Is the natural inductance of circuit parts a problem, and if so, how do you combat it?
However, one thing I noticed is that it's possible for a spontaneous change in the current to overheat a part of a circuit, and it would seem this would be due to the component's natural tendency to resist changes in current, aka inductance.


Your premise is flawed. When a part has parasitic inductance, it doesn't cause the part to heat up.

When a part has parasitic inductance, it's because in order for current to flow through the part, a magnetic field must be built up around the part or the wires within it. Creating this magnetic field requires energy, which means a voltage must be applied to the part.

But this energy is not converted to heat. It's stored in the magnetic field, and when the current is reduced or reversed, the energy will be returned to the circut.

As to what actually causes the heating you observed, you'll have to give a more specific example or explanation of the circuit you're working with, because generally it's not common for a circuit to produce heat as a result of changes in current, although I can imagine it's possible to make a circuit to do that if you worked at it.