Ultramar, what you've said is part of what I don't like about IFS. I think "parts" are always reflections of the adult self, positive and negative, and giving them separate status maybe makes it easier to conceptualize them, but can also lead to their fragmentation in application and to become a defense. Perhaps it works well for clients with firm self boundaries--maybe even too firm--but if there is any ambivalence about the adult self, I think you could very well be right that such an approach just muddies the waters.