Patanjali's five kleshas (afflictions) are the fundamental psychological wounds—ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion, fear—from which protective parts originate and take their shape.
The kleshas are ignorance (avidya), egoism (asmita), attachment (raga), aversion (dvesha), and fear of death (abhinivesha). Patanjali taught that these five root afflictions are the source of all suffering and psychological reactivity. In Parts work, kleshas illuminate why protective parts exist and what they fundamentally believe. A part driven by attachment clings to control; one rooted in aversion pushes away vulnerability; one operating from ignorance has a distorted, outdated map of reality. Fear of death (abhinivesha) manifests as parts that will do anything to ensure survival, even at the cost of authentic living. Understanding the kleshic architecture beneath a part's behavior allows compassionate, targeted work. Rather than fighting a part, you can address the core wound or ignorance it carries. As awareness and accurate understanding (vidya) replace ignorance, parts naturally relax their rigid protective strategies and become allies in the system rather than controllers or exiles.
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