Each part carries its own unique worldview, self-view, and expectations of the future, all shaped by the original trauma that caused the part to split. For example:

• A 3-year-old part, unable to get its needs met because all the attention shifted to a new baby in the family, might develop the core belief, "I’m not important; the world is unfair." To cope, it might adopt a strategy of people-pleasing in an effort to have its needs acknowledged in the future.

• A 6-year-old part whose parent left, feeling helpless and abandoned, might develop the core belief, "I’m not enough; people are unreliable." This part could create a strategy of self-sufficiency and competency, relying solely on itself and using that competency as a metric to decide who can and cannot be trusted.

Parts don’t just shape how we perceive the world—they also drive our behaviors and reactions. They might react to situations in ways that we do not agree with that may even be destructive.

A part focused on fear might cause defensive behavior, creating self-perpetuating loops, while a perfectionist part might push us relentlessly, often beyond what’s healthy.

Because parts operate independently, they often create inner conflict or confusion. It’s difficult to truly understand who we are or what we’re capable of when different parts of ourselves take control of our awareness without our consent. For instance:

• One part might view a situation as a threat, while another sees it as an opportunity.

• One part craves ice cream at 1 a.m., while another part resents the choice in the morning.

No single part can perceive the whole truth. Each acts as a fragment of the self, filtering reality through the lens of its own traumatic experiences.

True clarity emerges when these filters are acknowledged, understood, and reintegrated into the whole.