Alfred Adler, the Forgotten Prophet: A Vision for the 21st Century

by Loren Grey

Overview

Adler, Freud, and Jung were the key figures in the development of psychology as we know it. Yet, while Freud and Jung are widely studied and debated, Adler is far less well known. Nonetheless, as Loren Grey demonstrates, some of Adler's novel early precepts are valuable tools for personality diagnosis, even to this day. Examples include his belief in the social equality of all human beings, regardless of race, position, class, or gender; that all human behavior is logical—however bizarre or psychotic its goal may be; that mistaken precepts about others, being learned, can be unlearned; and in the importance of understanding the dynamics behind the family interactions with particular emphasis on the ordinal position of each child in the family constellation. Many of these ideas, though ignored or rejected by the early Freudians and Jungians, have become part of the post-Freudian movements in psychology and counseling.

In this book, Grey systematically examines the life and ideas of Alfred Adler as well as the approaches taken by his leading students. Many of Adler's early supporters felt that he was 100 years ahead of his time; Grey demonstrates that many of his approaches can serve humanity well in the new millennium. This text provides an important survey for students, scholars, and practitioners of psychology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275960728
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/19/1998
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	168
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

LOREN GREY is Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology at California State University, Northridge. A past Associate Editor of the Jourbanal of Individual Psychology and a former director of the San Fernando Valley Educational Center, Grey has published widely, including, with Dr. Rudolf Dreikurs, Logical Consequences: A New Approach to Discipline (1968) and A Parent's Guide to Child Discipline (1970), and on his own, Discipline Without Tyranny: Child Training in the First Five Years (1972) and Discipline Without Fear: Child Training During the Early School Years (1974).

Table of Contents

Preface
Who Was Alfred Adler?
Inferiority Feelings and the Fictive Goal
The Paradox of Laws
The Style of Life
Holism and the Unconscious Mind
Equality and the Masculine Protest
Self-Actualization and Social Interest
Major Factors that Influence the Personality Development of the Child
Diagnosing the Lifestyle
The Meaning and Significance of Dreams
Adlerian Family Counseling
Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs
Can Humanity Survive?
Epilogue
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Though largely eclipsed by Freud and Jung as a key figure in psychology, Adler was considered ahead of his time by many early and current adherents. Grey (emeritus, educational psychology; California State U.- Northridge)<-->influenced by Adlerians Sicher and Dreikurs<-->champions the developer of "the psychology of the undivided whole." From the lens of his own clinical practice, he analyzes the genesis and impact of Adler's concepts (e.g. the will to power, inferiority complex, and importance of birth order) on individual and family counseling. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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