Celebrating 150 Years: A President’s Perspective

Abstract

Celebrating 150 Years: A President’s Perspective Susan E. Belangee It is hard to imagine my life without Adlerian psychology, because for the last 22 years, it has been central to everything I have accomplished. From career to family to friends, Adler’s theory permeates all aspects of my life. Now as president of the North American Society of Adlerian Psychology (NASAP), I feel honored to share some thoughts to commemorate Adler’s 150th birthday. One of the greatest things about Adlerian psychology, in my opinion, is its easy application to real life. During my doctoral program, I was encouraged to relate Adler’s theoretical concepts to my own life experiences to facilitate learning. For instance, growing up in an extended family with many strong women significantly influenced how I viewed myself, especially the messages of “You can be anything you work hard to be no matter what anyone else says.” I certainly followed in my female relatives’ footsteps, becoming strong, independent, and driven. Adler would say that this is evidence of how family constellation played a role in my lifestyle development. The enduring nature of Adler’s views regarding inequality between the sexes also resonates with me. As a resilient woman, it was encouraging to learn that Adler (1956) recognized the plight of women living in patriarchal societies and that “the arch evil of our culture [is], the excessive pre-eminence of manliness” (p. 55). In his book Understanding Human Nature, Adler (1927/1992) wrote that “there is almost universal dissatisfaction with the feminine role” (p. 114), and “until we can guarantee each woman absolute equality with men we cannot ask her to subscribe to all the expected patterns of behavior that make up our society” (p. 115). These ideas affect me deeply, personally and professionally, because there are still so many mixed messages (certainly in U.S. society) about what is acceptable behavior especially for women. Given my expertise in working with clients (mainly women) with eating disorders, I see firsthand the struggle to achieve society’s fabricated ideals about body shape and appearance and how women are encouraged to make this their prime focus and to disregard the value of their intelligence. Even 100 years later, Adler’s ideas are still profoundly relevant. [End Page 4] As the 11th female president of NASAP, I am humbled by those brave women who came before me—Alexandra Adler and Lydia Sicher were the first two presidents of NASAP. How courageous they must have been in the early 1950s to hold a powerful position like this one. I am hopeful that in another 150 years these struggles will be long behind us and that Adler’s concept of social interest will have emerged as the “universal existence . . . that binds humanity together,” for it is “this social feeling, or community spirit [that] is at the root of all the great accomplishments of our civilization” (Adler 1927/1992, p. 156). References Adler, A. (1992). Understanding human nature. Rockport, MA: Oneworld. (Original work published 1927) Google Scholar Adler, A. (1956). The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler: A systematic presentation in selections from his writings (H. L. Ansbacher & R. R. Ansbacher, Eds.). New York, NY: Basic Books. Google Scholar Copyright © 2020 University of Texas Press