Core Constructs Of Adlerian Theory

This therapy was named after Alfred Adler. Some of the main components of a person that are taken into consideration by the therapy include concepts of inferiority, superiority held by a person, social interests, likes and dislikes, lifestyles, priorities and birth order. These are some of the components of an individual's personality that make him or her unique.

Corey, 2017). He also states that the study of clinical populations is extremely limited and "there is a definite need for further Adlerian-oriented research on inpatients and outpatients alike" (Corey, 2017).

Alfred Adler was born in 1870 in Austria and developed his own theory on Individual Psychology in 1912. Adler’s theory is closely related to Humanistic Psychology. Influenced by Freud, Smuts and Vaihinger, Adler based his theory on the client’s ability to live as a fully functioning adult in society. Adler’s holistic theory views each person as unified. Adler discussed birth order personality traits. Adler’s theory also discussed the roles therapists should take and the techniques that should be used in Individual Psychology therapy sessions.

Adlerian theory, also known as individual psychology, was developed by Alfred Adler in the twentieth century (Hess, Magnuson, & Beeler, 2012). He had been conceptualizing and finalizing his theory until about 1931 (Dunn, 1971). This was approximately around the same time Freud was working and becoming popular (Dunn, 1971). Adler is known as the father of the humanistic movement and created his theory in resistance to psychoanalysis and Freudian thinking (Dunn, 1971). Individual psychology asserts that the “whole is greater than the sum of its parts” (Dunn, 1971). More specifically, people cannot be understood without understanding them in a social context (Dunn, 1971; Hess, Magnuson, & Beeler, 2012). Further, behavior cannot be understood in fragments, but needs to be understood in context of the whole person (who is understood within their social

Alfred Adler the founder of Adlerian psychology/psychotherapy believed that it was of the upmost importance to become closely associated with a person’s birth order parents background upbringing and education not to mention their lifestyle. This theory also focusses on a person need to be or feel accepted and to flourish in life. Adler was big on exploring early childhood because he believed that “everyone develops a life by the age 5 or 6.the pan which Adler calls it the lifestyle guides individuals’ enter lives” Murdock, N. L. (2009, pg111). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: a case approach. Boston: Pearson”.

The desired outcomes for reality therapy groups and Adlerian therapy groups are both similar and dissimilar to one another in varying ways. Reality theory groups seek to change a members“…being stuck in repetitive and nonproductive activities” and that failing to achieve their goals should not bring self-deprecation (Gladding, 2016, p. 334). Adlerian groups “emphasize social cooperation and teamwork…focusing primarily on the growth and actions of the individual within the group rather than the group itself” (p.

Alfred Adler was the founder of Adlerian Counseling. He was born in 1870 in the country of Austria. who gave his theory the name Individual Psychology, because he wanted people to see that his theory and methods were designed to help clients help themselves. He believed that everyone had and internal need to be a part of society, and a desire to contribute to that society. That everyone strives for perfection, and everyone initially feels inferior to everyone else. He believed that when that feeling is not overcome, inferiority complexes develop, and if a person tries to overcompensate for inferiority, the develop superiority complex.

This approach to therapy utilizes the framework of Individual Psychology, which ascertains that people should be understood holistically and human behavior is purposeful. Adlerian

I chose this element of her theory because I was always interested in how actions could convey thoughts and how thoughts could be presented through action; I also wanted to challenge my skill as an actress by acting in a more deliberate but natural way which Adler’s theory allows. t I mainly practiced the theory by giving every action of the character on stage a piece of inner monologue. I asked myself “what are you thinking?” every time I do something as the character. One example would be after greeting the trash can and sitting by it, I stared up to the sky (ceiling), I was thinking “it’s a beautiful night, the stars are so bright… the stars…

Adlerian therapy can be a useful approach in the case of Stan to help his address the many issues that he faces in his life. This therapy focuses on helping Stan, to achieve success in life by examining feelings of inferiority that result in negative behaviors, but in the right setting can help motivate him to strive for greater success. Adlerian therapy will help Stan focus on the development of his individual personality and the relation to understanding and accepting of the interconnectedness of all human beings.

Understand, interpret, direct. This statement is an oversimplification of sorts, but defines the essence of Adlerian psychotherapy. From this minimal overview of Adlerian theory, we can begin to elaborate and explore the intricacies of individual psychology. Adlerians are concerned with understanding the unique and private beliefs and strategies of the individual (private logic and mistaken notions) that we create in childhood, and which serve as a reference for attitudes, private views of self, others and the world, and behavior (lifestyle). Therapeutic work with clients involves short-term and intensive work to increase social interest, to encourage a greater sense of responsibility for behavior, and to support behavioral change.

Adlerians believe that striving for superiority characterizes the final goal of every individual. Superiority, in Adlerian terms, means that there are various ways to strive for and find significance in one’s place in the community by creating personal strategies for achieving superiority (Fall, Holden, & Marquis, 2004). This became a major innovation of Adler using self-created goals as a source of motivation and dynamic functionalism. His emphasis on subjective future orientation as a guiding principle for psychic phenomena became a major innovation in conceptualizing human thinking, feeling, and action.

Adlerian theory, also referred to as individual psychology, stresses the need to understand individuals within their social context (Mosak & Maniacci, 2014). Interestingly, Alfred Adler gave his theoretical framework the name, Individual Psychology, which derives from the Latin term individuum. The meaning of individuum translates to “indivisible” and represents the holistic foundation of Adlerian theory (Mosak & Maniacci, 2014). Adlerians assume that every behavior has a purpose, causing them to focus on clients’ “style of life”, or consistent themes that occur throughout their life. Mosak and Maniacci (2014) describe Adler’s “style of life” as, “bias apperceptions about self, others, and the world from a self-consistent cognitive and attitudinal set which organizes and directs movement toward the goal” (p. 12). Accordingly, Adlerian concepts revolve around achieving the main tasks of life through cooperation rather than competition, in work, friendship, love, self-task, and spiritual task (Mosak & Maniacci, 2014). Furthermore, this theory focuses on influences that might encourage the development of exaggerated inferiority, and how these feelings can push people to better themselves in guiding the self-ideal and altering the way they strive toward success, such as through choices and level of responsibility.

Both Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler were pioneers and both had a phenomenal impact on the world of psychology. However, while they were raised in the same era, came from the same city and were educated at the same university, they had decidedly different views regarding personality theories (Schultz, 1990, p. 120). Freud and Adler were both colleagues in the psychoanalytic movement that Freud started. However, because of personality differences and vastly contrasting views about personality theories (Mosak & Maniacci, 1999, p.6) Adler left to begin his own faction, which he called Individual Psychology. It is my intention to briefly describe the main areas of their theories, compare and contrast their ideas of personality development, explore what types of experiences contributes to unhealthy development and what types of interventions they would have each prescribed to patients experiencing difficulties in their lives. However, while both Freud and Adler continue to influence many areas of contemporary personality psychology, only one of them can truly be called a humanitarian.

Compared to psychoanalysts of Victorian Era, Alfred Adler looked at psychology from a more holistic, humanistic and positive perspective. He was convinced that the main focus should be shifted from biological needs, drives and instincts to individual differences, experience, interaction and social environment. Adler placed great emphasis on sibling and peer group relationships, social interest and achieving perfection. He also introduced the terms inferiority and superiority complex, so commonly used nowadays, to the world.