Alfred Adler

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, Adlerdecided 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 and later switched to general practice.
Careerand Later Life:
Alder soon turned his interests toward the field of psychiatry, and in 1902 Sigmund Freud invited him to join a psychoanalytic discussion group. This group met each Wednesday inFreud'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 someof Freud's theories.
While Adler had played a key role in the development of psychoanalysis, he was also one of the first major figures to break away to form his own school of thought. He was quickto point out that while he had been a colleague of Freud's, he was in no way a disciple of the famous Austrian psychiatrist.
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.
ontributions to Psychology:
Alfred Adler's theories have played anessential role in a number of areas, including therapy and child development. Alder's ideas also influenced other important psychologists, including:
* Abraham Maslow
* Carl Rogers
* KarenHorney
* Rollo May
* Erich Fromm
* Albert Ellis
Today, his ideas and concepts are often referred to as Adlerian psychology.
While Adler had converted to Christianity, his Jewish heritage...