Theory and Practice of Adlerian Psychology
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Theory and Practice of Adlerian Psychology FIRST EDITION Edited By Dr. Rosalyn V. Green Included in this preview: • Table of Contents • Excerpt of Chapter 2 For additional information on adopting this book for your class, please contact us at 800.200.3908 x501 or via e-mail at [email protected] Th eory and Practice of Adlerian Psychology First Edition Edited by Rosalyn V. Green Bowie State University Bassim Hamadeh, Publisher Michael Simpson, Vice President of Acquisitions Christopher Foster, Vice President of Marketing Jessica Knott, Managing Editor Stephen Milano, Creative Director Kevin Fahey, Cognella Marketing Program Manager Melissa Barcomb, Acquisitions Editor Sarah Wheeler, Project Editor Luiz Ferreira, Licensing Associate Copyright © 2012 by University Readers, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereaft er invented, including photocopying, microfi lming, and recording, or in any information retrieval system without the written permission of University Readers, Inc. First published in the United States of America in 2012 by University Readers, Inc. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or regis- tered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe. 15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5 Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-60927-627-0 Contents Th eory of Personality By Dr. Henry Raymond 1 Basic Assumptions in Individual Psychology Dr. Rosalyn V. Green 41 Th e Adlerian Tasks of Life Dr. Kimberly M. Daniel and Dr. Jennifer M. West 49 Adlerian Group Counseling Dr. Rhonda Jeter-Twilley 57 Adlerian Family Th erapy Dr. Rosalyn V. Green 65 Cultural Implications of Adlerian Th eory Dr. Otis Williams III 83 Adlerian View of the Child, Parenting, and Managing Maladaptive Behaviors Karina M. Golden, Jake A. Johnson, and Audrey A. Lucas Brown 99 Process in Adlerian Psychotherapy Dr. Cubie A Bragg and Dr.Jacqueline E. Somerville 111 Issues in Clinical Practice: A Case Study Approach Dr. Frank Norton and John McIlveen 127 Basic Assumptions in Individual Psychology Dr. Rosalyn V. Green dlerian theory is based upon certain assumptions that diff er signifi cantly Afrom the Freudian psychoanalytic view from which Adlerian psychology emerged. Adler credited Freud for the development of a dynamic psychology. In personality development, the infl uence of early childhood experiences is in agreement with Freud. Th e idea that dreams were meaningful was also acknowledged. While Freud emphasized the Oedipus complex and the role of psychosexual development, Adler focused on the family constellation and the children’s perception of that constellation and their struggle to fi nd their place within it. Th e assumption underlying Adlerian counseling theory is that people are social, decision-making, indivisible beings whose actions and psychological movement have purpose. Each person is seen as an individual within a social environment, with the capacity to choose and to decide. Adlerian basic assumptions are: 1. All behavior has social meaning or occurs in a social environment. One of the basic premises of the Adlerian theory is that man is primarily a social being and that behavior can be understood only in a social context. Man is born into an environment with which he must engage in reciprocal relations. Adler’s contention is that people cannot be studied in isolation. 2. Th e goal of belonging. Th roughout one’s life term, the goal of belonging is fundamental to human nature. We decide which groups are important Basic Assumptions in Individual Psychology 41 to us and strive to gain their acceptance. Numerous formal and informal groupings that exist in our society attest to our goal of belonging and having a certain place that we value and where we are valued. If we are not accepted or feel that we do not belong, problems and fears can become a part of our everyday lives. If we perceive that we cannot make the grade or do the job, we fear that we will not be accepted. Our sense of belonging remains unfulfi lled and we become anxious and unhappy. 3. Individual psychology is an interpersonal psychology. How individuals interact with others is paramount. An interpersonal relationship with others is a lifelong continuous process that begins in infancy, when we are dependent upon others for survival. As we grow and develop, we need to cooperate with others to fulfi ll our goals and function eff ectively in society. Transcending interpersonal transactions is the development of the feeling of being a part of a larger social whole, the willingness to contribute and cooperate with others for the common good. It is the feeling of being socially imbedded—the awareness of the universal interrelatedness of all human beings. It is the capacity to develop what Adler called Gemeinschaft sgefühl, or social interest. 4. Adlerian psychology rejects reductionism in favor of holism. Adlerians study the whole person and how one moves through life. Conscious and unconscious, mind and body, approach and avoidance, ambivalence and confl ict are all seen as the subjective experiences of the individual moving in one direction. All part functions are subordinate functions of the person’s goals and style of life. 5. Conscious and unconscious are both in the service of the individual who uses them to further personal goals. Adler felt that which is unconscious is non-understood, and that man knew more than he understood. Confl ict is defi ned as a “one step forward and a one step backward movement,” thus the net eff ect being to maintain the individual at a point “dead center.” Although the individual fi nds himself in the throes of a confl ict, unable to move, in reality, according to Adler, he creates these antagonistic feelings, ideas, and values, because he is not willing to move in the direction of solving his problems. 6. Th e human personality has unity and guiding themes. Individual psychology suggests that human personality is integrated rather than in confl ict. Th e person is a system in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In this whole, Adler saw the unity of the person in whose behavior there is a consistent theme and pattern. Th e individual is seen as a dynamic, unifi ed organism moving through life in defi nite patterns toward a goal. An understanding of the person is based on the unity and purposes of the individual’s behavior. No matter how much information is gathered about an individual’s achievements, interests, and intelligence, these data cannot speak for themselves. Until one is able to see the relationship between behavior and data and observe the pattern and purpose of the behavior, it is diffi cult to develop remedial and corrective actions. Th is view requires that therapists take a holistic approach with 42 Theory and Practice of Adlerian Psychology the client. It suggests that all actions in the individual’s chosen style of life be looked at. Th e way people organize themselves as whole persons infl uences their perception of life and their interactions and transactions with others. 7. All behavior is purposeful. While an individual may or may not be conscious of his or her motivation for an action, the behavior is still directed toward a specifi c goal. From an Adlerian point of view, all of an individual’s actions are seen in relation to their goal-directed nature. Th e goal then gives direction to the person’s striving, and it becomes the fi nal cause—the fi nal explanation. So, instead of always looking back to a possible cause, therapists look to the future goal as the cause. Adler felt that if the goal of the individual was known, then the psychological phenomena—character traits, emotions, feelings, logic, morals, etc.— could be understood and explained. Adlerians believe that man is not pushed by causes, but move toward self-selected goals, which they feel will preserve their self-esteem, will provide them with security, and will give them a place in the world. Behavior that is seen as unexplainable and inexplicable can become understandable once the goal and purpose are known. Th e goals of behavior are always created by the individual, and thus give the individual “creative power.” Th erefore, behavior is understood not only as a response to a stimulus, but also in terms of the intervening variable of the person who makes a creative decision about the stimuli. Individuals may appear to engage in behaviors that, according to adults and peers, are destructive and negative. Th e premise is that from the individual’s interpretation or point of view, this behavior has specifi c kinds of meaning to him/her in terms of his or her personal signifi cance, self-esteem, and method of fi nding a place for him- or herself, and thus he/she behaves in a way to achieve such. All forms of behavior are the results of the creative choices made by the individual in selecting and pursuing their goals. Behavior always makes sense to the person, if not to others. Th e goal of the behavior may not always be fully known to the individual; nonetheless, the person operates in the direction of the goal and the interpretation given to the goal. Awareness of the goal, therefore, provides the therapist with clues needed for corrective measures. 8. Behavior is a function of subjective perception. Individuals learn to perceive life; that is, a perception of ourselves and the world around us is acquired through a subjective point of view. In more recent terminology, this is described as behavior being a product of how each person views the external world through a subjective set of “fi lters.” To understand a person’s behavior, one must fi rst come to recognize the signifi cance of the inner subjective experiences and its infl uences on the decisions the individual makes.