Adlerian Psychology Research Articles

Part 1: Living theory action research and Adlerian psychology: The alongside approach of a health visitor

When a mother asked a health visitor to help her get her son to sleep at night, the solution was found in ‘alongsideness’. This article is the first of two reporting the findings of a collaborative enquiry that continued over 4 months to understand and explain their learning. Part 1 focuses on the health visitor, Robyn's account. In part 2, the mother, Ruth, considers the implications of the collaborative enquiry process of helping her son to sleep, for understanding her future parenting. She reflects on her experiences of health visiting and the process of talking about it. In part 1, Robyn explores the influence of living theory research and Adlerian psychology on alongsideness. She finds her ‘alongside’ values for health visiting also appearing in the alongside way of managing baby sleep difficulties they had used. Alongsideness is an approach that suits the aims of the Health Visitor Implementation Plan, and living theory methodology is offered in addition to the Family Partnership Model for promoting practitioners' understanding, as well as improving, evaluating and explaining what they are doing. In this process, intuitive actions and learning, tuned through experience, become conscious explainable and tested practice.

Part 2: Living theory action research and Adlerian psychology: The alongside approach of a mother

This article is the second of two reporting the findings of a collaborative enquiry that continued over 4 months to understand and explain their learning. A mother joins a health visitor in a collaborative enquiry to solve her baby's sleeplessness. She begins to explore a dilemma between parenting that respects the child's view, while also having the courage to guide him. Alongsideness is a middle road between parent-centred ‘controlled crying’ and a child-centred approach appropriate to his development. She reflects on applying alongsideness principles to her future parenting and on her experiences of health visiting.

Herausforderungen an die psychoanalytische Ausbildung – welche Antwort finden die individualpsychologischen Institute und welche bleiben sie schuldig?

Summary Challenges to psychoanalytic training: How have the German Adlerian training institutes responded to these challenges and which challenges have not yet met with any response? The author reports on the results of an enquiry into the main focus of theoretical seminars and therapeutic practice in German Adlerian training institutes. The investigation, which was initiated by the science section of the German Adlerian Society, shows that the latest developments in forms of treatment and developmental psychology have increasingly been incorporated into the training programmes. The enquiry also revealed that each institute has its own particular specialisations. Even though there is usually some mention of the connection to Adlerian roots and identity, the institutes are increasingly concentrating on modern psychoanalytic concepts. It is however noticeable that there is hardly any mention of empirical research and methods of evaluation in the semester programmes. Bringing the increasing theoretical complexity of knowledge in the field of psychoanalysis together with our personal Adlerian identity is seen to be an important challenge to today’s Adlerian Psychology.

Purpose-Driven Conversations: An Interview With James Bitter

James Bitter is a professor of counseling at East Tennessee State University. He is a Diplomat in Adlerian Psychology (National Association of Student Affairs Professionals, 2002) and a former editor of the Journal of Individual Psychology. Jim received a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from Gonzaga University and a master’s and a doctorate from Idaho State University (ISU). At ISU, he coordinated the first Conference on Adlerian Psychology, and later worked with the late Adlerian family and group counselor, Manford A. Sonstegard. In 1980, he became a member of Virginia Satir’s Avanta Network, a training program for therapists using her model. He worked with Virginia for 10 years as a trainer in her summer process communities and writing several articles and chapters with her. In the 1990s, Jim studied with the master Gestalt therapists, Erv and Miriam Polster, and later studied with the founder of narrative therapy, Michael White. This interview was captured while Dr. Bitter returned to Gonzaga University for his 40th class reunion. He shares insights from his life, career, and training.

Autofahrer als Delinquenten? – Zur Therapie von Verkehrssündern

Road rage: Psychotherapy with speed offenders Due to the rapid increase in traffic in the course of the last few decades, public interest has been attracted by a phenomenon that causes intense emotional debates. In the public discussion about so called speed offenders it sometimes proves difficult to distinguish between rational arguments on one hand and the wish to punish a person accused on the other. Most of the speed offenders are young males, they seem to claim for themselves the right to interpret rules according to their fancy. Their wish to drive and thus to control a high-powered vehicle seems far more important to them than matters of public safety. As traffic offences grew more frequent, police and justice decided that rigorous measures were to be taken; high fines and taking away licences did not seem to lead to real insight as was expected. It was therefore suggested that speed offenders might need therapy in order to help them to reflect on their offence. Thus, the idea of combining psychotherapy with suitable punishment was born. The aim was to re-educate delinquents and to improve their driving. This education work could be a huge potential for Individual Psychology, combining behavioural, cognitive and psychodynamic methods as well as Lifestyle work with the clients. Most of these clients are motivated primarily by the desperate wish to have their licences returned to them. With the help of Adlerian Psychology, they could also achieve insight, which would be of help not only in driving, but also in their lives in general.

Gemeinschaftsgefühl und Vollendungsstreben als Ausdruck unmittelbarer Erfahrung

Summary Social interest and striving for completion as an expression of immediate experience - On an aspect of Adler's theory that has received little attention In this paper, the author discusses the concept of »immediate experience« and its meaning for Adlerian Psychology. With reference to Daniel Stern's (2005) concept of »Now Moment« and Michel Henry's (1992) Phenomenology of Life, the author suggests that Adler's »Social Interest« and his »Striving for Completion« can be understood as expressions of immediate experience. Furthermore, the author touches on the question of what it really is that is mutative in therapeutic treatment.

Diversifikation als Chance für die Individualpsychologie

Diversification as a chance for Adlerian Psychology Controversies within Adlerian Psychology are a sign that it is very much alive and allow for the clarification and further development of modern Adlerian Psychology. The general question of the importance of the relationship in psychotherapy is no longer an issue. The important point of discussion for Adlerian Psychologists today is our various ways of dealing with and conceptualizing the therapeutic relationship. And on this issue, as we can see in the present discussion, there is plenty of scope for controversy.

Perspektivische Individualpsychologie

Perspectivism in Adlerian Psychology A new art form involving an entirely new way of visualizing objects developed during the Renaissance. By what we now refer to as perspectivism, each artist began to access objects through his own perspective. This new development stimulated, in turn, philosophical thought throughout the following centuries. In psychology, the psychological aspects of perception have certainly been studied extensively, but the role of philosophical perspectivism has not really received much attention. Although Alfred Adler appears to be no exception to this, studying his work today from the viewpoint of philosophical perspectivism certainly leads to the discovery of new forms of perspectivist thinking.

Einige Anmerkungen zur Aktualität der Individualpsychologie

Some notes on the relevance of Adler´s Individual Psychology today - Lecture given at the conference celebrating 60 years of the Swiss Society of Adlerian Psychology (SGIPA) in Zürich on 6th June, 2009 After giving a short overview of questions and themes relevant to Individual Psychology today, the author concentrates on specific Adlerian topics in the first part of his paper: human nature, the pampered child, siblings, encouragement and discouragement, goals, revenge and striving for revenge and compensation. He shows the importance of these topics today and on some issues makes a prognosis for future development.

Alfred Adler - der unbekannte Arzt

Th e unknown Alfred Adler: Newly published medical papers by Alfred Adler discussing diseases of the spleen and the pancreas as well as peritonitis and Spasmus Nutans The author discusses the socio-medical roots of Adlerian Psychology on the basis of four papers from Alfred Adler's »Medical Encyclopaedia for the General Practitioner« (1908), which have as yet not been included in Adler's bibliography. Th e papers appear under the following entries in the »Medical Encyclopaedia«: »diseases of the spleen«, »diseases of the pancreas«, »peritonitis« and »spasmus nutans«. Adler underlined the importance of social factors in the development of disease and he also emphasised the fundamental role played by education and teaching in disease prevention and the early recognition of symptoms. Th e medical roots of Adlerian Psychology played a vital role in the later development of Adlerian theory and practice.

Anfänge der Individualpsychologie Alfred Adlers in Rumänien

Beginnings of Alfred Adler's Individual Psychology in Romania. Adler's psychology started to spread in Romania very early, already from the year 1912 and continued to develop in the Twenties and Thirties. The first part of this study presents the pioneering activity of Transylvanian physicist E. Kahána, who published original studies on Individual Psychology, organized a Club for Adlerian Psychology in Brasov, and held a series of conferences in the major Transylvanian cities. Researchers of the University from Cluj have played a significant role in revealing the Adlerian principles within contemporary academic circles. The second part of the study describes the activity of the Circle for Individual Psychology in Bucharest at the beginning of the Thirties. The author goes on to focus on the exquisitely rich organizing, educative, therapeutic and publishing activity of E. Feder and E. Weigl. The contributions of other important personalities are also mentioned, people who worked towards the spreading of Adlerian ideas in Romania. Our analysis ends with the end of the Second World War and the beginning of the totalitarian regime in this country.

Sustaining the leaders of children's centres: the role of leadership mentoring

ABSTRACT Leadership mentoring is a central component of the National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership (NPQICL), which is designed to develop robust, creative and courageous children's centre leaders. Mentoring provides a safe, supportive and confidential space in which leaders can discuss the challenges of leading their centres. Like NPQICL tutors, mentors encourage programme participants to build teams, inspire leadership in others and collaborate in addressing the complexities of providing integrated services. But working with discouraged children, families and communities can be discouraging for staff and leaders – and undermine effective provision. Mentoring is meant to be an encouraging process where leaders learn that others have similar experiences and concerns, which helps to restore their confidence, sense of purpose and agency – and their ability to contain others' negative emotions. Concepts from Adlerian psychology, such as the ‘courage to be imperfect’, informed the mentoring approach, and findings from 23 NPQICL programme participants' feedback supported the efficacy of the methods used. RÉSUMÉ: L'accompagnement des responsables est une composante centrale de la Qualification Professionnelle Nationale pour la Direction de Centre Intégré (NPQICL), qui a été conçu pour rendre les responsables des Centres des Enfants plus solides, créatifs et courageux. L'accompagnement apporte un espace confidentiel sécurisant et soutenant dans lequel les responsables peuvent parler des défis de la direction de leurs centres. Comme les tuteurs de la NPQICL, les mentors encouragent les participants à constituer des équipes, à inspirer chez les autres la capacité à diriger et à collaborer pour faire face à la complexité du travail dans les centres intégrés. Mais travailler avec des enfants, des familles et des communautés en difficulté peut décourager les équipes et les responsables. L'accompagnement se veut être un processus de soutien qui permette aux responsables d'apprendre que les autres ont des expériences et préoccupations similaires et les aide à retrouver confiance, sens des objectifs et maîtrise – ainsi que leur capacité à contenir les émotions négatives des autres. Cette approche de l'accompagnement se réfère à des concepts issus de la psychologie adlérienne, tels que le ‘courage de ne pas être parfait’. Les découvertes des retours de 23 participants ont soutenu l'efficacité des méthodes employées. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Beratung von Leitungen ist eine zentrale Komponente des Programms zur nationalen beruflichen Qualifikation von Leitungen in integrierten Zentren (National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership NPQICL), das belastbare, kreative und couragierte Leitungen von Zentren für Kinder zum Ziel hat. Beratung schafft einen sicheren, unterstützenden und vertraulichen Raum, innerhalb dessen die Leitungen die Herausforderungen ihrer Tätigkeit diskutieren können. Ebenso wie NPQICL‐Tutoren ermutigen die Mentoren die TeilnehmerInnen des Programms, Teams zu bilden, Führungsverhalten bei anderen zu inspirieren und angesichts der Komplexitäten beim Anbieten integrierter Dienste zusammenzuarbeiten. Allerdings kann die Arbeit mit entmutigten Kindern, Familien und Gemeinschaften auch das Personal und die Leitungen entmutigen – und eine effektive Leistungserbringung unterminieren. Beratung ist als ein ermutigender Prozess gedacht, in dem Leitungen lernen können, dass andere ähnliche Erfahrungen und Sorgen haben, was ihr Selbstvertrauen, ihr Gefühl für Sinn und Zweck ihrer Arbeit und ihre Wirkungskraft wieder herstellt – sowie ihre Fähigkeit, die negativen Gefühle anderer einzudämmen. Konzepte aus der Adlerschen Psychologie, wie der “Mut zur Unvollkommenheit’, gingen in den Beratungsansatz ein. Ergebnisse der Rückmeldungen von 23 ProgrammteilnehmerInnen stützten die Wirksamkeit der verwendeten Methoden. RESUMEN: La capacitación para el liderazgo es un componente central de la Calificación Profesional Nacional en Centros Integrados de Liderazgo (NPQICL), y esta diseñado para desarrollar sólidos, creativos y valerosos líderes de centros infantiles. Esta capacitación ofrece un espacio de apoyo seguro y confidencial en el cual los líderes pueden discutir sus retos y dificultades al ejercer el liderazgo y dirigir sus centros educativos. Como tutores NPQICL, los capacitadores incentivan a los participantes a construir equipos, inspirar liderazgo en otros y colaborar a la hora de enfrentar y tratar las complejidades de ofrecer servicios integrados. Trabajar con niños, familias y comunidades desmotivadas, puede también desanimar a los líderes y al personal‐ y a su vez debilitar una provisión efectiva. La capacitación debe de ser un proceso de estimulo en donde los lideres aprenden que los otros tienen experiencias y preocupaciones similares; esto ayuda a restaurar la confianza en si mismos, su sentido de servicio, propósito y entidad – y su habilidad para contener las emociones negativas de otros. Conceptos de la Psicología Adleriana tales como ‘coraje para ser imperfecto’ informaba acerca de este enfoque de capacitación, y los resultados de los participantes del programa 23 NPQICL a su vez han apoyado la eficacia de estos métodos utilizados.

Community feeling and social interest: Adlerian parallels, synergy and differences with the field of community psychology

AbstractThe field of community psychology has generally elided the insights of depth psychology and the traditions of Freud, Adler and Jung. Implicitly rejecting the notion of the unconscious, community psychology favours conscious, pragmatic agency. Whereas depth psychology is commonly associated with treatment modalities, community psychology argues that psychotherapy is ultimately unnecessary when prevention strategies are adequately deployed. In the critical and community psychology literature psychotherapy is often derided as both ‘individualistic’ and inefficient. Adlerian psychology, which espouses a method of psychotherapy, nevertheless holds key points of synergy with community psychology. To distinguish the school from psychoanalysis Alfred Adler named his approach ‘Individual Psychology’, which could obscure its' social orientation. Like community psychologists, Adlerians similarly argue for a sense of cohesive community as crucial to mental health. They have also adopted an ecological holism as core epistemology, and argue for reducing the necessity of psychotherapy by working in tandem on community‐based prevention strategies. The authors consider the rationale for community psychology's distance from the depth psychologies whilst arguing that the unconscious could, if engaged with analytically, provide the discourse with radical new insights. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Heinz L. Ansbacher (1904-2006).

Heinz Ludwig Ansbacher was born in Frankfurt, Germany, on October 21, 1904. He died at his home in Burlington, Vermont, on June 22, 2006, at the age of 101 years. Alfred Adler's influence led Ansbacher to the field of psychology, where he began a lifelong scholarship on the psychology of Alfred Adler. Among Heinz's distinctions and honors were being named a Fulbright lecturer at the University of Kiel, Germany, and serving as president of the North American Society of Adlerian Psychology. Many of us will remember Professor Ansbacher as a person who lived by Adlerian principles: encouraging others while helping them to find a goal in life.

The Strength-Based Counseling Model

Sometimes, it is difficult for a profession to move forward because its members interpret emerging conceptual models from the perspective of old frameworks. Each of the five reactants in this issue of The Counseling Psychologist interpreted the strength-based counseling model within their own self-adopted framework—Adlerian psychology, role strain theory, optimal development, self-efficacy, or wellness. Only one reactant had the courage to say that although counseling psychology has historically “talked the talk” about building strengths in individuals, it has steadily embraced the medical model. If counseling psychology is to go forward, we will need honest appraisals of what goals we have and have not accomplished. Strength-based counseling represents a paradigm shift in psychology from the deficit medical model to one that stresses clients’ strengths. The model will hopefully encourage the profession to act on its espoused commitment to strength development for individuals across the life span.

How I came to know about Adlerian psychology and how I discovered how useful it was in society

I will omit the early years to avoid boring the reader and begin with my education. I started school at the usual age of six; it was a rural school in Minnesota. The first morning I trotted the mile and a half to the building. It was the most terrifying period of my life. I couldn't learn to read; arithmetic was a mystery and spelling even worse. Another boy completed homework for me. The teacher said she didn't know I was so advanced and gave me harder work. This incident plagued me all my life—people who were kind and helpful to me made my life more difficult.My father took me to the county superintendent to test me for high school and he gave me a list of spellings. I only had to detect the mis-spelt word. The superintendent passed me for high school. We went to pick up the repair parts for a two bottomed plough and my father said I had passed for high school but didn't want to go. This was the first I heard of it.

Individual Psychology and Logotherapy: Facing the Challenge of the 21st Century

The evolution of dynamic psychology has been highly contradictory and uneven due in part to differences of emphasis and focus, and also due to philosophical and theoretical differences, which led to congruent and incongruent results between the respective schools. Now, especially with the new millennium, many are asking again whether in fact we should not go beyond the different schools towards a new sense of unity and purpose. Today there is a call for integration and a sense of common purpose, although how this is to be achieved is not clear. However, it has been argued that the introversion of a theory and the defence of its purity by its adherents will act as a brake on its growth and further development (John, 1998; Millar, 2000). The basis of any theory is always incomplete (Fromm, 1980) and consequently scientific progress must come as a result of open dialogue and debate for the benefit of all schools of psychology and psychotherapy. Classically, Adlerian psychology was founded upon a flexible and open-ended approach to the understanding of human nature. Orgler, for example, notes that Adler avoided offering a ‘rigid scheme’ that could easily be copied by physicians and therapists (Orgler, 1973, p.167). And, regarding training, Orgler writes that ‘Adler demanded a thorough knowledge of other psychological schools, of philosophy and of pedagogy’ (ibid, p.176).

Viktor Frankl's Logotherapy: Spirituality and Meaning in the New Millennium

Logotherapy, an existential holistic approach developed by Viktor E. Frankl, has been called the third Viennese school of psychotherapy—following Freudian psychoanalysis and Adlerian individual psychology. This article presents the philosophy, historical development, current application, and future possibilities of Franklian therapy.

Adlerian psychology and hypnosis

AbstractThis article gives an outline of ‘Individual Psychology’ and the typical framework of Adlerian counselling. It further describes how hypnosis can be used within this framework in a diagnostic and therapeutic capacity. Copyright © 1997 British Society of Experimental and Clinical Hypnosis

A Cognitive Reaction: Adlerian Psychology, Cognitive (Behavior) Therapy, and Constructivistic Psychotherapy: Three Approaches in Search of a Center

At the beginning of the last decade, Don Kelly and I (Dowd & Kelly, 1980) published an article examining the similarities and differences between Adlerian Psychology and the then-developing Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Although each of us came from widely differing frames of reference, we were able to point to some emerging similarities as well as some fundamental differences, both in philosophical underpinnings, theoretical explanations, and therapeutic procedures. The years since that article have witnessed continued and significant development in cognitive approaches to human change. I (Dowd, 1997) have recently traced the history of the cognitive therapies from two converging streams, the behavioral and the cognitive. At the time the Dowd and Kelly article was published, reciprocal conditioning and the modification of selfstatements were new ideas. Still to come were the developmental and constructivistic trends in the cognitive therapies, as well as new concepts regarding stasis and resistance in cognitive therapy. The articles contained in this special issue pick up nicely where Dowd and Kelly (1980) left off. They provide a rich source of ideas for the integration of all three approaches to human change. Adlerian Psychology always was heavily constructive in nature, though it was not called so at the time. Cognitive therapy, due to its recent focus on the role of core cognitive schemata in the human psychological functioning (Dowd, 1997; Mahoney, 1991) and tacit knowledge and implicit learning (Dowd & Courchaine, 1996), has become considerably more construedvistic. Thus, the time is right for a reexamination of the similarities and differences of these systems of psychotherapy. These four articles perform that function admirably and it is indeed interesting to observe how the similarities have grown and the differences diminished since 1980. The two articles by Sperry and Freeman and Urschel on the similarities and differences between Adlerian Psychology and Cognitive Therapy include many of the same themes from different perspectives. Both Adlerian Psychology and Cognitive Therapy are collaborative in nature, involve both cognitions and behaviors, follow an educational model, and help the client to develop alternative cognitive and behavioral skills. Both were created partly as reactions against the excesses and overelaboration of metaphorical constructs in culture-bound Freudian thought. In addition, the new Cognitive Therapy emphases on schema identification and change, the importance of meaning structures in human psychological functioning, and continuous cognitive development throughout the life span has aligned it more closely with Adlerian Psychology's concept of the Life Style and the importance of early recollections. Furthermore, the new emphasis on the dynamics of resistance and stasis in Cognitive Therapy closely parallels, the compensation strategy of Adler; in both systems resistance is seen as healthy and adaptive, rather than pathological. Sperry's description of cognitive systematic desensitization as a similarity does appear to be a bit of a reach, however. Desensitization, in all the literature with which I am familiar, refers to the reduction of emotional reactions of a physiological sort. The two articles by Shulman and Watts and Jones and Lyddon on the similarities and differences between Adlerian Psychology and Constructivistic Therapies illustrate even more dramatically the close relationship of these two approaches; indeed, the two articles are highly similar variations on the same theme. My reading of Adlerian Psychology, as a relative outsider, is that it was from its inception heavily constructivistic in nature. The tracing of its philosophical lineage to Vaihinger and Kant further reinforces this view as does the close similarity of the Shulman and Watts and the Jones and Lyddon articles. Missing, for the sake of conceptual elegance, is a comparison of cognitive and constructive therapies. …