Kleshas: The Five Afflictions Creating Internal Conflict

Patanjali identifies five kleshas (afflictions)—ignorance, ego-identification, attachment, aversion, and fear of death—as the fundamental patterns generating all psychological suffering and dysfunction. These aren't moral failings but natural cognitive distortions rooted in the basic human condition. Each klesha directly spawns protective parts: ignorance creates confused parts operating from incomplete information; ego-identification generates rigid protective identities; attachment produces clinging, needy parts; aversion creates avoidant or aggressive protectors; fear of annihilation activates desperate survival mechanisms. In Internal Family Systems, working with kleshas provides a philosophical foundation for understanding parts' genesis and compassionately recognizing their protective intentions. Rather than viewing parts as problems to eliminate, recognizing kleshas reveals how parts developed intelligently in response to real conditions. Patanjali teaches that kleshas can't be destroyed but can be dissolved through direct insight and sustained practice. For IFS practitioners, this means helping clients understand how their protective parts embody understandable responses to fundamental human fears. This understanding naturally generates compassion toward parts, accelerating the healing dialogue. The five kleshas become a diagnostic map for understanding any internal system's structure and reactivity.