Alfred Adler

Alfred Adler

Alfred Adler (February 7, 1870 – May 28, 1937) was an Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and founder of the school of individual psychology. His emphasis on the importance of feelings of inferiority—the inferiority complex—is recognized as isolating an element which plays a key role in personality development. Adler was one of the community of psychoanalysts active in Vienna during the 19th and early 20th centuries, along with Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, though his theories diverged significantly from Freud's.

Early Life

Alfred Adler was born in Rudolfsheim, a suburb of Vienna, to a Jewish grain merchant and his wife. He was the second of six children. Adler suffered from rickets as a child, which prevented him from walking until he was four years old. This early experience with illness and physical weakness profoundly influenced his psychological theories. After recovering, he decided to become a physician, eventually graduating from the University of Vienna in 1895 with a degree in medicine.

Career and Theories

After his graduation, Adler began his career as an ophthalmologist, but he soon shifted his focus to general practice, and later to psychiatry and psychotherapy. He was initially closely associated with Sigmund Freud and was a member of Freud's inner circle and the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. However, Adler's views on human nature and development diverged from Freud's, particularly with his rejection of Freud's emphasis on sexuality as the primary driver of human behavior. In 1911, this led to his departure from the group and the establishment of his own school of psychology, which he called individual psychology.

Adler's individual psychology emphasizes the uniqueness of the individual and the role of societal factors in shaping personality. He introduced several concepts that have become fundamental to the field of psychology, including the inferiority complex, the striving for superiority, and the importance of social interest and community feeling. Adler believed that striving for superiority drives people to overcome their inherent feelings of inferiority, which he saw as a normal condition of all people and not a sign of maladjustment.

Influence and Legacy

Adler's work has had a lasting impact on psychology and is evident in many areas, including therapy, education, and parenting. His theories on the importance of feelings of community and social interest have contributed to the development of community psychology and the practice of group therapy. Adler's emphasis on the individual's power to choose and to create one's own destiny laid the groundwork for later psychological theories emphasizing human potential and self-actualization, such as those proposed by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.

Despite his significant contributions to psychology, Adler's work was overshadowed by Freud and Jung in the English-speaking world for many years. However, his ideas have seen a resurgence in interest since the late 20th century, and he is now recognized as a pioneering figure in psychology.

Death

Adler died of a heart attack in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1937 while on a lecture tour. His body was cremated, and his ashes were buried in the Vienna Central Cemetery.

See Also

• Individual psychology
• Inferiority complex
• Superiority complex
• Psychotherapy