Abstract: Inspired by the published celebration in spring 2020 of Adler’s 150th birthday in volume 76 of this journal, your current guest editors wanted to see whether, outside of scholarly articles, the depth and diversity of our community might also be shared. We asked members to contribute their Adlerian stories—what has moved them most deeply about Adler’s writings, philosophy, application, and personal healing. The wide-ranging experiences of the various authors in this issue called to mind William James’s The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902/2014).This entire issue is a celebration of sharing professional journeys and sometimes profoundly personal stories about what can happen when Adler’s Individual Psychology ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: A is for ADLERB is for BIRTH ORDERC is for COMMUNITY FEELINGD is for DREIKURSE is for EARLY RECOLLECTIONSF is for FAMILY CONSTELLATIONG is for the GOAL OF THE PERSONALITYH is for HOLISMI is for INFERIORITY FEELING/SUPERIORITY STRIVINGJ is for JUDGMENTK is for KANTL is for LIFESTYLEM is for MOVEMENTN is for NATURAL OR LOGICAL CONSEQUENCESO is for ORGAN DIALECTP is for PHENOMENOLOGYQ is for THE QUESTIONR is for RECOGNITION REFLEXS is for SOCIAL EMBEDDEDNESST is for TELEOLOGYU is for UNIFIED THEORY OF MENTAL ILLNESSV is for the VARIETIES OF ADLERIAN EXPERIENCEW is for WATER POWERX, Y, and Z are for Adlerian psychology’s further extraordinary concepts and practices not included in this very brief abecedarian. ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: I am a third-generation Adlerian. My parents, Dick and Sylvia Knight, were very active in helping my grandmother, Edith Dewey, establish Adlerian training here in Ontario, Canada. Edith might be most recognized today for her book Basic Applications of Adlerian Psychology for Self-Understanding and Human Relationships, which is still frequently cited in Adlerian papers.So, while I was literally born and raised in an Adlerian family, with all of its rich principles, my first formal introduction to Adlerian Individual Psychology was at the age of about six, when I met Dr. Rudolf Dreikurs.My early recollection begins at a large hotel in Toronto, where I was required to go on stage in front of an audience with my ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Following the death of my mother, I undertook a series of counseling sessions. At the time, I was working in a busy personnel section (human resources), and I found that the most satisfying aspects were the interpersonal aspects and, in particular, listening to people’s challenges and problems and helping them find a solution. During the final two sessions, I asked my counselor if I might consider undertaking counseling training myself (I remember my apprehension—after all, I was sitting in the “crazy chair”). To my surprise and relief, my therapist was enthusiastic and suggested that I look at a particular training program. This was the training that Anthea Millar had set up in 1986 at Bottisham Village College ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: All therapeutic perspectives start in the depth of the therapist’s view of life. The depth of my personal perspective on life started in the beginning of the 1970s, during communist times. I grew up in Braila, a beautiful city on the Danube, in Romania, as an only child. Both my parents came from families existentially challenged by the communists’ arrival to power after World War II. A different understanding of my ancestors and myself opened up once I got closer to Adler’s approach to the individual. His vision of the individual represents an opening toward the complexity of life and the search for a place among others—in this world and universe.In our nuclear family, both my parents did their best to deal with ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: At this stage of my personal and professional life and given the magnitude of the impact Individual Psychology has had on my life and work, it is interesting to look to the past to ascertain when my association with the teachings of Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs commenced. It is possible to identify the year—I remember it clearly—but it is more challenging to put into words the sense of arrival, the “aha!” of understanding, of cognitively knowing that something makes perfect sense and in feeling that you have “come home.” Individual Psychology gave me a lens through which I could see the world, eyes through which I could better understand my striving and that of others. When I speak of this worldview to others ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: I call myself a late bloomer—in life, in my career, and in understanding. Late in understanding how and who I am and why, and why others behave as they do. I originally taught elementary school in the 1970s but found myself caught up in detailed and boring preparations for teaching that seemed deadening rather than enlivening. I studied what was called “alternative education” and later taught at a rural parent-cooperative school. My idol was John Holt, the author of several alternative education books. One Saturday, he gave a completely unstructured workshop on education where he gave a brief introduction and then said he was there to be a resource for us. Most attendees complained he did not teach anything—I came ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Since childhood, my career goal was to be a psychiatrist. Early experiences of asking questions that appeared to be unanswerable led to my pursuit of deeper knowledge. There were some deviations from that choice as I entered college. My first adviser suggested that becoming a teacher or nurse might be a better career choice. Immediately I found another adviser and mentor. The department head of sociology, Dr. S. Milner, agreed to be that adviser, although psychology was my declared major. The department head of psychology, Dr. Theodore Stein, also was an important influence. He suggested that an effective psychiatrist would not prescribe medication and conduct psychotherapy simultaneously. This could create ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Alfred Adler’s insights are always with me. They are an unshakable aspect of my perceptual and intellectual functioning, sometimes as figure, sometimes as ground. I see his discoveries in the lifeworld and in vast portions of academic discourse. This is sometimes strange for me to consider, given his almost complete absence from my formal education and intellectual development for several years thereafter. When I think back, I can account for this absence in two ways.First, Adler rarely appeared in my coursework or textbooks. I had a very “mainstream,” standard-issue psychology education at my undergraduate institution and a more unusual one in graduate school, which was essentially a blend of ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: When asked if I would be willing to contribute to the “Varieties of Adlerian Experience” special issue, I was surprised. The preceding year of my life has been full of unbelievable changes—from publishing my first journal article to gaining acceptance into graduate school—but most importantly, I recognized that my thoughts and words were valued more than I could have imagined. That is why the request seemed so surprising, as I still struggle with a self-perception that discounts my overall worth. In light of this prevailing feeling, it seems highly appropriate to consider Adler’s inferiority complex, which I believe to have been a pervasive factor in the course of my life. I am honored to have this opportunity and ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Alfred Adler was a pioneer in the history of psychotherapy, and many of his ideas remain useful today. Unfortunately, I never met Dr. Adler and I never had an instructor, a supervisor, or a mentor who guided me toward the wisdom of Alfred Adler. Thankfully, later in my career, I was able to find his published works and I quickly embraced many of his ideas.As far back as high school, I always wanted to become a clinical psychologist. During my undergraduate years, I learned about Freud’s ideas and enjoyed learning some details about mental illness. Alfred Adler’s notion of birth order was addressed when I took a course on personality, but his ideas were not really covered in other courses. During my graduate ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: In The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902/2014), William James considers the word religion and its many powerful meanings. The word may connote organized or institutionalized religion and belief in the divine (the all-powerful divine!): “(think) Buddhist, Christian, or Mohammedan,” James wrote (1902/2014, p. 9). Also, James asks us to associate the word with one’s strong, emotional—powerful—individual belief system that leads or connects (moves, in Adlerian terms) one toward whatever that person considers the divine.In essence, The Varieties of Religious Experience focuses on deeply personal awakenings or movement toward self-perceived ideas of the divine. Having aspired from childhood to be an “author,” ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: A motivational course I attended in 2014 did not use the term Adlerian psychology, but it was certainly influenced by it. As a result of that course, I wanted to know Adler’s thoughts and started reading a Japanese translation of Adler’s book What Life Could Mean to You (1931/1998). My next important reading was the book Talking About Adlerian Psychology 1.2, by Shunsaku Noda (2016), who introduced Adler’s psychology to Japan. His book was written theoretically. For me as a mathematician, his book has stylistic familiarity. Sometime later, I started participating in Adlerian training, beginning with the 2017 child-rearing courses Passage and Passage Plus, hosted by the Japanese Society of Adlerian Psychology. These ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: It was 27 years ago, in 1993, that I was introduced to Adlerian Individual Psychology while completing an internship at the 97th General Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. I was a master’s student at Boston University’s Overseas Programs for the Military. For my psychotherapy practicum, I was placed in the hospital’s department of Social Work Services under the supervision of an Adlerian named Cathy Sisson. Through this placement, I was introduced to a group of Adlerians who met over lunch to “staff cases” as only Adlerians would. There were presentations of early recollections, family constellations, and issues of belonging. The conversations were thoughtful and stimulating, and the formulations were useful in ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: If I am asked who and what influenced me the most in my Adlerian learning, my response would immediately and definitely be “my mentor and ICASSI!” My first encounter with Adlerian Individual Psychology was in the early 1990s in Japan, but my learning process had been substantially slowed for 20 years since 1994. At one point, I got so disappointed with myself that I even thought I should better quit learning it. My journey began shifting for the better in 2013 when I participated in ICASSI for the first time.At my first ICASSI in the Netherlands (2013), I took Hala Buck’s art therapy class. One of the things I learned in her class, with a very joyful surprise, was that Gemeinschaftsgefühl was an innate ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: There are two main divisions in the discipline I work in: criminology and criminal justice. The former examines the various reasons people commit “crimes,” or more broadly, why people break rules. Scholars in this tradition examine murderers, rapists, burglars, drug dealers, as well as truants and status offenders, to name a few varieties of offenders and their offenses that are treated as objects of study. The latter examines the institutions of criminal justice—courts, police, corrections—and the people involved in the administration of the process. My graduate studies focused on criminal justice. My dissertation examined the verbal interactions between the police and the public. I chose this project because I ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Maria Montessori developed her method of education on the basis of a radical respect for children. She revolutionized the world’s understanding of child development and pedagogy in both concrete and atmospheric ways. Montessori and Alfred Adler were both born in 1870 and developed ideas in similar veins of discovery over the course of their lifetimes. There are many common foundations in their theories and practices, and the Montessori classroom is an excellent experimental field for Adler’s ideas. In this article, we particularly focus on inferiority, belonging, and contribution (or the more delicious and layered word Gemeinschaftsgefühl).The Adlerian Individual Psychology model and the Montessori individualized ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: I suppose everyone’s experience with Individual Psychology (IP) is unique. This echoes one of the core constructs of the theory, the assertion that each person is unique. We IPers have adapted, modified, elaborated, and updated the thoughts and methods of Alfred Adler and his founding associates, forging a vibrant set of theoretical constructs and practices. We are a diversity: different professions, different treatment settings, different target populations. We have disagreements with one another, and yet we honor one another in most cases. This special issue celebrates our diversity. In this article I first describe my training in IP and insomnia treatment, then discuss how IP served me in the various treatment ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: The year 1978 was a key one for us. Roman finished his undergraduate degree with a major in psychology and a minor in sociology, and Béatrice finished hers in English literature. That same year gave the world a handful of science-based outcomes: smallpox was eradicated and the first birth by in vitro fertilization was made possible. It was also the year that brought Roman to focus on his future professional orientation because of the influence of Dean Richard Boller in the liberal arts college at the University of Arizona (U of A), our alma mater. When Roman told him of his interest in becoming a marriage counselor, Boller suggested he go to visit the counseling department right there at U of A.“Talk to Oscar ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: My journey into the Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler began in 1996, after my family and I arrived in Canada as immigrants. Since I already had a law degree from India, my goal was to become a lawyer in Canada. I had assumed it would not be very difficult because both India and Canada followed English Common Law. However, to my surprise, the Law Society of Upper Canada denied my request to give me any credits for my Indian law degree and asked that I enroll in a full-time law program if I wanted to become a lawyer in Canada.Because of family responsibilities and financial reasons, I was not in a position to go back to school full-time. By that time, I had a full-time job with one of the Canadian universities as ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: In December 2015, I sat in the department chair’s office at Webster University in Geneva to discuss my counseling degree’s course sequence. As I was about to intern in a hospital the following spring semester, I requested taking an elective—Holistic Case Conceptualization—instead of a required course. Roslyn Thomas, a dearly loved professor at Webster, approved my request and went on describing the course and its instructor, Erik Mansager. As she introduced Erik as an Adlerian, I asked, “What is Adlerian'” That was the first time I ever heard the word Adlerian.There is no other way to begin to describe my Adlerian identity without mentioning that Holistic Case Conceptualization class. Since the start of that class ... Read More PubDate: 2022-05-09T00:00:00-05:00
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