In Support of Empirical Research in Individual Psychology

Abstract

In Support of Empirical Research in Individual Psychology William L. Curlette and Roy M. Kern Notice of New Manuscript Submission and Review Procedure Before we discuss the contents of the current issue, we would like to call attention to the new system we have implemented for submitting, reviewing, and managing manuscripts for The Journal of Individual Psychology. The new online system is called Scholastica, and it will allow authors to track the progress of their manuscripts. We have also considered our reviewers in this upgrade, as the review process will also be easier and more streamlined. To upload a manuscript, visit https://submissions.scholasticahq.com/sites/journal-of-individual-psychology. If the Editorial Office receives manuscripts not submitted via Scholastica, we will notify the authors of the correct procedure. If you are unable to access the system, please email the Editorial Office at jip@gsu.edu. Editors’ Notes A common theme across all five articles in this issue is support for empirical research in Individual Psychology—either through a call for more empirical research in two articles or by applications of empirical methods in three articles. Of course, the contents of the articles encompass more than just the notion of empirical research and make contributions in their own ways. In most years, when we publish the Ansbacher Lecture, it is placed as the first article in the issue. Thus, this issue begins with Sperry’s Ansbacher Lecture delivered at the 2015 NASAP meeting in Philadelphia. Sperry begins his address by recounting some of his experiences with Heinz Ansbacher, [End Page 1] and then proceeds to fulfill a request for elaboration on his comments on Bitter’s 2006 Ansbacher Lecture. Bitter asked the following question: “Am I an Adlerian?” Sperry ties his multiple levels of being an Adlerian, which he presented in 2006, to the focus of his current Ansbacher Lecture on the need for accountability in therapy leading to an emphasis on more empirical research in Individual Psychology. Sperry proceeds to present the evidence-based treatment program at Florida Atlantic University, which could be called “Lifestyle-Focused Psychotherapy.” Another event at the 2015 NASAP meeting was an interview with Eva Dreikurs Ferguson conducted by Kern and Curlette between attended sessions. Among the areas she comments on in the interview are her experiences growing up, her training in experimental research, her insights on Ansbacher’s interpretation of Adler’s theory, her reemphasis that all goals are fictional due to private logic, and her thoughts on some needed directions for Adlerian Psychology which include experimental research. The next two articles extend the capability to measure lifestyle constructs with the BASIS-A Inventory through language translations for its use in more cultures. The first article by Chen, Huang, Tseng, Yang, Kern, and Stoltz is titled “Validity and Reliability of the Basic Adlerian Scales for Interpersonal Success–Adult Form in Taiwan.” Using a sample of 339 participants, they conducted a principal factors analysis and concluded that the five dimensions that underlie the five primary scales on the BASIS-A Inventory are essentially supported in the Taiwanese sample. To facilitate the use of the BASIS-A Inventory in Taiwan, they report the means and coefficient alpha reliabilities for a Taiwanese sample and compare them to a United States sample. Expanding the international use of Individual Psychology through the BASIS-A Inventory continues with the work of Mazahreh, Stoltz, Wolff, and Turnage-Butterbauh, as described in the article “Cultural Variables and Factor Analysis of BASIS-A Using a Jordanian Sample.” The English version of the BASIS-A Inventory was translated into Arabic and back translated for all items, and the translations were then discussed to obtain consensus on the meaning of the items. Based on a sample of 330 participants from Jordan, the Arabic version of the BASIS-A Inventory was subjected to a principal factors analysis. The authors state that “review of the rotated pattern and structure matrices showed appropriate loading(s) of the BSI (Belonging/Social Interest), TC (Taking Charge), and BC (Being Cautious) items on the original theorized factors with few exceptions.” They discuss the role that cultural differences, including the emphasis on the extended family in Arabic culture, may have played in...