Alfred Adler and Individual Psychology

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Alfred Adler and Individual Psychology Jacqueline Graves Theories of Counseling, Fall 2010 Introduction to Alfred Adler As one of the leading movers in early modern psychoanalysis, the early years of Alfred Adler were surprisingly similar to those of his counterpart, Sigmund Freud. Though the two men differed greatly in theory and practice later, they both came from middle-to-upper class Jewish families, living and working in Vienna, Austria. Alfred Adler’s early life and experiences, however, sent him on a path much different than that of Freud, leading him to eventually found what is now known as Individual Psychology. Adler’s family were Czechoslovakian Jews who immigrated to Vienna shortly after Emperor Franz Josef lifted various restrictions and laws that had governed the Jewish population in Austria for years. Adler was the second child of five born to Leopold and Pauline Adler, after his brother Sigmund. Adler later credited his family with influencing his psychological approach; “As far as I can look back, I was always surrounded by friends and comrades… I was a well-loved playmate… It is probably this feeling of solidarity with others… a motive which has become the key to Individual Psychology.” The majority of this time spent with others was with his siblings and family, with whom he had varied relationships. Though close to most of these siblings in childhood, Adler did not consider their adult relationships to be as close (Hoffman). Several events in Adler’s childhood served to shape the young man’s worldview. During his toddlerhood, each time he would get angry, Adler would suffer painful physical symptoms, causing him to eschew the emotion and any side effects of it. One of the most traumatizing events in the young boy’s life was the death of his younger brother, Rudolf, when Adler was around age four. Rudolf had taken sick with diphtheria,

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