Focuses on the book 'The Drive for Self,' a biography of
psychologist Alfred Adler by Edward Hoffman. How Adler is the father of
the modern self-help group; Biographical information about Adler; His
contributions to the field of psychology; How Adler's views differed from
those of Sigmund Freud.
By
PT Staff, published on May 01, 1995
If America's favorite pastimes are sex and baseball, self-help
groups mightrun a close third. So it's a bit of a surprise to learn that
such an American institution owes its existence to a Viennese
psychoanalyst who be came an arch-enemy of Freud and whose theory of
human happiness was behind it all.
According to a new biography, The Drive for Self (Addison-Wesley),
Alfred Adler was a feminist thinker who believed psychology should be of,
by, and for the people. "Adler was the first of the great European
psychologists to come to America and lecture," notes psychologist-author
Edward Hoffman, Ph.D.
"He thought people could benefit from the insights of psychology
without a therapist. He felt that psychology was the most important force
available to help the world."
Adler, who was born in 1870 and died in 1937, dwelt on the
significance of life plans, birth order, social feeling, and the dynamics
of parent-child interactions. He invented the notions of "inferiority
complex" and "overcompensation."
Where Freud saw sexuality as humanity's driving force, Adler saw a
sense of competence as the key to happiness. "He was the first to say we
ought to look at relationships in terms of power issues, whether in
romance, the workplace, or between parents and children," says
Hoffman.
Freud's view of human nature was dark and sensual; Adler's
bubblingly optimistic-one reason he set sail for America, says Hoffman,
who sees them representing two distinct strains of American
culture.
Adler's motto was "Any child can learn anything." He felt every
person can overcome the effects of a bad childhood and gain mastery over
life.
Now that Freud's in disfavor, Adler's star may be rising.
PHOTO: Alfred Adler
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