Adlerian Psychotherapy
Prioritizing relationships
Adlerian Theory
History of Adlerian Theory
Inspired by Freudian psychoanalysis
Some overlap with other neo-Freudians (e.g., Horney)
Anticipated elements of humanistic, cognitive, and
systemic approaches
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
2nd of six children
Felt in shadow of his older brother
Invalid as child (rickets, pneumonia)
Very close to his father (no oedipal need)
Converted and became a Christian After World War I –
Gemeinshaftsgefuhl – deep-seated concern for others and
need to associate with them
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)
Nature of maladjustment
A person has a mistaken opinion of self and
world
Inferiority complex: Individual
overwhelmed by inadequacy, hopelessness
Superiority Complex: Individual’s very high
opinion of self lead him/her to insist that
personal solutions to problems are best
A person engages in abnormal 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
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
Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology
A phenomenological approach
Social interest is stressed
Birth order and sibling relationships emphasized
Therapy as teaching, informing and encouraging
Basic mistakes in the client’s private logic
The therapeutic relationship as a collaborative
partnership
The Phenomenological Approach
Adlerians attempt to view the world from the
client’s 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
Adler’s most significant and distinctive concept
Refers to an individual’s 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
Adler’s 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 does 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 person’s 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 Note: Reassurance is not encouragement.
differently
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
How an Adlerian does Therapy
Comprehensive Assessment using:
Family Constellation-questionnaire-social world
assessment
Early Reflections-single incidents from childhood
Lifestyle Assessment-develop targets for therapy by
identifying major successes and mistakes in the
client’s life
“The Question” -- If I had a magic wand that would
eliminate your symptom immediately, what would be
different in your life?”
What Clients do in Therapy
Explore private logic-concepts about self,
others, & life – philosophy lifestyle is based
Discover purposes of behavior or symptoms
and basic mistakes associated with their
coping
Learning how to correct faulty assumptions &
conclusions
Therapeutic Techniques & Procedures
Establishing the relationship
Gathering Information
Encouraging development of self-understanding
insight into purpose through clarification and
correction (of faulty self-concept and reasoning)
Helping client make new choices: reorientation &
reeducation away from previous lifestyle
Phases Stage # Stage Tasks to be accomplished
Provide warmth, empathy, and
Empathy & acceptance. Generate hope, reassurance,
1
Relationship and encouragement. Establish a
Support cooperative, collaborative relationship.
Gather relevant information: Elicit details
2 Information of presenting problem & life tasks. Explore
early childhood influences and memories.
Clarify vague thinking with Socratic
questioning. Evaluate consequences of
3 Clarification
ideas and actions. Correct mistaken ideas
about self and others.
Encouragement
Help generate alternatives. Stimulate
movement in a new direction, away from
4 Encouragement
life style. Clarifying new feelings about
effort and results.
1. Establishing the relationship
Therapist gets to know the client as a person
Therapy is collaborative
Goals established together prior to start
Awareness of goal discrepancies during
Scripts (“Have you ever seen a patient like me before?”)
Games (“My previous therapist said the opposite…”)
Realignment of goals, when necessary
Supportive, caring human connection
Faith
Hope
Love
2. Gathering information
Subjective interview
Client tells own story as expert on own life
Therapist listens for clues to client’s coping and
approach to life
The Question:
Objective interview ~ Life Style Assessment
Family constellation
Early recollections
Personality priorities
Integration and summary
3. Encouraging Self-Understanding
& Insight
Insight = understanding of motivations (the whys) that operate in
client’s life
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 client’s 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. Reorientation & Reeducation
Encouragement process – “to build courage”
personal growth is encouraged and reinforced
Change and search for new possibilities
Making a difference through change in
behavior, attitude or perception
Advantages of Adlerian Theory
Can be used for numerous issues and disorders
Uses encouragement
Phenomenological
Does not consider people to be predisposed to anything
Applicable to diverse populations and presenting issues
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
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 wasn’t?
If it was helpful, what about it made it helpful?
Would you want to work with an Adlerian if you
were seeking therapy/counseling?
