Adlerian Theory Applied to a Diversity Case Study

Introduction and Client Case Overview

This paper examines Adlerian Individual Psychology in depth and applies it to a specific counseling case with a diversity theme. It draws on five scholarly articles related to Adlerian theory, presents a fictitious client case involving an inferiority complex, and proposes specific treatment considerations after applying Adlerian theory to that case.

The client is a 20-year-old exchange student who hails from a Black South African family. She currently resides in a predominantly white, prosperous suburban locality. Her native community is small; her mother earned a living marketing skin-bleaching creams. At the age of five, the client was taught to use the cream by her mother after a neighbor remarked that she would never find a husband owing to her "too dark" complexion. The client complains of being ashamed of the color of her skin and does not wish to continue residing in her current neighborhood, attending university, or engaging in any activity alongside her white peers because of her skin tone. She declares that she loathes being Black. She believes that her skin color makes her look ugly and that everyone looks down upon her. Ultimately, she has resolved to use the bleaching cream more frequently, hoping that one day her skin will turn white.

Adlerian Theory and Core Behavioral Principles

Adlerian theory is grounded in the assumption that individuals control their own lives, which are not merely molded by childhood experiences. Alfred Adler's individual psychology established that biological and environmental factors have the capacity to restrict one's ability to make choices in life. Adler, however, maintained that individuals know how to choose their own path and rise above their present circumstances (Bitter, 2007). His perspective stresses that the therapeutic relationship is a collaboration between patient and therapist. Adlerian theory also concentrates on modifying clients' feelings of inferiority and their drive for superiority, challenging dysfunctional views, and focusing on holism, social interest, and lifestyle. Adlerian therapists regard encouragement, reorientation, and insight as central factors used to help clients achieve their goals (Pomeroy & Clark, 2015).

Within this theoretical framework, behavior is viewed as purposeful, self-determined, and goal-focused. Each person establishes their own goals and determines their path through life; however, individuals are seldom wholly conscious of their goals or the reasons behind their behavior (John, 2011).

Behavior is also driven by a wish to belong. Human beings are socially embedded and are driven to understand their standing among family, in society, at school, and in the workplace. When plagued by feelings of inferiority or inadequacy in comparison to others, individuals begin doubting their standing in their social group. Rather than moving toward cooperation and participation, a person may instead choose to defend themselves from these social demands (John, 2011).

Adlerian theory further views behavior holistically. Every individual is perceived as more than the sum of their physical, emotional, and mental faculties. Unconscious and conscious processes, body and mind, are interdependent. Human behavior is best understood as part of a coherent pattern, leading to an emphasis on each individual's unique lifestyle. The term "lifestyle" conveys greater dynamism and movement than the term "personality" (John, 2011).

An individual's lifestyle is molded in the early years by lived experiences. Birth order, siblings, and household circumstances all play a role in shaping lifestyle; however, a person's individual approach to finding meaning in life experiences holds greater significance. According to Adler's theory, what one remembers takes precedence over what one forgets, as memories—regardless of their accuracy—form the foundation for one's beliefs about the self, other people, and life in general, as well as what one must do to find a place in the world (John, 2011).

Lifestyle also informs actions and choices, in that everything a person does is intended to make them feel safe or better. However, an individual's worldview—their "private logic"—tends to be faulty, often culminating in unhappiness as one becomes stuck in unproductive patterns. This is because private logic stems from conclusions drawn during the ages of three to six years. Adler observed one thing common to every person: the struggle to overcome feelings of inferiority, which arises from an awareness of personal dependency and vulnerability. This gives rise to a striving for superiority—what Adlerian terminology calls the shift from "felt minus" to "supposed plus." Each person's distinct way of overcoming inferior feelings differs according to inborn aptitudes or limitations, surrounding events, whether they were encouraged to compete or cooperate with others, and whether they could be bold enough in the face of their own imperfection (John, 2011).

In the client's case, she began increasing the frequency of her skin bleaching and felt ashamed of her complexion. Believing her skin color makes her ugly, she elected to use bleaching cream more regularly in an attempt to fit in with her white community.

Community Feeling and Social Interest

The foundation of Adler's understanding of the human condition is the concept of Gemeinschaftsgefühl—German for "community feeling." The concept is difficult to translate precisely; other renderings include "social sense," "social interest," and "social feeling." The term "community feeling" was preferred by most Adlerians and by Adler himself. It denotes a complex idea: some of its dimensions may be understood and applied, while others may be neglected. When individuals have developed social interest at the affective level, they are likely to feel closely bonded to humanity and to empathize readily with others (Stein & Edwards, 1997).

In the client's case, she was taught to bleach her skin by her mother at age five simply because a neighbor commented on her complexion. Rather than helping her develop a sense of belonging to the community, her mother was primarily concerned with altering her natural appearance. As a result, the client grew up perceiving herself as ugly and ceased participating in social activities to avoid being seen as unattractive.

Those with a genuine sense of belonging feel accepted in society and can accept life's comforts and discomforts alike. At the cognitive level, they recognize the essential interdependence shared with others and understand that any individual's welfare is ultimately connected to the welfare of all. At the behavioral level, these feelings and thoughts translate into actions aimed, on one hand, at self-development and, on the other, at supportive and cooperative engagement with others. The concept of community feeling thus integrates the comprehensive development of individual capacities. This process is personally fulfilling and enables individuals to contribute meaningfully to one another's lives. It also refers to a recognition of humanity's fundamental interconnectedness (Stein & Edwards, 1997).

Unlike other theorists, Adler did not perceive a central conflict between society and self, relatedness and individuality, or social interest and self-interest. These dichotomies, in his view, are false. Self-development and the development of connectedness are mutually reinforcing: enhanced personal development enables more positive connections with others, while enhanced capacity for connecting with others enables greater learning and self-development. Adler observed interactions among living beings at various levels and in various spheres (Stein & Edwards, 1997). People feel a sense of connectedness with family, peers, and community in ever-broadening circles. This sense of connectedness may expand to encompass the natural world and even non-living things, until in its broadest form an individual feels connected to the entire universe. If humanity genuinely felt and acknowledged this connection, many social problems—war, bias, intolerance, and oppression—might be greatly diminished. It has long been understood that if infants are not emotionally bonded to caregivers, they will not thrive (Stein & Edwards, 1997).

Adlerian theory's engagement with social interest represented one of the earliest psychological systems to adopt a fundamentally social-science orientation. Adlerians hold that after understanding the wish to overcome inferiority and attain perfection, the most critical element of individual psychology is the social dimension of a person's life. The concept of social interest is intimately linked to the value placed by collectivist societies on social embeddedness, as well as the sense of security cultivated by belonging to a larger group. By examining the views and attitudes of individuals toward their peers, one can better understand the whole person. Social interest is not a secondary force meant merely to counterbalance the drive for superiority (Aslinia, Rasheed, & Simpson, 2011). Rather, it constitutes one of the most critical psychological processes within an individual. Through social interest, a person can strive toward perfection or superiority in a way that is socially constructive. Collectivist societies regard this striving as an endeavor toward goodness. One of Adler's final papers described social interest as the foundational material from which an individual builds their lifestyle. Adlerians further assume that those who are part of close-knit groups are often more successful in life than those who remain isolated, and collectivist cultures encourage such group membership as healthy behavior (Aslinia, Rasheed, & Simpson, 2011).

In the client's case, her social interests were in fact quite strong: she yearned to blend in with her surrounding white community so that others would not perceive her as inferior. Regular interaction with her native community might have bolstered her confidence, making her skin color feel far less significant—and perhaps averting her decision to bleach her skin more frequently.

Conclusion

Adlerian therapy, owing to its collaborative character, commences counseling through a systematic, non-threatening assessment of the individual's self-ideals and private goals without provoking feelings of selfishness. This contrasts with more direct approaches, such as Solution-Focused therapy, in which clients are asked to present their problem and are directly questioned about how a thought or behavior has benefited them and how they wish to change it. In Adlerian therapy, clients feel free to share their concerns; Adlerian therapists invite clients to examine the meaning of their behaviors and actions through encouragement rather than interrogation (Aslinia, Rasheed, & Simpson, 2011).

For the majority of clients from collectivist societies, this exploration is typically a novel experience. The client may be thinking about personal desires and wants for the first time in their life—which often makes them feel vulnerable. Using the Adlerian approach, therapists can be considerably more flexible and fluid, gauging clients' needs and adjusting their responses accordingly. The social interest dimension of Individual Psychology is critical in serving as a bridge for collectivist clients, helping them move between their collectivist worldview and the domain of personal psychology (Aslinia, Rasheed, & Simpson, 2011).

This dimension is what makes Adler's theory a powerful approach for helping individuals find balance when they struggle to identify when personal desires may take precedence over those of their social group or family. Once clients feel that their behaviors and thoughts are acknowledged and understood, they build rapport with their therapist and come to understand that counseling is essentially a process of priority re-framing—not a dismissal of their learned collectivist values and familial patterns. At this point, clients begin genuine self-exploration, embracing the development of powerful insight into their own inner lives (Aslinia, Rasheed, & Simpson, 2011).

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