Adlerian Psychotherapy
Prioritizing social interest
History of Adlerian Theory
Inspired by Freudian psychoanalysis, but did not buy into
determinism or the primacy of sexual trauma
Some overlap with other neo-Freudians (e.g., Horney)
Anticipated elements of humanistic, cognitive, and
systemic approaches
Sought to overcome the superiority of the therapist
Championed in U.S. by Rudolf Dreikurs
Dissemination throughout U.S. elementary schools
during the guidance movement by Don Dinkmeyer
Alfred Adler 1870-1937
Born in Vienna
Raised by middle class, Jewish family
Very close to father (no Oedipal need)
2nd of six children
Felt in shadow of his older brother
Invalid as child (rickets, pneumonia)
Freuds professional associate and (initially) friend
Converted and became a Christian After World War I
1921-1934: 30 mental health clinics in schools- closed by
Nazis - drop in delinquency at time
Came to USA in 1934 (lived in U.S. until his death)
Adlers Individual Psychology
A phenomenological approach
Social interest is stressed
Birth order and sibling relationships are emphasized
Therapy as teaching, informing and encouraging
Basic mistakes in the clients private logic
The therapeutic relationship as a collaborative
partnership
The Phenomenological Approach
Adlerians attempt to view the world from the
clients subjective frame of reference
Reality is less important than how the individual
perceives and believes life to be
It is not the childhood experiences that are crucial ~ It is
our present interpretation of these events
Unconscious instincts and our past do not
determine our behavior
It is not genes
It is not environment
It is not genes and environment
It is how we choose to respond to our genes and
environment
Social Interest
Gemeinshaftsgefuhl the state of social
connectedness and interest in the well-being of
others that characterizes psychological health.
Adlers most significant and distinctive concept
Refers to an individuals attitude toward and
awareness of being a part of the human community
Mental health is measured by the degree to which
we successfully share with others and are
concerned with their welfare
Happiness and success are largely related to social
connectedness
Impact of Birth Order
Adlers five psychological positions:
Oldest child
favored, spoiled, center of attention,
pseudo-parent, high achiever
Second of two
behaves as if in a race, often opposite to
first child (rivalry)
Middle
often feels squeezed out
Youngest
the baby (more pampered), creative,
rebellious, revolutionary, avant-garde
Only
may not learn to share or cooperate with
other children, learns to deal with adults
Encouragement
Encouragement is the most
powerful method available for
changing a persons beliefs
Helps build self-confidence and
stimulates courage
Discouragement is the basic condition
that prevents people from functioning
Clients are encouraged to recognize
that they have the power to choose and
to act differently
Note: Reassurance is not encouragement.
Nature of maladjustment
A person has a mistaken opinion of self and
world
Inferiority complex: Individual overwhelmed
by inadequacy, hopelessness
Superiority Complex: Individuals very high
opinion of self lead him/her to insist that
personal solutions to problems are best
A person engages in neurotic behavior to
protect own opinion of self (e.g., when
threatened with failure and insecurity)
The person becomes self-centered rather than other-centered
Conflict: one step forward and one step backward movement which has the net
effect of maintaining an individual at a dead center point
People experience themselves as stuck but actually create the antagonistic
feelings, ideas, and values, because they are unwilling to change (if-only)
Safeguarding: Symptoms developed to safeguard the fictional goal (e.g., Its my
job to keep the peace in the family)
Family constellation: birth order mediates genetic and constitutional factors
The individual may be unconscious of these events
Adlerian Therapy Focus
Importance of the feelings of self (ego) that
arise form interactions & conflicts
Sense of self (ego) central core of personality
Start from Psychoanalysis
Emphasis on lifestyle (5 life tasks)
Social interaction
Work
Sex
Spirituality
Coping with ourselves
Courage
Other Adlerian Concepts
Organ Inferiority: everyone is born with
some physical weakness, which motivates
life choices
Aggression Drive: reaction to perceived
helplessness/inferiority lashing out against
the inability to achieve or master
More Adlerian Concepts
Masculine protest:
Men: Become a real man, surpass the father
Women: Gain equal status to men
Perfection striving: people who are not neurotically bound to an
inferiority complex spend their lives trying to meet their fictional
goals. The life or a human soul is not a being but a becoming
Elimination of their perceived flaws
Gives motivation and focus
Social Responsibility & Understanding
Occupational task-career-self-worth
Societal task-creating friendship-networks
Love task-life partner
Positive & Goal Oriented Humanity- people striving to overcome
weaknesses to function productively-contributing to society
Therapeutic Phases and Stages
Phases
Stage # Stage
1
Empathy &
Relationship
Information
Clarification
Encouragement
Support
Encouragement
1. Establishing the relationship
Therapist gets to know the client as a person
Supportive, caring human connection
Warmth, empathy, and acceptance
Hope, reassurance, and encouragement
Love
Therapy is collaborative
Goals established together prior to start
Awareness of goal discrepancies during early phases
Scripts (Have you ever seen a patient like me before?)
Games (My previous therapist said the opposite)
Realignment of goals, when necessary
2. Gathering information
Interview
Client tells own story as expert on own life
Presenting problem(s)
Early recollections, influences (earliest memories, vivid memories
from early adolescence)
Life tasks
Personality priorities
Lifestyle Assessment -- therapist listens for clues to clients
coping and approach to life, develops therapy goals by
identifying major successes and mistakes
The Question -- If I had a magic wand that would eliminate
your symptom immediately, what would be different in your life?
Family constellation, other paper-pencil tests
Integration and summary
3. Facilitating Self-Understanding & Insight
Insight = Understanding of motivations (the whys)
that operate in clients life
Therapist clarifies vague thinking with Socratic questioning.
Therapist invites evaluation of consequences of ideas and actions.
Therapist gently challenges mistaken ideas about self and others.
Therapist offers open-ended interpretations to:
bring conscious awareness to unconscious processes
identify and confront resistance
explore purposes of symptoms, feelings, behaviors or blocks
Types of interpretation
Of nonverbal behavior: to bring the clients nonverbal behavior to the
attention of the client and interpret it.
Of the therapeutic process: Dealing with what is in the here and now.
Active wondering: Proposes an alternative to the presenting problem.
4. Encouraging and Reorienting
Encouragement process to build courage
Personal change/growth is encouraged and
reinforced
Ongoing search for new possibilities
Making a difference through change in behavior,
attitude or perception
Advantages of Adlerian Theory
Applicable to diverse populations and presenting issues
Does not consider people to be predisposed to anything
Phenomenological
Context-focused
Empowering
Disadvantages of Adlerian Theory
Difficult to learn (e.g., making dream interpretations)
Works best with highly verbal and intelligent clients.
(potentially leaves out many people who do not fit
this category)
Might be too lengthy for managed care
Adlerians do not like to make diagnoses
Not compatible with managed care
Difficult to systematically measure efficacy
Challenging to develop problem-specific treatments
Adlerian Approaches today
Education
Parent Education
Marriage Counseling
Family Counseling
Group Work
Adlerian Therapy Demonstration
Session transcript
Can you diagnose Gina using the DSM?
What were her strengths?
What did she need to work on?
What did Carlson do to build the relationship?
How was the intervention individualized?
Was the therapy helpful to Gina?
If not, why do you think it wasnt?
If it was helpful, what about it made it helpful?
Would you want to work with an Adlerian if you
were seeking therapy/counseling?
