ADLER Please locate 6 scholarly journals

Alfred Adler: A short literature review

Alfred Alder is one of the most noteworthy early psychologists to break from the Freudian model and to provide a new way of conceptualizing the human consciousness beyond the Freudian model of repression. Alfred's psychoanalytic theory developed as a "reaction to Freud's theories on the development of the self. Adler split with Freud over the centrality of sexuality in the formation of personality (Dewey, 1991). In contrast to Freud, Adler expressed the view that human behavior is holistic (nonreductive), ideological (goal-driven), and socially oriented" (Peluso et al. 2004). Adler believed that based on family relationships, by the time a child is 6, he or she has developed a 'style of life' through which he or she interacts with the world. Key to developing normally was developing a social interest, or way of relating to others in a manner that affirms the self. Individuals with a high social interest "have an optimistic philosophy of life, are energized, motivated, and involved, have well-developed coping skills, and tend to perceive tough issues as challenges rather than overwhelming problems" (Peluso et al. 2004).

Alder understood 'style of life' as a way of setting personality priorities. These ways of coping can be either positive or negative and include "pleasing, achieving, outdoing, detaching, avoiding" (Ashby et al. 1998). They...

These personality priorities have now been defined empirically and are measured using an instrument called The Langenfeld Inventory of Personality Priorities (LIPP). Results from the LIPP are used to aid Adlerian psychologists to better understand the client's psyche (Ashby et al. 1998). The ability to use such scientific methods have allowed Adler to remain popular amongst clinicians, even while classical Freudianism has fallen out of favor because of its inability to be scientifically validated or falsified.
Another reason for the popularity of Alder lies in what many see as the uniquely relevant application of his theories to the competitive culture of the United States. The United States is characterized by its prioritization upon a striving for social superiority. Adler believed that striving for social position was not necessarily a bad thing and was one of the primary forces driving the human psyche. Individuals who develop a high level of social interest are capable of "healthy striving" but those who develop "pervasive feelings of inferiority and failure" either try to dominate others are become passive and depressive to assert their ego (Stewart 2010). Adler's view of the self is fundamentally "self-deterministic" -- the individual's perceptions create his or her reality (Willis 2004). This strong emphasis on free will -- the individual can freely…