Alfred Adler developed Adlerian therapy based on his experiences growing up in Vienna. Key aspects of Adlerian therapy include viewing human behavior as goal-oriented and purposeful, focusing on social relationships and community feeling rather than internal drives, and helping clients overcome feelings of inferiority by identifying and changing mistaken beliefs about themselves and life. The therapeutic process involves forming a collaborative relationship, exploring the client's lifestyle and goals, and encouraging new insights to promote social interest and contribution to society.

1. ADLERIAN THERAPY

2. INTRODUCTION
Alfred Adler 1870 – 1937
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He grew up in a Vienna family of six boys and two girls. His brother died as
a very young boy in the bed next to Adler. He was sickly and was very much
aware of death. At age 4 Adler almost died of pneumonia. He overheard the
doctor tell his father that “Alfred is lost.” This is when Adler decided to
become a physician. Adler felt dethrone after the birth of his brother.
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He developed a trusting relationship with his father but he did not feel very
close to his mother. Adler was extremely jealous of his older brother,
Sigmund. Given his early relationship with Sigmund Freud it is suspected
that patterns from his early family constellation were repeated in this
relationship.
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Adler’s early years were characterized by struggling to overcome illnesses
and feelings of inferiority. He felt inferior to his brother and peers; which
made him determined to compensate for his physical limitations, and
gradually he overcame many of his limitations.
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His early childhood had an impact on the formation of his theory. Adler is an
example of a person who shaped his own life as opposed to having it
determined by fate. His teacher advised his father to prepare Adler to be a
shoemaker but not much else.

3. •
With determined effort Adler eventually rose to the top of his class. He went
on to study medicine at the University of Vienna. He entered private practice
as an ophthalmologist, and later shifted to general medicine. He eventually
specialized in neurology and psychiatry, and he had a keen interest in
incurable childhood diseases.
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Adler had a passionate concern for common person and he was outspoken
about child-rearing practices, school reforms, and prejudices that resulted in
conflict.
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Adler wrote spoke and wrote in simple, non-technical languages so that the
public could understand and apply the principles of his Individual
Psychology. (Adler’s (1959) Understanding Human Nature was the first
major psychology book to sell hundreds of thousands of copies in the United
States.
Adler created 32 child guidance clinics in the Vienna public schools and
began training teachers, social workers, physicians, and other professional.
He pioneered the practice of teaching professional through live
demonstrations with parents and children before large audiences.

4. •
The clinics he founded grew in numbers and in popularity, and he was
indefatigable in lecturing and demonstrating his work.
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In the mid 1920s he began lecturing in the United States.
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He ignored the warning of his friends to slow down and on May 28, 1937,
while taking a walk before a scheduled lecture in Aberdeen, Scotland, Adler
collapsed and died of heart failure.

5. •
Along with Freud and Jung, Alfred Adler was a major contributor to the
development of the psychodynamic approach to therapy.
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Freud and Adler parted company after 8 to 10 years when Freud felt
that Adler had deserted him.
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Adler resigned as the president of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society in
1911 and founded the Society for Individual Psychology in 1912. It was
at this point that Freud asserted that it was not possible to support
Adlerian concepts and still remain in good standing as a psychoanalyst.
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Later a number of other psychoanalysts deviated from Freud’s orthodox
position. These Freudian revisionist, included Karen Horney, Erich
Fromm, and Harry Stack Sullivan, agreed that social and cultural
factors were of great significance in shaping personality.

6. •
These three were typically called neo-Freudians, it would be more
appropriate, as Heinz Anshacher (1979) has suggested, to refer to
them as neo-Adlerians because they moved away from Freud’s
biological and deterministic point of view and toward Adler’s social
psychological and goal oriented view of human nature.
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Adler stresses that unity of personality contending that people can only
be understood as integrated and complete beings.
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Adler emphasized that where we are striving to go is more important
than where we have come form.

7. •
He saw humans as both the creators and the creations of their own
lives; which means that people develop a unique style of living that is
both a movement toward and an expression of their selected goals. In
this sense we create ourselves rather than merely being shaped by our
childhood experiences.
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After Adler’s death in 1937, Rudolf Drekurs was the most significant
figure in bringing Adlerian psychology to the United States, especially
as its principles applied to education, individual and group therapy, and
family counseling.
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Dreikurs is credited with giving impetus to the idea of child guidance
centers and to training professionals to work with a wide range of
clients.

8. VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
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Adler abandoned Freud’s basic theories because he believed Freud was
excessively narrow in his stress on biological and instinctual determination.
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Adler holds that the individual begins to form an approach to life somewhere
in their first 6 months.
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Focuses on how the person’s perception of the past and his or her
interpretation of earl events has a continuing influence.
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According to Adler, humans are motivated primarily by social relatedness
rather than by sexual urges.
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Behavior is purposeful and goal-directed
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Consciousness; more than unconsciousness, which is the focus of therapy

9. Unlike Freud, Adler stresses
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choice and responsibility, meaning in life
The striving for success, completion and perfection
Freud and Adler created contrasting theories
Their individual and very different childhood experiences in their families
were the key factor that shaped their distinctly different views of human
nature.

10. •
Adler’s theory focuses on inferiority feelings, which he sees as a normal
condition of all people and as a source of all human striving.
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Inferiority can be the wellspring of creativity.
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They motivate us to strive for mastery, success (superiority), and completion
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Around age 6 our fictional vision of ourselves as perfect or complete begins
to form into a life goal.
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The life goal unifies the personality and becomes the source of human
motivation.

11. •
Every striving and every effort to overcome inferiority is now in line with this
goal.
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From the Adlerian perpective, human behavior is not determined solely by
heredity and environment.
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Instead, we have the capacity to interpret, influence, and create events.
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Adler asserts that what we were born with is not as important as what we
choose to do with the abilities and limitations we possess.

12. •
Adler’s theory is a psychology of “use” rather than of possession.
•
Although Adlerians reject the deterministic stance of Freud, they do not go
to the other extreme and maintain that individuals can become whatever
they want to be.
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Adlerian recognize that biological and environmental conditions limit our
capacity to choose and to create.
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Adlerian put the focus on reeducating individuals and reshaping society.

13. Subjective Perception of Reality
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Adler was the forerunner of a subjective approach to psychology that
focuses on internal determinants of behavior such as values, beliefs,
attitudes, goals, interests, and the individual perception of reality.
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Adler was the pioneer of an approach that is holistic, social, goal-oriented,
systemic, and humanistic.
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Adler was the first systemic therapist, in that he maintained that it is
essential to understand people with the systems of which they are a part.
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Adler attempt to view the world from the client’s subjective frame of
reference, an orientation described as phenomenological.
It is call this because it pays attention to the individual way in which people
perceive their world.
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14. •
This “subjective reality” includes the individual’s perceptions, thoughts,
feelings, values, beliefs, convictions, and conclusions.
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Behavior is understood from the vantage point of this subjective perspective
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From the Adlerian perspective, objective reality is less important than how
we interpret reality and the meanings we attach to what we experience.

15. Unity and Patterns of Human Personality
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A basis premise of Adlerian Individual Psychology is that personality can
only be understood holistically and systemically.
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The individual is seen as an indivisible whole, born, reared, and living in
specific familia, social, and cultural contexts.
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Human personality becomes unified through development of a life goal.
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There is more focus on interpersonal relationships than on the individual’s
internal psychodynamics.

16. Behavior as purposeful and goal-oriented
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The concept of the purposeful nature of behavior is perhaps the cornerstone
of Adler’s theory.
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Adler replaced deterministic explanations with purposive, goal oriented one.
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A basic assumption of Individual Psychology is that we can only think, feel,
and act in relation to our perception of our goal.
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Therefore. We can be fully understood only in light of knowing the purposes
and goals toward which we are striving.

17. •
Adler was influenced by the philosopher Hans Vaihinger’s (1965) view that
people live by fictions (or views of how the world should be)
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Fictional Finalism refer to an imagined central goal that guides a person’s
behavior.
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Adler replaced this term with “guiding self-ideal” and “goal of perfection” to
account for our striving toward superiority or perfection.

18. •
Adler stresses that striving for perfection and coping with inferiority by
seeking mastery are innate.
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An individual core beliefs and assumptions through which the person
organizes his or her reality and finds meaning in life events constitutes the
individual’s lifestyle.
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In striving for goals that have meaning to us, we develop a unique style of
life.
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In striving for the goal of superiority, Adlerian believe some individuals
develop their intellect , other, their artistic, talent; others, athletic skill; and so
on.

19. Social Interest and community feeling
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Social interest and community feeling are probably Adler’s most significant
and distinctive concepts.
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These terms refer to individuals’ awareness of being part of a human
community and to individual’s attitudes in dealing with the social world.
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Social interest includes striving for a better future for humanity.
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The socialization process begins at childhood; which involves finding a
place in society and acquiring a sense of belonging and of contributing.
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Social interest is taught, learned and used.

20. •
Adler equated social interest with a sense of identification and empathy with
others: to see with the eyes of another, to hear with the ears of another, to
feel with the heart of another.
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Social interest is the central indicator of mental health.
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From the Adlerian perspective, as social interest develops, feelings of
inferiority and alienation diminish.
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People express social interest through shared activity and mutual respect.

21. BIRTH ORDER AND SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS
5 PSYCHOLOGICAL POSITIONS
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OLDEST
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SECOND OF ONLY TWO
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MIDDLE
FEELS SQEEZED OUT/POOR ME/PROBLEM CHILD
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YOUNGEST
PAMPERED/GO THEIR OWN WAY/NEW WAYS OF
DOING THINGS
ONLY
RECEIVE GOOD DEAL OF ATTENTION/SPOIL
ACTS AS THOUGH THEY ARE IN A RACE
COMPETITIVE/SEEK WEAKNESS IN #1
SHARE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN OLDER CHILD/HIGH
ACHIEVER/HARD TO SHARE WITH OTHERS

22. •
Birth order and the interpretation of one’s position in the family have a great
deal to do with how adults interact in the world.
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Although it is important to avoid stereotyping individuals, it does help to see
how certain personality trends that began in childhood as a result of sibling
rivalry influence individuals throughout life.

23. The Therapeutic Process/ Adlerian Therapy
Therapeutic Goals
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*The therapeutic process includes forming a relationship based on mutual
respect and identifying, exploring, and disclosing mistaken goals and faulty
assumptions within the person's style of living.
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*The main aim of therapy is to develop the client's sense of belonging and
to assist in the adoption of behaviors and processes characterized by
community feeling and social interest.
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*Adlerians do not see clients as "sick", instead they view clients as being
discouraged. So the goal would be to reeducate clients so that they can live
in society as equals, both giving and recieving from others.

24. The Therapeutic Process CONT…
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*Adlerians believe that encouragement is the most powerful method of
changing a person's belief.
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**Mosak(2000) listed these goals for the educational process of therapy:
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Fostering social interest
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Helping clients overcome feelings of discouragement and inferiority
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Modifying clients' views and goals
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Changing faulty motivation

25. The Therapeutic Process CONT…
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Assisting clients to feel a sense of equality with others
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Helping people to become contributing members of society

26. Therapist's Function and Role
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*Major function of the therapist is to make comprehensive assessment of
the client's functioning. Therapist gather information by means of a:
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1. Questionaire on the client's family constellation; parents, siblings, and
others in the house. This gives the therapist an idea of the client's early
social world.
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2. The counselor also uses early recollections as a diagnostic tool.
3. Lifestyle assessment- This is created after the early recollections are
summarized and interpreted, and this gives a target for therapy.

27. Client's Experience in Therapy
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* In the therapy clients explore what Adlerian's call Private Logic- the
concepts about self, others, and life that constitute the client's philosophy of
life.
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* The core of the therapy experience consists of clients' discovering the
purpose of behavior or symptoms and the basis mistakes associated with
their coping.
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* After a lifestyle assessment is complete the therapist should be able to
help the client identify their mistaken ideas about life.
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* Through therapy, the client will discover that he of she has resources and
options to draw on in dealing with significant life issues and life tasks.
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28. Relationship Between Therapist and Client
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Adlerian's consider a good client-therapist relationship to be one between
equals that is based on cooperation, mutual trust, respect, confidence, and
alignment of goals.

29. Application: Therapeutic Techniques and Procedures
Adlerian Brief Therapy (ABT): 4 Phases
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Phase 1: Establishing the Relationship
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Working collaboratively and being caring, involved, supportive
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Making person-to-person contact rather than starting with “the problem”

30. Phase 2: Exploring the Individual’s Dynamics
Two Interview Forms:
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Subjective Interview – Active listening (followed by a sense of wonder,
fascination, and interest) to help the client tell their story as completely as
possible.
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Objective Interview – Gathering info as to how the clients’ problems
began, precipitating events, medical history, social history, reasons for
choosing therapy, coping skills, and a life assessment.
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“Lifestyle Investigator”: The Family Constellation and Early Recollections

31. Phase 3: Encouraging Self-Understanding and Insight
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To help the client understand the motivations in their life, understand how
they are contributing to their problem, and making adjustments to correct
the situation

32. Phase 4: Helping with Reorientation
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Putting insights into practice
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Encouragement Process
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Change and the Search for New Possibilities
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Making a Difference! Promoting

33. Contributions to Multicultural Counseling
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Adlerian theory addressed social inequities long before it became a focal
point in the profession

34. Adler’s multicultural approach to counseling include the
following ideas
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Adler’s multicultural approach to counseling include the following ideas
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The importance of the cultural context
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The emphasis on health as opposed to pathology
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A holistic perspective on life
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The value of understanding individuals in terms of their core goals and
purposes
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The ability to exercise freedom within the context of social constraints
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The focus on prevention and the development of a proactive approach in
dealing with problems

35. •
Adlerian theory encourages clients to define themselves within their social
environment, therefore, making the approach a good one when dealing with
a culturally diverse population.
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Culture is defined broadly including age, roles, lifestyle, and gender
differences.
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Adler advocated for equality for women.
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When practiced appropriately and competently, it is difficult to identify major
multicultural limitations.
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Adlerian approach seeks to find opportunities for viewing the self, others,
and the world from different cultures perspectives. The strengths of one
culture can often help correct the mistakes in another.

36. Summary and Evaluation
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Individual Psychology assumes that people are:
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motivated by social factors
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responsible for their own thoughts, feelings, and actions
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the creators of their own lives
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are impelled by purposes and goals

37. •
The goal is to help clients identify and change their mistaken beliefs about
self, others, and life and thus participate more fully in a social world.
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Clients are not seen as mentally sick but as discouraged.
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The client and therapist work collaboratively to challenge the client to
translate the client’s insights into action in the real world.
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Major contributions include elementary education, consultation groups with
teachers, parent education groups, marriage and family therapy, and group
counseling.

38. •
Adlerian therapists are mainly concerned with doing what’s best for the
client rather than squeezing them into a theoretical framework.
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The theory lends itself to short-term formats. This is beneficial to a client to
help them believe change can occur in a short amount of time.
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Adler influenced many other therapy systems. They are all based on the
concept of the person as purposive, self-determining, and striving for
growth.
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Adlerians’ basic premise is that if clients can change their thinking then they
can change their feelings and behavior.

39. Limitations and Criticisms of the Adlerian Theory
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Adler chose to teach and practice over getting organized and presenting a
well- defined systematic theory, making his written presentations difficult to
follow.
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More research needed to support the effectiveness of the theory.
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Limited use for clients seeking immediate solutions to their problems and
unwilling to explore childhood experiences, early memories, and dreams.