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Schools and Movements

Individual Psychology

Also Known As Adlerian Psychology
Clinical Psychology

Individual psychology is the school of psychology founded by the Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler, who broke with Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic circle in 1911 and founded the Society for Individual Psychology in 1912. It treats the person as a unified, goal-directed whole rather than a battleground of unconscious drives, holding that behavior is oriented toward overcoming feelings of inferiority and striving for significance and social belonging, organized around an individual's characteristic style of life.

Facts
Central Question
How does a person's unique, unified style of life, formed in response to early feelings of inferiority and a fundamental striving for significance, shape personality and behavior? 1
Founded Year
1912 1
Core Stance
Whole Person 2
Still Active
Active 2
Connections

Rejected Here

Psychoanalysis, Schools and Movements

Adler broke with Freud's psychoanalytic circle in 1911, rejecting its emphasis on sex and libido for social, vocational and holistic factors.

Source Wikipedia: Individual Psychology

Founded By

Alfred Adler, Psychologists
Source Wikipedia: Individual Psychology

Has Member

Rudolf Dreikurs, Psychologists
Source Rudolf Dreikurs (Wikipedia)

In Branch

Clinical Psychology, Branches of Psychology

Opposes

Psychoanalysis, Schools and Movements
Source Individual psychology (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Individual Psychology
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section
    Individual psychology (German: Individualpsychologie) is a psychological method and school of thought founded by the Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler.
  • Style of life section
    The style of life denotes the individual's characteristic pattern of goals, worldview, and strategies for achieving goals.
  • Associated With: Psychoanalysis, Adler's psychology section
    Adler's model departs from Freudian emphasis on sex and libido and instead focuses on how individuals evaluate and respond to their world, particularly the social, vocational, and love-related demands they encounter.
2. Individual psychology (Wikipedia)
  • Lead
    a holistic understanding of the person rather than Freudian drives
  • Article text
    Contemporary Adlerian organizations and training institutes apply Adler's teachings in psychotherapy, education, and community programs, often integrating Adlerian principles with other therapeutic approaches.
  • Article text, core stance
    Adler initially described his work as "free psychoanalysis" but later rejected the label "psychoanalysis" for his method, preferring the term individual psychology to stress the indivisibility of the person.
View the Source
Rudolf Dreikurs (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Rudolf Dreikurs, Lead, school
Quote, Has Member: Rudolf Dreikurs, Lead, school
system of individual psychology into a pragmatic method
View the Source
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