Adlerian Therapy

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Adlerian Therapy

• C6436 Individual Counseling Theory and Practice
• James J. Messina, Ph.D.

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Alfred Adler 1870-1937

• Born in Vienna middle class Jewish family
• Converted and became a Christian
• 2nd of six children-profound influence
• Felt in shadow of his older brother
• Invalid as child rickets, pneumonia
• Very close to his father-no oedipal need
• After World War I Gemeinshaftsgefuhl
  deep-seated concern for others and need to
  associate with them
• 1921-1934-30 mental health clinics in schools-
  closed by Nazis - drop in delinquency at time
• Came to USA in 1934 till his death

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Adlerian Therapy Focus

• Importance of the feelings of self (ego) that
  arise form interactions conflicts
• Sense of self(ego) central core of personality
• Ego core individuality of person
• Start from Psychoanalysis
• Emphasis on motivation social interaction

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Alfred Adlers Individual Psychology

• A phenomenological approach
• Social interest is stressed
• Birth order and sibling relationships
• Therapy as teaching, informing and encouraging
• Basic mistakes in the clients private logic
• The therapeutic relationship a collaborative
  partnership

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Adlers Individual Psychology

• Based on the unique motivations of individuals
• Importance of each persons perceived niche in
  society
• Importance of goal directness of human nature
  teleological aspect
• Concern with social conditions-need to take
  preventive measures to avoid disturbances in
  personality

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The Phenomenological Approach

• Adlerians attempt to view the world from the
  clients subjective frame of reference
• How life is in reality is less important than how
  the individual believes life to be
• It is not the childhood experiences that are
  crucial It is our present interpretation of
  these events
• Unconscious instincts and our past do not
  determine our behavior

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Social Interest

• Adlers most significant and distinctive concept
• Refers to an individuals 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

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Role of Birth Order

• Motivates later behavior
• First-born favored, only, pseudo-parent-high
  achievers
• Second-born rivalry competition
• Last-born more pampered, baby-creative,
  rebellious, revolutionary, avant-garde

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Birth Order

• Adlers five psychological positions
• Oldest child receives more attention, spoiled,
  center of attention
• Second of only two behaves as if in a race,
  often opposite to first child
• Middle often feels squeezed out
• Youngest the baby
• Only does not learn to share or cooperate with
  other children, learns to deal with adults

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Encouragement

• Encouragement is the most powerful method
  available for changing a persons 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

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Complexes

• Inferiority Complex normal feelings of
  incompetence and exaggerates them-impossible to
  to achieve goals-hopeless
• Superiority Complex very high opinion of
  self-bragging and quick to argue personal
  solutions to problems are right one-convince
  others of being valuable to them and to self

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Other Adler Concepts

• Organ Inferiority everyone is born with some
  physical weakness-motivate life choices
• Aggression Drive reaction to perceived
  helplessness or inferiority-lashing out against
  the inability to achieve or master

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More Adler Concepts

• Masculine protest Kids work to become
  independent from and adults people in
  power-autonomous-positive assertive
• Perfection striving people who are not
  neurotically bound to an inferiority complex
  spend their lives trying to meet their fictional
  goals.
• Elimination of their perceived flaws
• as if philosophy
• Gives motivation and focus

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More Adler Concepts

• Social Responsibility Understanding-social
  issues
• Occupational tasks-career-self-worth
• Societal task-creating friendships-networks
• Love tasks-life partner
• Positive Goal Oriented Humanity- people
  striving to overcome weaknesses to function
  productively-contributing to society

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Adlers Personality Typology
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How an Adlerian does Therapy

• Comprehensive Assessment using
• Family Constellation-questionnaire-social world
  assessment
• Early Reflections-single incidents from childhood
• Lifestyle Assessment-develop targets for therapy
  by identifying major successes and mistakes in
  the clients life

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What Clients do in Therapy

• Explore private logic-concepts about self,
  others, life philosophy lifestyle is based
• Discover purposes purposes of behavior or
  symptoms and basic mistakes associated with their
  coping
• Learning how to correct faulty assumptions
  conclusions

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Client Therapist Relationship

• Relationship based on mutual trust, respect,
  confidence, alignment of goals
• Collaborative relationship
• Develop a therapeutic contract-goals for therapy
• Emphasis of responsibility of client for his or
  her own behaviors

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Therapeutic Techniques Procedures

• Establishing the Relationship
• Exploring the psychological dynamics operating in
  the client-assessment
• Encouraging development of self-understanding-insi
  ght into purpose
• Helping client make new choices-reorientation
  reeducation

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1. Establishing Relationship

• Therapist get to know the client as a person
• Collaborate on goals for therapy
• Supportive therapist-caring human connection
• Therapist works to make client feel deeply
  understood and accepted
• Client focuses on what needs to changed in therapy

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2. Exploring Individuals Dynamics

• Subjective interview
• Client tells own story as expert on own life
• Therapist listens for clues to clients coping
  and approach to life
• The Question How would your life be different,
  and what would you do differently, if you did not
  have this symptom or problem?
• Objective interview Life Style Assessment
• Family constellation
• Early Recollections
• Personality Priorities
• Integration and Summary

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3. Encouraging Self-Understanding Insight

• Insight understanding of motivations that
  operate in clients life
• Client-disclosure Therapist-interpretation
• Therapist interpretations offered in open-ended
  manner to
• Make unconscious process conscious
• Confront resistance so to help client therapist
  to align
• Explore purposes of symptoms, feelings, behaviors
  human difficulties or blocks

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4. Helping with Reorientation Reeducation

• Encouragement process to build courage to
  change to overcome discouragement-personal growth
  is encouraged and reinforced
• Change and search for new possibilities
• Making a difference-through change in behavior,
  attitude or perception

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Where Adlerian Approaches are Applied

• Education
• Parent Education-Children the Challenge-Rudolph
  Dreikurs Soltz, 1964
• Marriage Counseling
• Family Counseling
• Group Work