Psychoanalysis · 1912
Individual Psychology (Adler)
It is not the past that commands: what guides life is the goal — and the symptom is a creative solution for protecting belonging and worth.
Individual Psychology, developed by Alfred Adler, conceives the human being as a unitary organism oriented towards goals of meaning, belonging and worth, explaining behaviour teleologically through purposes and guiding fictions rather than through linear causes, and understanding symptoms as creative attempts to compensate for feelings of inferiority and to protect self-esteem within the social context; the style of life describes the subjective coherence with which each person organises their experience, their goals and their private logic from childhood onwards, in interaction with the family constellation, birth order and the earliest experiences of belonging, and therapeutic change comes about when the patient becomes aware of their private logic, makes rigid goals more flexible, reduces safeguarding tendencies and develops social interest, cooperation and community responsibility, integrating personal growth with a relational and educational ethics (Refs: Adler 1927, 1931, 1933).
Core ideas
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Human behaviour is oriented by goals and not only by past causes
Individual Psychology proposes that human behaviour is better understood in terms of purpose than of causality. People organise their behaviour according to implicit goals that anticipate how worth, belonging or safety may be attained. This teleological perspective shifts psychological explanation from the past towards the present purpose of the symptom and of the behaviour. (Adler, 1927; Adler, 1931).
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The feeling of inferiority drives psychological development
The experience of inferiority is universal and arises from human vulnerability and from social comparison. It can become a motor of growth when it leads to cooperative self-overcoming, or a source of defensive styles when it is compensated through avoidance or superiority. (Adler, 1930; Adler, 1931).
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The style of life organises psychological experience
Each individual develops a relatively coherent style of life that integrates perceptions, goals, emotions and relational strategies. This pattern is formed early in childhood and determines how the person interprets the world, responds to difficulties and seeks belonging. (Adler, 1931).
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Private logic structures the subjective interpretation of the world
People act according to subjective interpretations that may differ from shared common sense. This private logic organises expectations about others, personal goals and coping strategies, and can sustain patterns of avoidance or defensive superiority. (Adler, 1927; Adler, 1931).
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Psychological symptoms fulfil functions within the style of life
Symptoms are not simple internal failures but creative solutions through which the individual attempts to protect their self-esteem, avoid failure or justify a withdrawal from the tasks of life. Understanding the purpose of the symptom makes it possible to find more adaptive alternatives. (Adler, 1930).
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Psychological health is defined by social interest
Social interest or Gemeinschaftsgefühl represents the capacity for cooperation, empathy and contribution to the human community. For Adler it constitutes the central criterion of psychological health and the ultimate goal of personal development. (Adler, 1933; Adler, 1931).
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Human life is organised around three fundamental tasks
Psychological adjustment is expressed in the capacity to face three basic tasks of existence: work or social contribution, friendship or community, and love or intimacy. Psychological difficulties appear when the individual avoids or distorts these tasks through defensive strategies. (Adler, 1931).
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Therapeutic change involves reorientation and the development of cooperation
Adlerian psychotherapy is conceived as an educational and encouraging process oriented towards helping the individual understand their style of life, modify defensive goals and develop greater cooperation, responsibility and social participation. (Adler, 1927; Adler, 1931; Adler, 1933).
Influences
- Classical psychoanalysis
- Developmental psychology
- Social education
- Phenomenology / Hermeneutics
Key references
- Adler, A. (1927). Understanding Human Nature.
- Adler, A. (1927). The Practice and Theory of Individual Psychology.
- Adler, A. (1930). The Science of Living.
- Adler, A. (1930). Problems of Neurosis.
- Adler, A. (1931). What Life Could Mean to You.
- Adler, A. (1933). Social Interest: A Challenge to Mankind.
- Dreikurs, R. (1935). An Introduction to Individual Psychology.
- Adler, A. (1912). El carácter neurótico (The Neurotic Constitution).
- Oberst, U. y Ruiz, J. J. (2007). La Psicología Individual de Alfred Adler.