Adlerian Therapy 23

Adlerian Therapy 

Therapy Focus
● Importance of the feelings of self (ego) that arise from interactions and conflicts.
● The sense of self, or The Ego is the core individuality/personality of a person
● Adlerian therapy got its start from psychoanalysis.
● It places emphasis on motivation and social interaction
● A phenomenological approach
● Social interest is stressed
● Study of birth order and sibling relationships.
● Purpose of therapy is teaching, informing, and encouraging.
● Basic mistakes of client logic
o Overgeneralization
o Exaggerated need for security
o Misperceptions of life
o Denial of ones worth
o Faulty values
● The therapeutic relationship is a collaborative partnership.
● Focus on the importance of each person’s:
o Unique motivations
o Perceived niche in society
o Goal directedness

Phenomenological Approach
● Adlerian's attempt to view the world from the client’s subjective frame of reference.
● Belief in how life in reality is less important than how the individual believes life to be.
● Belief that it is not the childhood experiences that are crucial, but rather our present interpretation of these events.
● Belief that unconscious instincts and our past do not determine our behavior.