From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

When I did ground school many years ago, my flight instruction manual was titled "From the Ground Up", a neat title for an instruction manual about how to safely get an aircraft off the ground and equally safely back to the ground! I am considering starting a thread to discuss on the forum, the very basics of Adler's psychology. It would be aimed at the person who really does not know this psychology. I would start with the philosophic under pinnings as I understand them and try to build a beginners on line text of basic Adlerian psychology.
I am interested to see what interest there is for such an undertaking. Any comments either from forum members or from folks viewing the forums would be appreciated. Should I attempt to undertake this task? Is there an interest in doing this? I know it is a big undertaking, but if we can interest some people not familiar with the psychology in engaging in a dialogue with us, I hope it would be helpful. Your thoughtful comments please. And yes you can tell me it is a bad idea if you feel it is. I am open for any comments. Thanks for reading this.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Your offer to start a thread devoted to an introduction to Adler's ideas is generous and timely. Although we currently enjoy a vigorous exchange of commentary about Adler's earliest writing, and a number of guests have visited the forum to read these messages, few have posted questions or comments. It may be that many visitors have an interest in learning about Individual Psychology, but do not yet have a sufficient grounding in the principles to engage in a discussion. Hopefully, by starting at the beginning, we may make it more comfortable for anyone to participate. Most universities mention Adler in their Psychology 101 courses, but usually offer simplistic or misleading information about his contributions to personality theory and his technique of psychotherapy. If one reads Adler's popular books, it is easy to gain an easy, but limited overview of his philosophy and theory; reading his clinical works is a tougher task--the articles are rich, but complex and abundantly nuanced. This thread could provide a convenient bridge to learning more and more about Adler's remarkable legacy and its continuing relevance in psychology today. Go for it!

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

The response is "underwhelming". If there is not more indication that this would be of use, I will not undertake a lot more work that I don't need.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Let's wait at least until Monday. I've checked the statistics on my web site search engine, and usage generally increases dramatically on Sundays. However, I too am puzzled by the hesitancy of visitors to post messages. Many people, who have potentially valuable comments and questions, may never have posted on a discussion forum. Does this forum's interface create some performance anxiety about "doing it right the first time?" As a moderator, I can always delete messages that are not ready for prime time--it is quite safe to experiment.

Let's consider some options: 1) drop the "ground up" thread if there are no responses by October 24th (in my experience, going back to the beginning of the old forum in 1996, it usually takes site visitors up to a month to get warmed up to participating in a forum thread; 2) start the series even without initial responses, and give it a trial period of a couple of months; 3) send me your series of "ground up" articles and I will post them on the Classical Adlerian Psychology home page at http://www.Adlerian.us as a featured, ongoing series. Since the traffic at that site is much heavier than this forum, it will provide better exposure. Visitors can always be directed to this forum to leave questions.

We can also discuss any other options that get suggested.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

George, I think a discussion of Adler "from the ground up" is a good idea. Where to begin? If I were a beginner, I think I'd like to hear not only about personality theory but how that is applied in therapy - to begin to get a sense of it all. That is a tall order, however.

When I find myself discussing Adler with others, therapists or others, I find myself spending intial time discussing 1. the Striving from a Minus to Plus: completion, power, significance, overcoming, mastery - however one chooses to describe motivation and movement, 2. Overburdening childhood situations, discouragement and sidelines to compulsive behavior and thinking (including common sense vs. private logic), 3. The fictional final Goal, and of course 4. Social Interest and Community Feeling.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Thanks for your comments James. yes explaining Adler to one unfamiliar is rather like trying to explain a microcosmic view of the "Meaning of Life and Everything" ... (Hoffsteader). I was thinking of starting by contrasting Adler with Freud in that Freud views the emotional suffering as occurring within a single isolated being, whereas Adler views it as occurring at the "person community Interface" level. Adler sees man in community ONLY, Freud in isolation. I believe that seeing us "In the stream of human evolution" as either adding to or drawing down, is where I should like to commence. From there we can flesh out how the "Minderwerdikeit" (I/F) becomes the modus vivendi rather than the feeling of fellowmanness that we must achieve. OK, I like making up my own words, but unless we see the psychology as a symphony played out in the community of fellow humans, we sound like a wierd psychology that is a bit obtuse. At least that is the common accusation I hear hurled against us when I think other psychologies are totally off the wall when they do not start with the "human to human" fact of social living. The Inferiority feeling is the excuse and con job to avoid that which one must do.

Well I would try to express these ideas with a little more finess and less abrasiveness.;)
George

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

George, I'd be interested in working from the ground up. I would probably want to take the position of a devil's advocate, however, and ask questions that might be useful to address.... Steve

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Yes, George, go for it! I am myself a lonely wolf in a country heavily dominated by other traditions than by individual psychology. I have studied the old college-level psychology textbooks used in this country from 1940'ies to 1960'ies, and there one finds Adler explained, in a strongly simplified fashion, yes, but you can still find the basic concepts there. Today, the situation has changed, and there is not much to be found about the different psychological traditions. Consequently, Adler is largely unknown in this country. If I start to speak about Adler here, I must first explain what it is all about. No translations are available. To start with, already the concept "individual psychology" produces difficulties. People think that it means that only the individual matters. They are very surprised when I tell them that, as a matter of fact, the social context prevails. If a good, solid english-language text with clear definitions and some figures and formulas would be available, it would be of great help. So, please, let's start it. I think that my situation here cannot be very different from what people are experiencing in a number of other countries today. Your iniative is superb. Few, if any, good ideas in history ever started as mass-actions. In most cases, the innovators were almost always a handful of inspired people with a good idea, with energy, with guts, and with a honest intention to be useful to their fellow-people.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Your comments are most encouraging. I hope this will unfold as a "team effort". I do not have the depth of understanding to do this. Under Henry's watchful eye and through the manifold ways we together comprehend this psychology, I am hopefull that we can develop a readable, comprehensive and inclusive introduction to this wonderful psychology. If we succeed in assisting a few people to see this as the depth psychology that it is, rather than a little known variant psychology, we will have brought a blessing to the otherwise dreary world of DSM diagnoses that subvert the cure of the soul.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Steve that would be a most desirable response. The only way we can make this clear and comprehensible, is to check and test each step in the spirit of Adlerian cooperation. Perhaps when we are done we can collate the germ of it all and as Henry sees appropriate, make that available without searching all the threads. Your searching question would help me so much. One of the most dreaded questions for me is "George, can you tell me about Adler?" I respond best by far when I am questioned and that also helps me find that greater part of Adler's wisdom that I do not yet know. I shall look forward to your questions and the questions of anyone else.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

The responses have been very helpful. I will try to get this project started in the next two weeks. I may just start a new thread called "Adler from the Ground Up, an Introduction".

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

I would hope that there would be interest in this. What a gift you would be giving. I would be interested myself although I have been studying for awhile. I can always use "regrounding". And I like the idea of connecting with others on the subject. In addition I could refer those who state some interest in Adlerian psychology but don't know where to start to see if they are interested in going further.
Jeanie Cotton, LMFT

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Jeanie, thank you for your kind encouragement.I hope to start the project in the next two weeks. The next weekend will be taken up with a nepew's wedding. I am very fond of this young man and he has asked if I will bring along my digital camera to take some "back up pictures" since his wedding photographer is an amateur. I will look forward to hearing from all of you kind folks as this unfolds.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Dear New Friends,

As Henry predicts will happen, I am joining at last, on this Sunday night, in the discussion George Neeson has started "from the ground up." I am one of those whose competence in computer-assisted conversation is largely untested. I am not aware of any "hesitancy ... to post messages," and I am not (yet) aware of any performance anxiety, but I can say that I did not find it easy to get this far, technically, and I am not yet confident that I am on the right track, except in my understanding of Adler!

That said, and to the point of the discussion, it may be valuable to note that it was Adler who worked from the ground up in his way of pointing to the truth of human life and to the corrections open to assuage the pain of human error. His ground was a particular historical-social situation that did not readily respond to his way of doing this for a number of reasons, including a 19th century scientific bias having to do with the reduction (analysis) of living things to their elements and to the supposed (efficient) causes of their occurence. As its name implies, psychoanalysis set out to identify the elements of the soul by an analysis of its components and a description of their causal interactions.

Neeson is correct in distinguishing Adler's method of examining the "person community interface" (a new phrase for me) of human experience from Freud's postulation of "a single isolated [human] being," a notion of self-boundedness (G: Ichgebundenheit), that Adler rightly called an "artifact" of theoretical imagination.

I cannot see that Neeson is following Adler in his attempt to assign a proper place to the Minderwertigkeitsgefuehl. As I read Adler, this feeling, together with the Gemeinschaftsgefuehl, represents a grounding in reality that keeps the subjectivity of Seneca's "Omnia ex opinione suspensa sunt" from solipsism. In fact, an absence of the inferiority feeling is one of the striking characteristics of sociopathic personality disorder.

It may be that I have misunderstood him, but Neeson's worry that he must strive to express his ideas with more finesse and less abrasiveness, however well advised that aspiration may be for any of us, is not enough if what he is expressing is a misrepresentation. Adler did say that the inferiority feeling is a blessing, a spur toward achievement, and a feeling that moves toward its own conquest. That is a rather poetic effusion, but a stimulating one. It is quite different from an "excuse and con job" however much those who seek excuses and who construct con jobs may appeal to its presence in their lives as if it were a personal trait or a unique form of suffering.

I hope that my remarks can be taken as a contribution to this important discussion, even when, as here, they are also of a critical character. In reading Adler one is so often caught up in a sense of fresh awareness that it is easy to lapse into a notion that one is reading a revelation, and in a way, with a careful understanding of what that would mean, it is an accurate response to the clear sense and the courage of the author. We do well to think of what Adler has done for us in those moments by regarding his theory as a way of discovering what is in fact the case in what he calls "a modest scientific" way of describing things. If we were to find that things are not always and everywhere as he has described them (and I think there are some instances where that is possible) we would still be left with a great treasure of understanding, and a system for charting a way toward a better human experience.

Therefore, the Neeson project of following Adler's thought as Adler worked it out "from the ground up" is a good and worthy enterprise, and I am happy to be invited to have a share in it.

Bob Powers

(Robert L. Powers is Distinguished Service Professor of Adlerian Studies in Culture and Personality at the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago.)

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

I think this project is very much in the spirit of Alfred Adler who must have loved this kind of "Vienna Circle". We assume that he loved to discuss the basic ideas of his theory and the philosophy that supported him. I am often participating in ICASSI, a summerschool long ago started by Rudolf Dreikurs. This year, for the first time, they organised the "Adler Café" where we were invited to discuss the concepts of Adlerian theory. This was most revealing in that many concepts had gradually different interpretations among the participants. Adler would have nodded. :)
All we have are his books, his words, that we can interprete to the best of our individual possibilities. I am sure this is going to be a valuable and necessary project.

Paul Miedema

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

George, working from the ground up is a wonderful idea. The number of visits to this thread since Oct. 11 indicates there is interest in the subject; 144 visits sounds like a good start.
For me, language is a barrier and performance anxiety, as Henry mentioned, gets in the way!!! I have visited this thread daily and find it an invaluable initiative and yet, it took me this long to show up [the warning that you might stop took care of my hesitation!]. I am a beginner and still examining the basics and often find myself confused about fundamentals of Adlerian psychology. Therefore I truly appreciate your project and think that it can go a long way once it becomes a context for some masters in the field to discuss Adler’s ideas and help people like me who have :confused: limited understanding or clarity about the ‘basics’.
Looking at previous posts I am intrigued to see that “inferiority feeling” has already been brought up. I tend to agree with both George and Bob. I guess inferiority feeling can be both a blessing and an excuse depending on how one uses it.
Also, regarding Bob’s comment, “In fact, an absence of the inferiority feeling is one of the striking characteristics of sociopathic personality disorder,” some questions popped up for me:
How do we know this? Is this conclusion based on our interpretations of observable behaviors of sociopathic PD or it is based on their self-report? If it is, how do we know that our interpretations or their report are reliable?

These questions came up since I was just reading in superiority and social interest (1979, p. 54 - footnote):
“elsewhere Adler expressed himself as follows on this point: “To be human being means to have inferiority feelings. One recognizes one’s own powerlessness in the face of nature. One sees death as the irrefutable consequence of existence. But in mentally healthy person this inferiority feeling acts as a motive for productivity, as a motive for attempting to overcome obstacles, to maintain oneself in life. Only the oversized inferiority feeling, which is to be regarded as the outcome of a failure in upbringing, burdens the character with over sensitivity, leads to egotistical self-consideration…”

Now... I may have misinterpreted Bob’s comment since I didn’t understand the meaning of “Seneca's "Omnia ex opinione suspensa sunt" from solipsism” or I may have misinterpreted Adler. A third alternative may be that recent Adlerian thinking and research do not agree with what Adler said back then and it may even be a case of inaccurate translation of what Adler said in German. Comments would be greatly appreciated.

George, thanks again for creating this thread.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Thank you for your kind encouragement. I envy your trip to ICASSI.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

"To feel inferior in the face of ... " what a wonderful quote you have drawn to our attention. This is going to a wonderful exercise in Adlerian community as together we try to create a document to introduce Adler once more to the mental health community that is enamoured with classification systems rather than seeing the wonder and uniquness of each person in the "stream of human evolution" "sub speciia aeternitatis".

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Greetings George, I would also greatly enjoy participating in such a discussion and look forward to it. I am sure the result will be quite valuable.

Trevor Hjertaas, Psy. D.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

I very much like the idea of this primer for newcomers to the study of Adlerian psychology. I especially like your proposal to start with the philosophy of Adlerian theory, which is one of the many unique contributions that Adler made to psychology. All theory has an underlying philosophy, but it is rarely explicitly stated and perhaps not particularly in the awareness of the theory's proponents.

Your primer would also provide a useful bridge to reading the classic Adlerian books (e.g., the Ansbachers edited volumes) which, while essential reading, are difficult to understand at first without some orientation. I would very much appreciate having this primer so that my students benefit from both the content of what you offer and the sense of an Adlerian community they are joining in reading it. Thanks!

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Bob your concerns and questions are of very great assistance. I am so glad you joined in this "computer-assisted conversation". I really appreciate your
comment in para 4 regarding an improper and incomplete disclosure of Adler's notion of "Minderwertigkeitgefuhl". Yes I have leaned very much too far in one direction in an attempt to ellucidate the idea. Indeed the "inferiority feeling" is a universal part of the human experience if a person is not intellectually impared in which case they may not be able to develop the Adlerian notion of a "life style".
The feeling of being less is a part of the full experience of being a fellow man but it must not have a compensation of being "bigger than we are". It must be balanced very carefully by the "fellowman" notion leading to doing our part each one, to contribute to the "stream of human evolution". I appreciate very much that you have noted the danger of being on a tangent and not totally
faithful to Adler's very wonderful understanding. Please keep an eye on this as you have done in this submission. I too, am just learning this psychology with many esteemed colleagues.

In a subsequent submission, Lida asks about the meaning of your quote from Senaca. Would you be kind enough to give a good English translation. I am sad to report that as a physician, I do not have the advantage of your education in classical literature. Lida also points out Adler's comments about "being human is to have inferiorty feelings". The quote in para 4 of this submission is of great value does balance the argument more carefully.

Your clarification with reference to the "sociopathic individual having a lack of inferiority feeling" would help. I also am not sure what you are telling us.

Many thanks for your submission and I do hope you keep an eye on things.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Thank you for your so warmly welcoming me into this company, and for letting me know that my comments were useful to the project.

I should not be mistaken for a scholar of the classics, even if I have read some of them, now and then, here and there in the course of a long life and varied education!

The quote from Seneca was used by Adler as a kind of slogan on the second page of the original edition of his first major book, the title of which is usually translated wrongly as THE NEUROTIC CONSTITUTION, not, as Henry's "Classical Adlerian Translation Project" edition titled it, THE NEUROTIC CHARACTER. (My own choice would have been, The Nervous Character, a more literal rendering of Adler's German, but perhaps not as pointed, not as recognizable as to its original purpose in the simple English word. All translation is approximation.)

I suppose you have this book in the CAPT edition (and if you don't I hope you will now want to acquire it!), and on p. xv you will find the quote, extended and in context. An English translation is provided on p. xxi.

When I dragged it in to our discussion I was operating under the assumption (always a dangerous procedure!) that everyone who knew Adler knew this motto, and understood Adler's use of it to draw attention to the subjective and personally determined schema by which each of us filters the world into an impression of what it is and what it means. Et cetera. In my understanding, the two primitive "feelings" of reality, that of "inferiority" and that of "community," while in need of instruction and development and "Bildung" (or cultivation) serve as apertures to reality that keep us from being completely locked in to the private sense of our subjectivity (= solipsism). Those who, if not so locked in, are more nearly confined than most of us, are, in one way or another, mad, the sociopaths dangerously so.

About them, I cannot cite the research, but I can lamely claim to have read the reports of it, to the effect of challenging the great "self-esteem" craze of a few years ago. What was found was that swindlers and abusers of all kinds had rather untethered and soaring self-esteem, with opinions of themselves untroubled by feelings of inferiority of any effective kind, and with consequent disregard of criticism or correction from any quarter.

Finally, I think it may be reassuring for all of us to learn that Adler himself, while having chosen the aphorism of Seneca in 1912 for "The Nervous Character," referred to it again in 1933 in Sinn des Lebens, where in a translated part of it appearing on p. 182 of the Ansbachers' "Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler," he MISquoted it as "Omnia ad [sic!] opinionem [sic!] suspensa sunt."

Therefore, I will dare to close by saying that none of us now striving to follow the Master has any reason to feel excluded from his company because of a shaky grasp on the classical languages!

Bob Powers

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Thanks Bob. Yes I have the new translation and I should better use my resources. The new translation is very, very helpful and to have the works simply translated without prejudice other than that which is intrinsic in the translation process, is wonderful. I am so happy that you have joined in this discussion. It is clear that you know the material very well and we will benefit much from your assistance. I did review the reference to Seneca quickly before replying and note (Oh boy) it is time to reread the Neurotic Character for about the 6th time so far with many more to follow. I agree the real sense in English is the "Nervous Character" or perhaps the Anxious Character" to be faithful to the German, but as you point out, in our weaker English language, it would not work very well. Thanks again.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Hi George!

I just wanted to let you know that I would be delighted to participate in this discussion thread. I am still getting my head around how the BOL Forum works but since Saturday will have much more time available to figure it out.

Thanks for offering.
Warmest Regards,
Joanne

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Joanne the forum software does appear a bit intimidating, but I have found that if you dig around a bit it is well designed. I am so delighted that you are willing to join in and participate with us in trying to put this "primer" in place. I need all the help and as many informed minds as I can find. I also need the searching questions of those who, as we all have done, are just starting to comprehend the riches of Adler's thought. I am delighted you will have time to be involved.
Kind regards,

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

I think a primer is a great idea, George. I am always looking for written material that I can give to my clients who want to read about individual psychology without having to have an Adlerian dictionary with them.
Thank you for taking the iniative.
Lana Deeter

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Bob,

Thank you so much for the references and your comments. It was refreshing to read the translation of the aphorism of Seneca. I thought it might be nice to include the statement and its translation here for those who do not have access to the book "the neurotic character"

"Omnia ex opinione suspensa sunt; non ambitio tantum ad illam respicit et luxuria et avaritia. Ad opinionem dolemus. Tam miser est quisque, quam credidit!"
"Everything depends on opinion; it determines not only ambition, but also the lust for pleasure and avarice as well. In our opinion we suffer. Everyone is as miserable as his prejudice makes him."

Also, your comments in the second to the last paragraph was really valuable...a timely reassurance for everyone that it is OK to make MIStakes.


Kind regards

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Bob when you speak of the sociopath I assume you are referring to the criminal type of mind although some of them may even act as doctors or even ministers. I still am struggling with the notion that "they lack an inferiority feeling". I have attempted to assist some of these folks with a small amount of success, but I have worked from the notion that they had a very major inferiority feeling and sense of deficiency. The discouragement seems so great that they feel the ideals of normal social living do not apply to them. That could be seen as a lack of a Minderwerdikeit, or it could also be seen as a sense that these standards are beyond their reach completely. The do not feel up to this challenge so they compensate by seeking their peculiar revenge against humanity. This becomes the move to "Uberlegenheit" or fictional superiority in English. Being honest and caring for the possessions of others is "for suckers" one of them said to me. This same person felt a "big rush" as he held a large bore handgun at the face of a little lady teller. He told me "I enjoyed watching her go white, the bitch!" Surely to seek to terrify another is a move to "superiority" and is the antithetical constuction of the feeling of being a meaningless and hopeless person. I have no desire to be in any way in conflict with your view. It just surprised me. I also do not know Adler's writing as well as you, so I wondered if Alder's view of the "criminal" etc. is supported in his writing as having "no inferiority feeling". I am not aware of that notion in Adler's understanding of these difficult and troubled people. If indeed they have no inferiorty feeling, an Adlerian complete therapy could not achieve more than to give them an experience of a nice social relationship, because in such a relationship our theoretical framework breaks down. Now no theory is complete and all conclussive and as Sophia once said when asked about a case that did not seem to fit the theory, "We treat patients, not a theory", or words to that effect. I have that on tape and could not dig it out tonight.

Bob your comments on working with these people who feel societal norms do not apply to them have confused me (that is not hard to do), please tell me more about this new (to me) idea, that they "lack an inferiority feeling". I think this could open an interesting subtext in our discussions. I appreciate your thoughtful comments and clear thinking and hope you do not mind me seeking clarification.
Kind regards,

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

As a biographer of both Abraham Maslow and Alfred Adler, I think it is a wonderful idea to present a primer of Adlerian psychology online. There are many over-simplifications and distortions of Adler's work today--and his approach is sorely needed for our time.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Hi there,

I really appreciate George's initiative. The comments thus far are a good base for discussion. Adler's theories are rich for their philosophical depth. Individual Psychology implies a sole commitment to psychology but is misleading in that its theoretical richness goes well beyong psychology and actually challenges many of the dominant presuppositions of Anglo American psychology (including the idea of diciplinarity itself - IP is of relevance to many (inter)disciplines). What I have always appreciated about Adler's work is its philosophical complexity. This may have something to do with Adler's historical situatedness, at the crossroads of two periods (Romanticism and late modernity) that render a fascinating mix of idealism and functionalism. I also agree with earlier comments that his doctrine is more complex than popularised texts generally represent. Although the initial introduction to terms, etc. are easilly digestible they are also often incorrect in misleading the introductory student into believeing that it is a simple matter of cliche. I have always appreciated Henry's elucidation of Adler's complex ideas and, for example in his edited volumes, the drawing of attention via footnotes to the web of ideas that underpin what only appears to be a simplistic idea. So from the ground up, please do carry on!

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

I would like to respnd to Bob Powers' interesting comment that individuals with sociopathic personalities lack inferiority feeling and Lida Izadi's query concerning that.

I would say that it appears "as-if" a psychopathic individual lacks inferiority feelings (especially when you interact with one) since they are so intolerant of this feeling within themselves (Adlerians, of course, would technically re-formulate diagnostic entities into a deeper understanding that an individual has a certain style-of-life which manifests in such a way that one could classify him or her as psychopathic, and this is what I mean when I refer to them as such). Reid Meloy, a prominent figure in forensic circles, characterizes psychopaths as "aggressive narcissists" (which would explain the "souring self-esteem" with Bob Powers mentions). Meloy's theory (following Kernberg and Kohut) is that there is a core a vulnerability (akin to feelings of inferiority) in these individuals, but that they project these feelings onto others and then do some kind of harm to these other people, almost as if they were destroying these externalized inferiority feelings, or the vulnerable aspect of themselves. This is, of course, only a theory, but a useful one - I think - for understanding such people. I could imagine that such a dynamic might be at work in the scenario which George vividly describes.

Trevor Hjertaas, Psy. D.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

My understanding of sociopaths and criminal personalities - not by any means being any kind of expert on the subject - is that in thier histories there has often been serious abuse or to the other extreme, serious pampering. Adler said this, but also this has, to my memory, been validated by those working in prisons with these personalites. This would seem to me to indicate that as children many experienced overburdening situations with the resulting inferiority feelings. Anyone in this discussion have exeprience here??

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

James I do not think in my limited experience, that it is even that basic. Certainly overburdening cirumstances may be an issue, but what do we do then when a child is raised in what appears to be a very loving and encouraging home when they choose a wrong path in life? I suppose we could suspect that they felt they could not live to this standard. As always in Adler's psychology, that is the danger of using "diagnostic catagories". Each person is unique (Individual in German), and all of these "neat package" concepts fail to address the single person we are dealing with. That is one of the reasons I adamantly refuse to use DSM in its various flavours unless the patient will suffer a financial penalty at the hands of an insurance agency dominated by a psychiatrist of a certain flavour. Then I get out the handbook and try to find the closest fit in the descriptive part of the catalogue, then use that to try to get coverage for the patient. I hate doing that but it falls into the class of "necessary evils".

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

I am not neglecting getting this project on the runway. What I am struggling with is where the "ground" is. From where must I build? What is the LCD (Lowest Common Denominator) among reasonably informed people that will neither insult their intelligence, nor will it be above what untrained people might reasonably be expected to know? I am finding that a real difficult thing. I do believe that I must start with the philosophic underpinnings, but where can I reasonably commence? I suspect it will be in the area of the "person among mankind" and the deep sense of equality. Something to do with "contributing to the stream of human evolution" "sub Specie Aeternitatis" (And clearly I need spell check help :o )

Well that is what I am considering starting with. Any other suggestions for a good jumping off point would be appreciated deeply.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

George, how about starting simple? Make some kind of claim to which others can respond, and then see how it goes. Perhaps make aclaim of one sentence or one idea, and see what comes of it.... Start with an idea that seems obvious to you and we can see if it is obvious to everyone--or not. Steve

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Steve sounds like a great idea. It will bring a greater sense of cooperation to the project. Thanks.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Another adjacent perspective, on the issue of inferiority feelings in the criminal, is offered by Samenow and Yochelson in "The Criminal Mind," Volume I. They believe that the criminal fears being reduced to a "nothing" more than anything else. In his thinking there are no gradations between being "tops" and being "nothing". He usually assesses a situation in extremes, perceiving it as better or worse than it is. His "Zero state" has three components: seeing the self as nothing; transparency, other can see his worthlessness; the state is permanent, it will last forever and never change. A prolonged difficulty in an important area of his life is more likely to lead to a zero state than a single putdown. The inferiority feelings of the non-criminal are usually not all-encompassing, as those of the zero state. The non-criminal may be afraid that others will find out about his shortcomings; the criminal is certain that others already know.

Also, Alexander Mueller stated that many people do not consciously feel inferior, but live with an anxiety about being confronted with a challenge that will prove them to be inferior. Sophia de Vries believed that some people do not even have the emotional sensitivity to feel inferior.

George, since you want to build from the ground up, what about starting with a discussion about how, when, and why inferiority feelings develop in the young child?

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

It seems that inferiority feelings are an essential part of human condition. It is a part of human existence that human beings are born helpless, that they need adults to take care of them, to nourish them, to protect them. As they grow up, they start to feel that it is a shame to be a child, to be helpless, to be dependent. They want to grow big, powerful, and they want to dominate their parents. During this process some of their attempts must be prohibited. A rivalry develops. At the same time, children normally have a very strong social feeling. If everything develops normally, this social feeling gets stronger, and a rational argumentation with the growing child is possible. Extreme punishments in education, physical and/or psychological abuse, lack of any logic in the adult behavior, laissez-faire methods, or simply not taking care of the child may inhibit the normal growth of social feeling. In this case, a power-struggle will be the method to dominate the environment, not the attempt to be a useful member of the community. So inferiority is the basic challenge to human growth, and growing social feeling is the right answer. - How about ideas like this one?

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

Manu I think you and I and Henry are all on the same page. My feeling is that I would like to go all the way back to the day of our conception. Something like ... "It all started one night when we were not even there. They did not nor could they, seek our permission. Two humans acted to produce us. For nine months we lay helpless in the dark warmth of the mother's womb bathed in the soothing amniotic fluid as one "uninvited", a guest in the body of another. Suddenly and with great pain we are exploded into the cold world of light and noise. We were forced out through that long dark passage with suffocating pressure. The gentle lub dub of mother's heart became a distant memory. We became utterly dependent on another. We were helpless and totally at the mercy of another's social interest. We were with no power and we began to see our own fragility. We began to feel less, to feel as nothing, to feel inferior!"

I want to show the very "primal nature" of the inferiority feeling and the dire necessity of social interest as the observations that start to set Adler aside as unique in his perspective, but I hope to do it with a "bit of artistic flair" to draw in the reader.

Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??
 

I think this is a wonderful idea, one which could be useful to both newcomers and oldtimers (and everyone in between.) Having a new child, I rarely get to visit the forum these days, but I would be very interested in reading this!

Thanks so much for the offer to get this going!

Abe Abelson