Subpersonality

A subpersonality is, in transpersonal psychology, a personality mode that kicks in (appears on a temporary basis) to allow a person to cope with certain types of psychosocial situations. Similar to a complex, the mode may include thoughts, feelings, actions, physiology, and other elements of human behavior to self-present a particular mode that works to negate particular psychosocial situations. The average person has about a dozen subpersonalities.

A subpersonality is distinguished from a Dissociative Identity disorder (formerly: Multiple personality disorder) in that subpersonalities are merely personas or pieces of a whole, whereas DID is characterized by (at least) two separate and distinct personalities who have their own patterns of interacting with the environment. Subpersonalities are able to perceive consciousness as something separate from themselves, as well as domestic image attached to these elements. American transpersonal philosopher Ken Wilber identifies subpersonality as "functional self-presentations that navigate particular psychosocial situations." For example, if a harsh critic responds with judgmental thoughts, anger, superior feelings, critical words, punitive action, and/or tense physiology when confronted with her own and/or others' fallibility, that is a subpersonality of the harsh critic kicking in to cope with the confrontation situation.