Passage in time

What is ‘Individual Psychology’?
Who is Alfred Adler?

Adler(1870-1937) is an Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and the founder of Individual psychology. His emphasis was on the Inferiority and Superiority complex. In Understanding Life, Adler presents individual psychology and his science of living.
Alfred Adler is a genius, a man ahead of his time – However, his exaggerated advocation of social utility, leaves a bitter taste of herd thinking and slave morality.

Individual Psychology is a system through which people can be understood. Regards the individual as a whole. Who people become. All behavior(thinking, feelings, actions..) is seen as purposeful. Individual psychology is in fact social psychology.
Individual life is expressed in a transaction – a progression – from a past(state of inferiority) towards a future(state of superiority) striving towards a goal.

The beginning of social life lies in the weakness of the individual. To live in groups, the combined power may help to meet individual needs. In our culture, weakness can be quite a powerful weapon.
As children, we all feel inferior in some sense (Physical/Intellectual/..). These feelings are unbearable, and children strive away from them towards superiority. There are constructive and destructive responses. Destructive responses develop into an “Inferiority complex”.

Inferiority feelings:

• Arise from social maladjustment
• No sense of community
• Living in enemy territory
• Jealousy is the fruit
• Not a disease – it is a stimulant to healthy and normal development.

Feelings of inferiority might develop into an Inferiority complex if drives to destructive or useless behaviors.

Inferiority Complex:

• Do not trust yourself
• Over-Sensitive
• Self-Centered – a relief from the burdens you have imposed on yourself
• Always lean on something, although no need
• slyness, cautiousness, pedantry, avoidance of larger problems of life
• Narrow field of actions, limited by principles and rules
• Hidden by a superiority complex – arrogant, conceited and snobbish
• “Some people are gifted and others are not”

Moving from a felt minus to a desired plus.

It needs Courage:

• A belief in oneself
• Fuel towards the goal
• I’ll give my best shot – Do your best
• Focus on willingness
• Independet of success or faliure

All problems of life are at the bottom – Social Problems. It is evident that all our abilities are socially focused and have the benefit of humankind at their end.

To be continued

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