Adlerian Therapy

Source: Corey, G. Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 9th Ed

Basic Philosophy Humans are motivated by social interest, by striving toward goals, by
inferiority and superiority, and by dealing with the tasks of life. Emphasis is
on the individuals positive capacities to live in society cooperatively. People
have the capacity to interpret, infl uence, and create events. Each person at
an early age creates a unique style of life, which tends to remain relatively
constant throughout life.
Key Concepts Key concepts include the unity of personality, the need to view people from
their subjective perspective, and the importance of life goals that give
direction to behavior. People are motivated by social interest and by finding
goals to give life meaning. Other key concepts are striving for significance
and superiority, developing a unique lifestyle, and understanding the family
constellation. Therapy is a matter of providing encouragement and assisting
clients in changing their cognitive perspective and behavior.

Goals of Therapy To challenge clients basic premises and life goals. To offer encouragement so
individuals can develop socially useful goals and increase social interest. To
develop the clients sense of belonging.

Therapeutic The emphasis is on joint responsibility, on mutually determining goals, on

Relationship mutual trust and respect, and on equality. Focus is on identifying, exploring,
and disclosing mistaken goals and faulty assumptions within the persons
lifestyle.
Techniques of Therapy Adlerian therapy pay more attention to the subjective experiences of clients
than to using techniques. Some techniques include gathering life-history data
(family constellation, early recollections, personal priorities), sharing
interpretations with clients, offering encouragement, and assisting clients in
searching for new possibilities.
Application Adlerian therapy Because the approach is based on a growth model, it is
applicable to such varied spheres of life as child guidance, parentchild
counseling, marital and family therapy, individual counseling with all age
groups, correctional and rehabilitation counseling, group counseling,
substance abuse programs, and brief counseling. It is ideally suited to
preventive care and alleviating a broad range of conditions that interfere
with growth.
Contribution A key contribution is the influence that Adlerian concepts have had on other
systems and the integration of these concepts into various contemporary
therapies. This is one of the first approaches to therapy that was humanistic,
unified, holistic, and goal-oriented and that put an emphasis on social and
psychological factors.
Limitation Weak in terms of precision, testability, and empirical validity. Few attempts
have been made to validate the basic concepts by scientific methods. Tends
to oversimplify some complex human problems and is based heavily on
common sense.