Feist−Feist: Theories of
Personality, Seventh
EditionII. Psychodynamic
Theories- Adler: Individual
Psychology
© The McGraw−Hill^75
Companies, 2009Raissa and Alfred had four children: Alexandra and Kurt, who became psy-
chiatrists and continued their father’s work; Valentine (Vali), who died as a political
prisoner of the Soviet Union in about 1942; and Cornelia (Nelly), who aspired to be
an actress.
Adler’s favorite relaxation was music, but he also maintained an active inter-
est in art and literature. In his work he often borrowed examples from fairy tales, the
Bible, Shakespeare, Goethe, and numerous other literary works. He identified him-
self closely with the common person, and his manner and appearance were consis-
tent with that identification. His patients included a high percentage of people from
the lower and middle classes, a rarity among psychiatrists of his time. His personal
qualities included an optimistic attitude toward the human condition, an intense
competitiveness coupled with friendly congeniality, and a strong belief in the basic
gender equality, which combined with a willingness to forcefully advocate women’s
rights.
From middle childhood until after his 67th birthday, Adler enjoyed robust
health. Then, in the early months of 1937, while concerned with the fate of his
daughter Vali who had disappeared somewhere in Moscow, Adler felt chest pains
while on a speaking tour in the Netherlands. Ignoring the doctor’s advice to rest, he
continued on to Aberdeen, Scotland, where on May 28, 1937, he died of a heart at-
tack. Freud, who was 14 years older than Adler, had outlived his longtime adversary.
On hearing of Adler’s death, Freud (as quoted in E. Jones, 1957) sarcastically re-
marked, “For a Jew boy out of a Viennese suburb a death in Aberdeen is an unheard-
of career in itself and a proof of how far he had got on. The world really rewarded
him richly for his service in having contradicted psychoanalysis” (p. 208).
Introduction to Adlerian Theory
Although Alfred Adler has had a profound effect on such later theorists as Harry
Stack Sullivan, Karen Horney, Julian Rotter, Abraham H. Maslow, Carl Rogers, Al-
bert Ellis, Rollo May, and others (Mosak & Maniacci, 1999), his name is less well
known than that of either Freud or Carl Jung. At least three reasons account for this.
First, Adler did not establish a tightly run organization to perpetuate his theories.
Second, he was not a particularly gifted writer, and most of his books were compiled
by a series of editors using Adler’s scattered lectures. Third, many of his views were
incorporated into the works of such later theorists as Maslow, Rogers, and Ellis and
thus are no longer associated with Adler’s name.
Although his writings revealed great insight into the depth and complexities of
human personality, Adler evolved a basically simple and parsimonious theory. To
Adler, people are born with weak, inferior bodies—a condition that leads to feelings
of inferiority and a consequent dependence on other people. Therefore, a feeling of
unity with others (social interest) is inherent in people and the ultimate standard for
psychological health. More specifically, the main tenets of Adlerian theory can be
stated in outline form. The following is adapted from a list that represents the final
statement of individual psychology (Adler, 1964).
- The one dynamic force behind people’s behavior is the striving for success
or superiority.
Chapter 3 Adler: Individual Psychology 69