Adler became very well-known for influential lectures on psychotherapy, which was only beginning to emerge as a discipline. He was able to build a flourishing school that promoted an understanding of human behavior that focused on healthy relationships. Adler believed that patient evaluation must be holistic. It should include how well the person could navigate vital spheres like their occupation, their family life, or their role in society. He also emphasized that humans have a desire to cooperate for social good and that doing so can improve their personal satisfaction and mental health. Adlerian counseling guided patients on improving their lives with practical action that increased their confidence and helped them find a positive role in their communities. Adler was also notable for not using the Freudian therapy structure of having the patient lay on a couch and not look at his therapist. Adler’s counseling setup was two chairs that allowed eye contact between patient and therapist because it created a more equalizing environment.
When World War I broke out, Adler left his work to serve as a doctor for the Austrian Army. After the war, he established several clinics throughout Austria that educated parents on child psychology. He trained parents, social workers, and teachers to create opportunities for children to learn cooperation and empowerment. During this time, Adler also promoted his influential Birth Order theory which posited that personalities were influenced by when a child was born, in comparison to any siblings. For example, the firstborn child would enjoy the full attention of his parents and become resentful after a younger sibling is born. By contrast, the youngest child would be overindulged and develop less empathy. Although modern scientific studies on this theory have been inconclusive, it continues to be used as guidance for personality insights.
During the next 20 years, Adler went on popular lecture tours all over both Europe and the United States. He was an influential speaker who promoted the value of psychology for society. Adler believed that regular people should learn the principles of psychology to understand themselves and others better. They could also make practical use of this knowledge to improve their community. Adler’s vision was to cultivate confident, community-oriented, mentally healthy individuals who could contribute to the common good. The Adlerian concept of gemeinschaftsgefühl, which means a sense of community, was the ultimate goal of his techniques. The term refers to a united society where people have compassion for each other.
Adler’s Later Years and Legacy
By the early 1930s, Adler’s Jewish heritage made him a target of Nazi Germany, and most of his clinics closed. He was forced to leave Austria and emigrated to the United States to work as a professor at the Long Island College of Medicine. He continued his work promoting Adlerian psychology by giving lectures around the world. In 1937, while Adler was in Scotland to speak, he died of a heart attack at the age of 67. The student that accompanied him on this final tour, Rudolf Dreikers, went on to found Adler University, which is an institution that trains socially responsible psychotherapy practitioners.
Modern psychology and nursing theory have incorporated many Adlerian concepts, including his emphasis on family dynamics as crucial to future mental health. Adler influenced the understanding that encouraging confidence during childhood was a preventative measure against poor mental health during adulthood. His legacy is also present in the high proportion of therapists that utilize an egalitarian counseling structure of two chairs and making eye contact. The most influential Adlerian theories relate to the practical applications of the field of psychology. There is an enduring hope that being able to understand human behavior can create healthier communities and promote social change.
Further Reading: Alfred Adler’s Books
• Understanding Human Nature (1927)
• The Science of Living (1929)
• What Life Could Mean to You (1931)
• Social Interest: A Challenge to Mankind (1933)
Books About Alfred Adler
• Adler Revisited (2012) by Jon Carlson, Michael P. Maniacci
• Adlerian Counseling: A Viable Approach for Contemporary Practice (2000) by Richard E Watts
• Why Community Works: The Use of Adler’s Individual Psychology as a Foundational Theory (2002) by Robert K. Glenn, Edwin M Keith
Online Resources
• Wikipedia
• Britannica
• Adler University