Famous Psychologist

Alfred Adler

Best Known For:

• Individual Psychology
• The concept of the inferiority complex
• President of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society, 1910

Birth:

Alfred Adler was born February 7, 1870.

Death:

Alfred Adler died May 28, 1937.

Early Life:

Alfred Adler was born in Vienna, Austria. He suffered rickets as a young child which prevented him from walking until the age of four. Due to his health problems as a child, Adler decided he would become a physician and, after graduating from the University of Vienna in 1895 with a medical degree, began his career as an ophthalmologist.

Career:

Alder soon turned his interests toward the field of psychiatry, and in 1902 he was invited to join Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic discussion group. This group met each Wednesday in Freud's home, and would eventually grow to become the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. After serving as President of the group for a time, Adler eventually departed due in part to his disagreements with some of Freud's theories.

In 1912, Alfred Adler founded the Society of Individual Psychology. Adler's theory suggested that every person has a sense of inferiority. From childhood, people work toward overcoming this inferiority and asserting their superiority over others. Adler referred to this as 'striving for superiority' and believed that this drive was the motivating force behind human behaviors, emotions and thoughts.

Contributions to Psychology:

Alfred Adler's theories have played an essential role in a number of areas, including therapy and child development. Alder's ideas also influenced other important psychologists, including Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers and Karen Horney.

Selected Publications:

Adler, A. (1925). The Practice and Theory of Individual Psychology. London: Routledge.

Adler, A. (1956). The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler. H. L. Ansbacher and R. R. Ansbacher (Eds.). New York: Harper Torchbooks.