The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler: A Systematic Presentation in Selections from His Writings

Taking into account the immense importance of Adler, as one of the pivotal trinity (alongside Freud and Jung) of the psychoanalytical movement, add to that the lack of the mans actual writings in any bookstore's psychology bookshelf, or for that matter the popularization and somewhat cheapening of Adlerian concepts into today's pop jargon of psychobabble without going to the man's actual writings and you have a strong case why this book is a fine selection and the best of it's kind in it's treatment on the mans philosophy with solid commentary by the authors/compilers prefacing within it's historical context the actual text.Approaching Adler is at times a difficult task as is reading Jung or for that matter any analytical philosopher/psychologist but the reward is immeasurable since the purpose of mining nuggets is not the purpose but what needs to be the goal is capturing the essence of the man's evolution and the contributions he made to the mental health profession with his keen understanding of instinct,teleolgy,the often misinterpreted notions of power,inferiority all within a framework of the individual psychology attributed to him IE: the social assimilation of the individual within the world of his making despite whatever limitations are inherent from birth,upbringing and the outside world in itself.Understanding where Freud,Jung and Adler coalesce and separate is a worthy endeavor as this book clearly offers a full exposition and depth of Adler as a segue into the roots of these men and what they accomplished in their day and whose contributions remain invaluable today despite the obvious shift away from traditional psychoanalysis.

I never really understood why it was Sigmund Freud who ascended to public fame rather than the comparatively unknown Alfred Adler. To be sure, most psychologists are aware of the name of Adler was one of the Big Three founders of the psychoanalytic movement, but he is typically regarded as a mere curiosity and relegated to the annals of mere historical interest. Instead of reducing all behavior to sexual interest like Freud, Adler took his cue from Nietzsche and insisted that all behavior and pathology be understood in terms of will-to-power (self-efficacy and self-esteem, basically).Adler is kind of reductionist in this regard, as he is dismissive of biopsychosocial approaches which take seriously the biological underpinnings of many personality traits and illnesses, but he is still an outstanding thinker. This book has a section for each of the major components of his thoughts with preliminary outlines by the editors, followed by fragments from Adler's own corpus on the relevant subject.

This is the classic compendium of Adler's most important texts with enlightened commentary. Read this slowly, as it is rich, I pondered every sentence re-reading it for a course I'm teaching, with great satisfaction. And remember, it's not Adler vs anyone, he is one of many scientists who had great insights into how we function.

Dr Alfred Adler is a genius, and he is by far the most prominent invnetor of psychology. This book is perfectly written, and superbly verbose. Against equivocal thoughts, it serves to explain the thoughts that i find pertaining to pantheist manners, quite eloquently tackled.Highly recommended.

A classic and essential text for anyone wanting to learn about Alfred Adler and his system of Individual Psychology; a remarkable example of scholarship, and not surpassed by anyone else in Adlerian psychology.

This book provides an excellent in-depth explanations of Alfred Adler's concepts of individual psychotherapy. It is a little "slow going" sometimes, but such is the intricacy of Adler's approach to the human mind. This book covers Adler's primary concepts of social interest, feelings of inferiority, private logic, and fictional final goals. I am co-auhoring an Adlerian textbook, and used this book as a reference, as it is well thought of among professional academic writers. If you are studying Adler, writing about Adler, or just want to understand the early theories of why people act the way they do, this book is for you.

I understand now just how we are all individuals. I can relate to why I do what I do. Great book for wanting to a better you.

No complaint!

The book came in very good condition, it was a great for my Adlerian friend.Spread the word about Adler!

This is one of of Alfred Adler’s earlier works and I’m glad to have it as a part of my collection of books. Have not read in its entirety yet, only parts of it but so far so good.

Interesting base of psychology

Excellent resource for students of psychology.

I find Adler impecibly clear in his assessment of human nature and our behaviours. This is definitely important for developing self-awareness and knowing where to put your good energy and when to let others make the choices they choose.