job?"

These questions change everything as they shift us from control to compassion, from self-criticism to curiosity, from reactivity into relationship.

Freedom Through Understanding

At their foundation, all parts of us want the same thing: safety, connection, and belonging. When those needs are met, parts don’t need to perform extreme protective roles. They can simply be in creative, loving, spontaneous, or wise.

This is the heart of IFS: we don’t try to change parts by force, we build relationships with them, understand their roles, help them release their burdens, and invite them back into harmony with the rest of the system.

When a part is freed from its role, the whole system becomes more flexible, integrated, and alive. The Manager can rest, the Firefighter can breathe, the Exile can be retrieved. No part is bad, no wound is permanent, and every part has the capacity to transform. And that’s what makes IFS such a deeply hopeful way of working with the human mind/body system because it sees us not as broken, but as highly adaptive.

So, when you notice a part in you reacting strongly (criticising, controlling, distracting, or shutting down) I would invite you pause and remember: it's not that important what type of part this is, what's most vital is the role it felt like it needed to play.

Ask inside, “What are you trying to protect me from?”

And, that’s where freedom begins; by understanding how come our parts became who they needed to be to get through whatever they got us through.

About the Author

Sean Cuthbert is a Clinical Psychologist, Psychology Board of Australia (PBA) Approved Supervisor, Certified IFS Therapist, and IFS-I Approved Clinical Consultant in private practice in Melbourne, online throughout Australia, and internationally. He provides 1:1 therapy for clients, and supports professionals through individual and group supervision/consultation.