Adlerian Theory

Name and brief description of key figure (s) (Drout, Harback, & Rule, n.d.)

The 20th century Austrian psychologist, educator, and physician Alfred Adler was an early disciple of Freudian psychology, but gradually broke with his mentor in several distinct ways. In stark contrast to Sigmund Freud, Adler emphasized the social rather than sexual aspects of human personality development. Freudian hard determinism of the human character is starkly contrasted with Adlers soft determinism, as Adler believed in the possibility of the individual avoiding some of the influences of heredity and the environment, with proper counseling and self-awareness. Adler has been called the founder of individual psychology and has had a profound influence upon a number of later branches of psychology, including gestalt and humanistic psychology. For Alder, the self is fundamentally relational and personality is expressed in relation to other human actors and social dynamics. The individual is an indivisible unit that must be understood in the context of the family and society.

Key Points (Drout, et al., n.d.)

a. Structure of personality human beings are holistic and indivisible, in contrast to the Freudian idea that personality can be divided into ego, id, and superego. The whole of the personality is greater than the sum of its parts and cannot be dissected.

b. Context psychology Adler believed that dissecting the personality was like attempting to analyze the effectiveness of a piece of music outside of its context in a large symphony. Individuals can only be understood in the context of larger social institutions like the family.

c. Family constellationAlder is called the first family therapist. He is one of the first therapists to place great significance on birth order in the development of the individual. Only children may struggle to get along with others. First children may have added responsibilities and feel a need to be dependable. Second...

…of their self-esteem when they enter the counselors office. The counselor helps the client overcome fears of inferiority and loss and reinforces a sense of competency with positive affirmation of the individuals wholeness. For a client who is facing a significant challenge like a disability, the Adlerian approach enables the client to set positive goals. Finding large social meaning in ones life is also a very important aspect of Adlerian therapy, and one which client and counselor work on together.

Personal Reaction to Theory

I found the description of Adlerian therapy to be very inspiring. Alder views human beings in very positive terms, versus Freuds view of human beings as sexually motivated and blind to many of their core beliefs and problems. Adlerian counselors take some of what clients say on face value, in terms of their expression of what memories and family experiences were formative, but helps frame them in a more realistic and positive…