Theory Series: Adlerian Psychotherapy
Adlerian Psychology (AP) aka individual psychology is the brainchild of Alfred Adler, developed in 1912. Adler worked closely with Freud and Jung but focused much more on the future orientation of individuals, instead of their past experiences. Adler believed strongly that the human sense of self is tied to their goals. Being human, he asserted, is striving from a sense of inferiority to a sense of superiority, as measured by the goals that each individual set for themselves. This is the core tenet of AP which Adler built upon. Adler extended this theory, positing that consequences of failing to strive (referred to as maladjustment) take the form of what we would now call mental illness. Furthermore, he believed that personality is an amalgamation of all the traits and characteristics that we develop to strive towards our goals. Adler also recognized the impact of our social surroundings on the goals that we set. As such, he correctly understood that social settings have a significant impact on personality development. In many ways, Adler was ahead of his time, intuiting things that are still being proven out via evidence-based research today.
Another prescient addition to the field - Adler would conduct lifestyle assessments in the beginning stages of therapy with his clients to determine their goals, maladjustments, and birth order. In AP, birth order and the number of siblings one has strongly influences family dynamics - one of the most important social factors to consider in mental health. Along with family constellation, birth, order, and environment, early recollections are also weighed with considerable importance in determining one’s personality. Although this last aspect of AP is intuitive, research has been and it is not uncommon to see social media posts of people, recounting “core memories” which connect to their circumstances later in life.
As mentioned, AP is focused on the individual’s drive for improvement and superiority, born from feelings of inferiority. Although there are many powerful interventions and questions in AP, the main structure is as follows, designed to facilitate growth through social cohesion:
Creating a relationship - understanding the client and their drives.
Assessment - gathering information about the client’s family, social setting, and goals
Insight - reflecting on the client's behavior and maladaptive strategies
Reorientation - improving maladaptation by strengthening social interest and cooperation
Intervention techniques are plentiful in AP. Some examples include Socratic questioning is used regularly, designed to delve into complex belief systems and challenge preconceived notions. This differs slightly from modern methods which preach limited, controlled, and open questions. Guided imagery, and play therapies are also utilized in various ways to obtain an understanding of each client, often as part of their unofficial intake procedures.
In general, AP has adapted seamlessly over the years. Today’s hot topics of social injustice and discrimination fit easily into the social considerations that are prominent in AP. However, it is often noted that many studies conducted on the efficacy of AP have been focused on white populations. Religion and spirituality were also not aspects that were originally considered in AP, however, it has since been adopted and given considerable weight in a client’s journey. Critics of AP call its approach shallow, lacking the depth necessary to address deeper psychological issues. It is also considered overly complicated, with multiple concepts to juggle which are not always easy to define. On the flip side, AP is adaptable to each individual and takes multiple aspects of the client into consideration. Urging clients to strive is certainly a benefit, as few other theories focus on this.
Adlerian theory is one that I return to repeatedly. With time, the concepts that AP posits tend to make more and more sense. Deriving happiness and meaning from striving in life is something that resonates with me personally as well as with our societal values. However, I still hold the question of whether this value holds true for all individuals. Focus on social surroundings and family structures has also proved to be insightful as many maladaptive coping strategies are learned at an early age from one’s family. Overall, I consider Adler a deeply insightful philosopher who tapped into several of the most integral aspects of the human condition.
For more on AP, I recommend reading Adlerian Psychotherapy by Jon Carlson and Matt Englar-Carlson for an academically voiced overview of the theory. For those who are interested in AP from a self-improvement perspective, The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga is a fictional account of a young man striving for a happy and healthy path in life, coached by the teachings of Adler. Happy reading!
