ADLER--is our first FULFILLMENT THEORY, of which there are 2 subtypes:

1. PERFECTION VERSION (ADLER belongs here)-people have an ideal or set of goals in life and achieve them through hard work and discipline. And

2. ACTUALIZATION VERSION-A person has a vivid sense of who s/he is and acts consistently with that image and self-understanding.

Adler once wrote to Freud, “Do you think it gives me such great pleasure to stand in your shadow my whole life long?”

ADLER’S CORE

1. ORGAN INFERIORITIES

2. FEELINGS OF INFERIORITY, AND

3. COMPENSATION.

“To be a human being means the possession of a feeling of inferiority that is constantly pressing on towards its own conquest. The goal of the human soul is conquest, perfection, security, superiority…

Every child is faced with so many obstacles in life that no child ever grows up without striving for some form of significance. Every voluntary act begins with a feeling of inadequacy.”

CORE TENDENCY, TO ACHIEVE SUPERIORITY OR PERFECTION.

The WILL TO POWER is ideally expressed by becoming a perfect member of society, i.e., working for the social good. In Adler’s theory people seek to INCREASE tension.

The goals that we have are “Fictional Finalisms”. This term comes from Vahinger’s philosophy of the “AS IF”.

DEVELOPMENT, there are 3 RELATED dimensions of importance.

1. FAMILY CONSTELLATION, (BIRTH ORDER) OLDEST, MIDDLE, OR

YOUNGEST

2. Is the child raised to be CONSTRUCTIVE or DESTRUCTIVE? and

A family atmosphere of trust, cooperation, respect, and understanding versus, distrust, competition, disrespect, and misunderstanding.

3. Is the child raised to be ACTIVE (encouraged to initiate actions) or PASSIVE (provided things without initiating actions; i.e., spoiled)

PERIPHERY

The STYLE OF LIFE develops by 5 years. There are 4 types ranked in order of most (1) to least (4) beneficial to society:

1. Active-constructive, the socially useful type

2. Passive-constructive, the getting type

3. Passive-destructive, the avoiding type

4. Active-destructive, the ruling type.

The center of the LIFE STYLE is called the CREATIVE SELF, which reflects Adler’s belief that people are PRO-ACTIVE AND GOAL-ORIENTED, rather than re-active (which Freud would believe).

Your earliest recollection is a diagnostic clue to your life-style.

ADLER’ THERAPY

1. Establish a relationship

2. Identify the patient’s life style

3. Observe transference as it occurs

4. Offer the patient a life style summary, and options to consider in changing the life style

Therapy works through the process of transferring the healthy features of a relationship with a therapist back to the life style of the patient, give a patient the experience of contact with a fellow human being, and then transfer this “AWAKENED SOCIAL FEELING” to others.