I have been reading a chapter on self-attacking by Paul Gilbert, a British psychotherapy researcher, in a book he edited on compassion. I was impressed by his understanding of the psychology of the inner critic and how similar it is to that of IFS. His work is rooted in Cognitive Behavorial Therapy and based on many research studies. He has a theory of psychological process that emphasizes the functional nature of self-destructive tendencies such as the inner critic. By “functional,” he means that a psychological activity (such as self-attacks) happens because it serves some function for the person, or it did at one time. He is essentially saying that the inner critic has a positive intent for the person, to use IFS terminology. His method of therapy also bears some resemblance to IFS in that it is based on compassion. I am excited to see a research-based confirmation of IFS from a completely different psycholgical orientation. The fundamental truths about the psyche keep showing up in all sorts of places.