Alderian Counseling

ALDERIAN COUNSELING

Adler focused much of his research on feelings of inferiority versus superiority, discouragement, and a sense of belonging in the context of one’s community and society at large. According to Adler, feelings of inferiority can result in neurotic behavior but, in the right setting, can also be used as motivation to strive for greater success. Adlerian therapy focuses on the development of individual personality while understanding and accepting the interconnectedness of all humans. This approach was also known as INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY.

Adlerian therapy proceeds in four stages: • Engagement, or creating a collaborative relationship with your therapist • Assessment of your personal history, with an emphasis on birth order and early childhood memories • Insight, wherein the therapist helps you view your situation from a different perspective • Reorientation, wherein the therapist suggests active steps you can take outside of therapy to reinforce newly developed insights and perhaps learn even more about yourself and your capabilities Overall, the focus is on reframing the attitudes, beliefs, and lifestyle choices that block success, so that you are more effective at reaching your desired goals

Impact of Birth Order Adler’s five psychological positions: Oldest child

favored, spoiled, center of attention, pseudoparent, high achiever

Second of two

behaves as if in a race, often opposite to first child (rivalry)

Middle

often feels squeezed out

Youngest

the baby (more pampered), creative, rebellious, revolutionary, avant-garde

Only

may not learn to share or cooperate with other children, learns to deal with adults

The Phenomenological Approach 1.Adlerians attempt to view the world from the client’s subjective frame of reference

 Reality is less important than how the individual perceives and believes life to be  It is not the childhood experiences that are crucial ~ It is our present interpretation of these events 2. Unconscious instincts and our past do not determine our behavior  It is not genes  It is not environment  It is not genes and environment  It is how we choose to respond to our genes and environment

Social Interest Gemeinshaftsgefuhl – the state of social connectedness and interest in the well-being of others that characterizes psychological health.  Adler’s most significant and distinctive concept  Refers to an individual’s attitude toward and awareness of being a part of the human community  Mental health is measured by the degree to which we successfully share with others and are concerned with their welfare  Happiness and success are largely related to social connectedness

Encouragement Encouragement is the most powerful method available for changing a person’s beliefs • Helps build self-confidence and stimulates courage • Discouragement is the basic condition that prevents people from functioning • Clients are encouraged to recognize that they have the power to choose and to act differently

Nature of maladjustment 

A person has a mistaken opinion of self and world

 Inferiority complex: Individual overwhelmed by inadequacy, hopelessness

 Superiority Complex: Individual’s very high opinion of self lead him/her to insist that personal solutions to problems are best  A person engages in neurotic behavior to protect own opinion of self (e.g., when threatened with failure and insecurity)  The person becomes self-centered rather than other-centered

 Conflict: “one step forward and one step backward movement” which has the net effect of maintaining an individual at a “dead center” point •

People experience themselves as “stuck” but actually create the antagonistic feelings, ideas, and values, because they are unwilling to change (if-only…)

•

Safeguarding: Symptoms developed to safeguard the fictional goal (e.g., It’s my job to keep the peace in the family)

 Family constellation: birth order mediates genetic and constitutional factors  The individual may be unconscious of these events

ADVANTAGES

 Applicable to diverse populations and presenting issues  Does not consider people to be predisposed to anything  Phenomenological

 Context-focused  Empowering

DISADVANTAGES  Difficult to learn (e.g., making dream interpretations)

 Works best with highly verbal and intelligent clients. (potentially leaves out many people who do not fit this category)  Might be too lengthy for managed care

 Adlerians do not like to make diagnoses • Not compatible with managed care • Difficult to systematically measure efficacy • Challenging to develop problem-specific treatments