Individual Psychology: Adlerian Theory

The paper examines individual psychology also known as Adlerian theory in the case conceptualization of Olivia Gomez, a fictional character suffering from depression. The presenting problems demonstrate areas of the client’s life that require counseling and a deeper assessment into the underlying problems affecting her daily life. Most counseling theories focus merely on the person or the collective issues; Adlerian therapy does both. It contends that every person is goal-oriented and possess the ability to make healthy and responsible choices for their lives. Adler 's concepts focus on correcting errors in a person 's way of thinking caused by their drive to be sociably acceptable. Interventions are chosen that provide the client with proper …show more content…
Adler first began is profession as a medical doctor who later transitioned to psychiatry. During this time Adler became interested in the advancements Sigmund Freud was making in regards to psychoanalysis and his interpretation of dreams. As a result, Adler was personally invited by Freud to become a part of his discussion group, which deliberated about new findings in the study of psychopathology. However, their different viewpoints on how an individual should be perceived differed from Freud’s idea, which ultimately caused conflict between the group members (Murdock, 2013). Adler believed that each person should be viewed as a whole and that an individual’s troubles comes from feelings of inferiority, unlike Freud’s views that suggest a person’s personality is divided into three categories: id, ego, and superego; he also contended that a person’s troubles are a product of their sexual desires. Consequently, Adler decided to part ways, thus creating what is known as Individual Psychology. His ideas were so compelling that others, such as Rudolf Dreikurs, Harold Mosak, and Heinz and Rowena Ansbacher, also known as Adlerians, decided to follow him and also assisted in continuing Adler’s work after his death (Murdock, …show more content…
As such, individuals create themselves rather than relying on their experiences during childhood. He advocated the idea that humans are motivated by their ability to relate socially to others. Kapustin (2015) states, “…a person develops a normal personality through active, conscious, and meaningful participation. In order to achieve such a balance of drives, people must recognize their leading motives and become involved in the work of correcting them” (p.13). Counselors view their clients as their partners trying to assist in uncovering their hidden values buried underneath their assumptions. This allows the counselor to then help the client view their errors in thinking and redirect their efforts toward a more productive and effective way of living. Adler contends that individuals have a tendency to form misconceptions in order to validate their maladaptive thinking and life-style beliefs (Murdock,