Gregory Adler's Early Life

Bang! You door just got broken down by German officers. They yell at you and treat you with disrespect. They accuse you as a Jew and take you to a concentration camp. Well that's what it was like during the Holocaust. Hearing things about the bloodshed history makes you not wanna be alive during that time period, but a boy named Zigmond had to deal with the compelling plans of Hitler.

His family were sent to an internment camp following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (Clark. B, 2015). He spent the first years of his life there, and his family was left with nothing. After he was able to leave the camp, he then shortly after started his education at Andrew Hill High school. After graduating he Enrolled at San Jose State University. There, he majored in Spanish and Biological Sciences. Before graduating, he had a short stint with the peace corps and traveled all throughout South America. He then proceeded to gain a Master’s degree in Education from San Jose State University. In his 30-year career as an educator, he served as a principal in two different public schools, school board member and conducted education research at Stanford University. (Evans. S,

Adlerian therapy can be best described as an art form. There are many ways for a therapist to use Adlerian techniques in practice. In regards to a general outline of this type of therapy, there are twelve main stages. According to Henry Stein (Stein &Edwards, 1998), these twelve stages are the empathy-relationship stage, information stage, clarification stage, encouragement stage, interpretation and recognition stage, knowing stage, missing experience stage, doing differently stage, reinforcement stage, community feeling stage, goal-redirection stage and the support and launching stage.

Adlerian psychotherapists often ask their clients about early recollections. What are the assumptions of this technique and how does it facilitate the therapeutic process?

Adlerian Theory highlights the importance of focusing on the individual and the concept of social interest in relation to an individual’s desire to have a sense belonging within society. Emphasized within the theory is the idea that behavior is goal-oriented and individuals have the capacity for growth (Dufrene, Henderson, and Eckart, 2016). In the video presented on Adlerian Theory (Psychotherapy.net, 1997), Diane Kjos, Ph.D. and Jon Carlson PsyD. begin with engaging in a discussion on the theoretical approach to provide background on the theory. To illustrate the application of the theory within the helping relationship, a session is then presented for review using Adlerian Theory with Dr. Carson and a client, Gina, followed by questioning and feedback from the audience and hosts on the session.

How to Speak How to Listen by Mortimer Adler discusses the best techniques to use while in an argument. According to Adler, ethos signifies one’s character. Ethos is present when one is trying to have a character that is fitting for the purpose at hand. Ethos includes making yourself attractive to the audience and proving to them that you are credible. An example of having ethos has a lot to do with how I would present myself to the audience. In order for them to believe that I am credible, I must look the part, that includes cleanliness, looking put together, and healthy. If the audience sees that you can take care of yourself, then they have a higher chance of believing that you can take care of them and their situation. Using ethos can also include presenting the audience with a personal story. This will fill them in with background information about myself and let them know how my character played out during whatever situation I spoke about. The situation would have to be similar to the one the audience is facing, in order for them to draw parallels and better understand how I would handle that particular event.

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.

In today's society a plethora of information is immediately available at the touch of a button, and long gone are the days of careful hours spent scouring through a library for information. In "How to Read a Book" author Mortimer Adler points out that this ease of access to information has turned the masses into inattentive readers. In the first chapter, "The Activity and Art of Reading" Adler distinguishes between different types of reading such as active vs. inactive reading and goals that should be associated with reading such as reading for information and reading for understanding. In the latter chapter he goes on to point out how to be a successful and demanding reader through critical reading and asking oneself questions about the text.

As a result of not having a positive tone Adler comes across ineffective in his effort to obtain more people to do volunteer work. One implication of author Michael Adler’s treatment of volunteer work is that we need to “mandate that young people commit a minimum and certain amount of time to community service”. Although Michael Adler does not say do directly, he apparently assumes that forced volunteer work would prepare America better and in result be more connected. While he goes on with his argument he sounds ignorant and less effective when he talks about volunteering as a mandatory which are 2 complete opposites. Adler states “Adding groups like PETA or Save Darfur as a “friend” on MySpace does not replace giving your “real world” time

Upon watching the movie Antwone Fisher, I found that Psychodynamic theory and Adlerian theory would serve well to treating the movie’s main character, Antwone. Antwone is an African American man who struggles with his emotionally unstable life. He joined the Navy after leaving Cleveland, but was plagued with anger and temperament issues which stem from his childhood. These issues, upon watching further into the movie, are associated with the emotional and physical abuse that was inflicted upon him via varying authoritarian figures from his foster family. These childhood issues have since caused Antwone to struggle finding a self-image and identity that he can call his very own.

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.

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.

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.

Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler are well-known and respected men in the world of psychology. Both their theories involved the study of the human mind. Freud believed that much of the human instinct was sexually based and that many problems they suffered were due to this instinct. Freud concluded that his patients' memories reached back to childhood and that many of the repressed experiences they recalled concerned sexual issues. Adler believed there was more to the individual but also knew that biology had an influence. He also believed that one’s birth order and socially affected the development of the human personality.