Subpersonalities: The People Inside Us

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In the form which follows, the first phase of the exercise—the dis-identification—consists of three parts dealing with the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of awareness. This leads to the self-identification phase. Once some experience is gained with it, the exercise can be expanded or modified according to need, as will be indicated further on. Examples: “It’s too late to do that now … I’m too tired/old/unpracticed/unskilled”, “I’ll never be able to get a pay rise, so what’s the point of trying?”, “I can’t do that – it’s too hard for me”. The Perfectionist Reading Eugene Smith’s 2019 biography Assagioli in his Own Words (based on a conversation between Assagioli and Eugene Smith just prior to Assagioli’s death in 1974), I took notice of the following statement by Assagioli: Evoke serenity directly. Imagine you are in a place which makes you feel serene: a quiet beach, a temple, a cool green glade… perhaps a place where you have experienced serenity in the past. Try to feel it. Repeat the word SERENITY several times. Let serenity permeate you to the point of identification with it, if possible. e. What we can become: these are known as the ideal models we create based on a thorough analysis of our personality, or based upon our intuition.

What follows is a list of the main subpersonalities, itemising the primary traits for each one. This is not a definitive list, but it does include the main antagonists. What you will see, the more closely you examine the subpersonalities, is that there are significant areas of overlap between them, which was explained in the prequel. Remember, the subpersonalities look for common interests and shared agendas, which is how the groupings within the community are formed. Imagine yourself in circumstances common in your daily life which in the past would have tended to upset or irritate you; perhaps being with a hostile person—or facing a difficult problem—or obliged to do many things rapidly—or in danger—and and feel yourself calm and serene. (This step may be postponed until gaining some familiarity with the exercise).We may completely cut off from other subpersonalities. We may be told in our youth that our sexual side is inappropriate or ‘dirty’, leading us to shove this part of ourselves into a drawer away from public eye. Or perhaps you have a selection of darker, nastier, pettier subpersonalities hiding under a guise of what is socially acceptable. On the flipside you may have a strong leader type, a class clown, or magnificent potential that never gets to see the light of day for fear of being judged - because you were told it was ‘too much’. Many images are associated with this source of inner guidance. Common ones are the sun, a diamond, a fountain, a star or point of light, an angel, an eagle, dove, or phoenix, the Christ or the Buddha. Different images emerge to meet different needs. However, the one most commonly associated with this source is that of a wise and loving old man or woman. (These are two distinct archetypes, with many similarities but also specific differences. It is worthwhile to experiment with both so as to know each well, and know when to use one or the other according to the specific needs of the situation. In general, the wise old man is often encouraging, stimulating, inspiring; the wise old woman is more nurturing, supportive, allowing. Description: This person constantly pushes themselves to do bigger and better, always telling themselves that they aren’t doing well enough. They derive their self-worth from external achievements, driving themselves with the mantra that they “ should do” thisor“ should be” that. When they fail to do something that doesn’t conform with their high standards, they are intolerant and self-derisive. The Perfectionist does not forgive or forget, creating great pressure and anxiety for themselves.

Well, this was a summary of some of the essential discoveries I made while reading Assagioli’s extensive writings on subpersonalities. I hope the articles in this book will prove as valuable to you and inspire you to keep diving into the wisdom of Assagioli. I was initially surprised to learn that Assagioli considered subpersonalities to be a key aspect of psychosynthesis, but, on reflection, I realised they must be because they are a part of the process of synthesis one of the seven core concepts of psychosynthesis. Indeed, subpersonalities are among the various psychological elements that are integrated into and harmonised within the personality as part of the developmental process that Assagioli termed personal psychosynthesis, which is a concept similar to Abraham Maslow’s self-actualisation. According to Assagioli (p. 19) ‘co-ordination of the various subpersonalities into a higher unity is possible’. To achieve this, we must first find a synthesising centre that is above all of the subpersonalities, and this is the ‘I’ in the personality and the Transpersonal Self in the superconscious realm. From these centres, we must become the observer of the content of consciousness (i.e. becoming awareness itself) and learn to direct and lead (i.e. by using the will) the various subpersonalities according to our needs. Assagioli suggests the following formula for achieving synthesis: c. What others believe that we are: these are projected images that have been internalised as part of our relationships with prominent others. What am I then? What remains after having dis-identified from my body, my sensations, my feelings, my desires, my mind, my actions? It is the essence of myself—a centre of pure self- consciousness. It is the permanent factor in the ever-varying flow of my personal life. It is that which gives me a sense of being, of permanence, of inner balance. I affirm my identity with this centre and realise its permanency and its energy.See if you can see which subpersonalities you are most aligned to. There are usually half a dozen main players. There could be more and may be less, but this is a good guide. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because you can identify with something in every one of them, that you somehow have all the subpersonalities active within you. What you’re looking for are the primary influencers. From there you will almost certainly find there are other sub-groupings that are fed and sustained by the main drivers.