Alfred Adler was born
in Vienna, Austria, to Hungarian parents. He was the third child and the second
son in a family of seven children. Adler was a frail boy, developing
rickets when he was very young, before acquiring a near-fatal bout of pneumonia
at age 5. Adler believed
that these early life experiences were the major factors which guided him to
become a physician. He then went on to attend the University of Vienna
Medical School and in 1895 he received his degree. Adler began his
foray into the medical profession in the field of ophthalmology. Together
with Sigmund and Carl Jung, Adler
helped to develop depth psychology, which underlines
the importance of unconscious processes. He is commonly considered to be one of
the most important figures in psychology. Adler
was one of the first psychiatrists to present mental health into the
world of education. He encouraged for prevention strategies intended to avoid
the risks of mental illness and inappropriate coping skills, and contributed
greatly to the field of social work. Adlerian psychology continues to
pursue the study of overcompensation due to inferiority. A central idea of
Adlerian psychology is that the unconscious works to change feelings
of inferiority into feelings of superiority. Adler’s model suggests that behaviors,
thoughts, and processing mechanisms are well embedded in a person by the age of
five and that the relationships the child develops in early life, along with
social and environmental forces, are directly responsible for the development
of those traits. He also conducted research into the role that birth order plays
in the development of the psyche. Adler combined theories
of psycho-dynamics and teleology, the study of final causes and the
ways in which things are designed toward these causes, in his work. As part of
this belief, he put emphasis on psychological processes that are guided by an
unknown, goal-oriented force.
