Adlerian Therapy

ADLERIAN THERAPY
ALFRED ADLER
Alfred Adler was an Austrian

physician and psychiatrist who is best-
known for forming the school of
thought known as individual
psychology. He is also remembered for
his concepts of the inferiority feeling
and inferiority complex, which he
believed played a major part in the
formation of personality.
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
Adler abandoned Freud’s basic theories because he believed Freud was

excessively narrow in his stress on biological and instinctual determination.
Adler stressed the unity of personality, contending that people can only be
understood as integrated and complete beings. He emphasized that where we
are striving to go is more important than where we have come from. Adler
believed that people develop a unique style of living that is a movement toward
and an expression of their selected goals. In this sense, we create ourselves
rather than merely being shaped by our childhood experiences.
Adler holds that the individual begins to form an approach to life somewhere
in the first 6 years of living. According to Adler, humans are motivated
primarily by social-relatedness rather than by sexual urges; behavior is
purposeful and goal-directed; and consciousness more than unconsciousness is
the focus of therapy. Unlike Freud, Adler stresses choice and responsibility,
meaning in life, and the striving for success, completion and perfection.
SUBJECTIVE PERCEPTION OF REALITY
Adlerians attempt to view the world from the client's subjective frame of
reference, an orientation described as Phenomenological. Paying
attention to the individual way in which people perceive their world,
referred to as "subjective reality," includes the individual's perceptions,
thoughts, feelings, values, beliefs, convictions, and conclusions. Behavior
is understood from the vantage point of this subjective per-spective. From
the Adlerian perspective, objective reality is less important than how we
interpret reality and the meanings we attach to what we experience.
As you will see in subsequent chapters, many contemporary theories have
incorporated this notion of the client's subjective worldview as a basic
factor explaining behavior, including existential therapy, person-centered
therapy, Gestalt therapy, the cognitive behavioral therapies, reality
therapy, feminist therapy, and the postmodern approaches.
UNITY AND PATTERNS OF HUMAN
PERSONALITY
Adler chose the name individual Psychology (from the Latin

individuum, meaning indivisible) for his theoretical approach
because he wanted to avoid reductionism.
Adler emphasized the unity and indivisibility of the person
and stressed understanding the whole person in the context of
his or her life-how all dimensions of a person are interconnected
components, and how all of these components are unified by the
individual's movement toward a life goal. This holistic concept
implies that we cannot be understood in parts; rather, all aspects
of ourselves must be understood in relationship (Carlson &
Englar-Carlson, 2008).
BEHAVIOR AS PURPOSEFUL AND GOAL-
ORIENTED
All Human behavior has a purpose. Humans set goals for

themselves, and behavior becomes unified in the context of
these goals. The concept of the purposeful nature of behavior is
perhaps the cornerstone of Adler’s theory.
A basic assumption of Individual Psychology is that we can
only think, feel, and act in relation to our perception of our goal.
Therefore, we can be fully understood only in light of knowing
the purposes and goals toward which we are striving.
Many Adlerians use term fictional finalism refers to an
imagined central goal that guides a person’s behavior.
STRIVING FOR SIGNIFICANCE AND
SUPERIORITY
The goal of superiority contributes to

the development of human community.
“Superiority” refers to moving from a
perceived lower position to a perceived
higher position. People cope with feelings
of helplessness by striving for competence,
mastery, and perfection.
LIFESTYLE
Lifestyle is the connecting theme that

unifies all our actions and our lifestyle
consists of all our values and perceptions
regarding self, others, and life. It is the
characteristic way we move toward our life
goal.
SOCIAL INTEREST AND COMMUNITY
FEELING
Social interest and community feeling are

probably Adler’s most significant and
distinctive concepts.
These terms refer to individuals’ awareness
of being part of the human community and to
individual’s attitudes in dealing with the social
world.
ADLER TAUGHT THAT WE MUST SUCCESSFULLY
MASTER THREE UNIVERSAL LIFE TASKS
• Building friendships (social task)

• Establishing intimacy (love-marriage task)
• Contributing to society (occupational task)
Dreikurs and Mosak (1967) added 2 other life tasks:

• Getting along with ourselves (self-acceptance) and
• Developing our spiritual dimension (including values,
meaning, life goals, and our relationship with the universe or
cosmos)
BIRTH ORDER AND SIBLING
RELATIONSHIPS
Adler is unique in giving special attention to the relationships

between siblings and the psychological birth position in one’s
family. Actual birth order itself is less important than the
individual’s interpretation of his or her place in the family.)
Birth order and the interpretation of one’s position in the
family have a great deal to do with how adults interact in the
world. Individuals acquire a certain style of relating to others in
childhood and form a definite picture of themselves that they
carry into their adult interactions. In Adlerian therapy, working
with family dynamics – especially relationships among siblings,
assumes a key role.
ADLER IDENTIFIED FIVE
PSYCHOLOGICAL POSITIONS:
1. The oldest child – somewhat spoiled as the center of the

attention. Depends to be dependable and hard working.
Strives to keep ahead. When a newcomer to the family
arrives – seen as an intruder who will rob them of the love
they are accustomed to receiving.
2. The second child – from the time of birth shares the attention
with another child. Behaves as if they were in a race and is
generally under full steam at all times. The competitive struggle
between the first two children influence the later course of their
lives. The second-born is often opposite to the first-born.
3. The middle child – often feels squeezed out. May become convinced of
the unfairness of life and feel cheated. May develop a “poor me” attitude
and can become a problem child. In families characterized by conflict, the
middle child may become the switchboard and the peacemaker, the person
who holds things together. If there are four children in a family, the second
child will often feel like a middle child and the third will be more
easygoing, more social, and may align with the firstborn.
4. The youngest child – always the baby of the family. Tends to be the
most pampered one. Youngest children tend to go their own way. They
often develop in ways no others in the family have thought about.
5. The only child – shares some of the characteristics of the oldest child
(high achievement drive). May not learn to share or cooperate with other
children. Will learn to deal with adults well. May become dependently
tied to one or both of them. May want the center stage all of the time, and
if their position is challenged will feel it is unfair.
GOALS OF THERAPY
• To challenge clients' basic premises and

life goals.
• To offer encouragement so individuals
can develop socially useful goals and
increase social interest.
• To develop the client's sense of
belonging.
THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP
The emphasis is on joint responsibility,

on mutually determining goals, on mutual
trust and respect, and on equality. Focus is
on identifying, exploring, and disclosing
mistaken goals and faulty assumptions
within the person's lifestyle.
THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES AND
PROCEDURES
4 Phases – not linear and do not progress in rigid steps

– can best be understood as a weaving that leads to a
tapestry:
1. Establishing the proper therapeutic relationship.
2. Exploring the psychological dynamics operating in
the client (an assessment).
3. Encouraging the development of self-understanding
(insight into purpose).
4. Helping the client make new choices (reorientation
and reeducation).
TECHNIQUES OF THERAPY
Adlerians pay more attention to the subjective

experiences of clients than to using techniques.
Some techniques include:
• gathering life-history data (family constellation, early
recollections, personal priorities),
• sharing interpretations with clients,
• offering encouragement, and
• assisting clients in searching for new possibilities.

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What are Adler's views on human nature?

What is Adler's concept of subjective reality?

ADLERIAN THERAPY

Alfred Adler was an Austrian

Adler abandoned Freud’s basic theories because he believed Freud was

Adler chose the name individual Psychology (from the Latin

All Human behavior has a purpose. Humans set goals for

The goal of superiority contributes to

Lifestyle is the connecting theme that

Social interest and community feeling are

• Building friendships (social task)

Dreikurs and Mosak (1967) added 2 other life tasks:

Adler is unique in giving special attention to the relationships

1. The oldest child – somewhat spoiled as the center of the

• To challenge clients' basic premises and

The emphasis is on joint responsibility,

4 Phases – not linear and do not progress in rigid steps

Adlerians pay more attention to the subjective

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