Abstract: In the spring of 1962, Rudolf Dreikurs sent a letter to some of his colleagues with a three-item questionnaire asking them to share how they approach a client’s lifestyle and how they used early recollections in lifestyle assessment. With the questionnaire came two de-identified cases (a brief family constellation information and a set of several early recollections for each) and a request to share lifestyle impressions based on the ER and limited family constellation information. According to the correspondence in the Rudolf Dreikurs’s collection at the US Library of Congress, at least a few responses came back to Dreikurs. It is unknown if—and if so, how—the project concluded. The following seven impressions of the original 1962 cases were shared with us by contemporary Adlerian clinicians, representing a broad and rich range of perspectives on lifestyle assessment and the ER part in such assessment. The collection starts with the cases, followed by written impressions, in alphabetical order by the authors’ names.
Abstract: In Individual Psychological theory and practice, early recollections (ERs) are one of two major windows into a person’s lifestyle and one of the most powerful ways to adaptively improve it. Early recollections have long been recognized as a staple of Adlerian psychotherapy, and early Individual Psychologists, including Adler himself, saw ERs as a good match for diagnostic work and used ER-generated clinical insights in cases such as Adler’s of Miss R. Later, Ackernecht, Brodsky, Papanek, and others continued to emphasize the diagnostic usefulness of ERs. After the 1970s, diagnostic and treatment planning use of ERs has been increasingly limited to cases of general wellness or to illustrative or teaching purposes with general and mild neuroses. As a result, many Adlerian practitioners, especially in countries where diagnoses based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders are common practice, do not use ERs. This article attempts to rematch ERs and DSM -informed diagnostic work. It outlines ER themes and patterns in depression, anxiety, psychotic conditions, and suicidality. This might inform the use of ERs in differential diagnosis, treatment planning, and tracking treatment progress.
Abstract: This article presents an interview with Arthur Clark and focuses on his knowledge, experience, and perspective on early recollection work. Art details his “dawn of memories” approach and its accompanying integral model of empathy. The interview highlights the importance of using empathy as a tool in interpreting childhood memories—an approach that adds an extra layer of depth in connecting with the client. Other aspects of working with early recollections and broader implications for Adlerian therapy are also discussed.
Abstract: This article presents an interview with Dr. Rachel Shifron, focusing on her extensive knowledge, experience, and perspective on working with early recollections (ERs). Dr. Shifron discusses how she discovered the significance of ERs in her practice and developed a holistic approach to interpreting them, emphasizing the strengths and life metaphors they reveal. She also elaborates on the subjective nature of ER analysis and its application in various therapeutic contexts, including couples therapy, addiction, and supervision. The interview provides valuable insights into her methodologies and the impact of ERs on understanding and facilitating client change.
Abstract: The concept of blood memory is deeply rooted in diverse cultures. It embodies the idea that memories and experiences can be inherited across generations through biological, cultural, or spiritual means. Originating from Dr. Momaday’s coinage of the term in House Made of Dawn , blood memory finds resonance in Carl Jung’s collective unconscious and Alfred Adler’s emphasis on early life observations of one’s environment, including live interactions and family or cultural mythology, shaping lifestyle. Marianne Hirsch’s concept of postmemory illuminates how the second generation inherits profound connections to ancestral traumas, such as the Holocaust, which shape their identities. This article explores the intersections of blood memory, postmemory, and epigenetics in memory formation. Drawing from personal stories from Indigenous Canadian and Jewish authors and borrowing from neuroscience, it examines the intergenerational inheritance of memories. The significance of blood memory transcends linear understandings of memory and time, challenging traditional notions of early recollections. While scientific explanations of the transfer of individual episodic memories remain elusive, cultural wisdom offers insights into the lived experiences and phenomenological realities of memory transmission. As psychologists and researchers, embracing diverse perspectives and cultural narratives is imperative to understanding the complexities of memory inheritance and its implications for cultural identity, movement, and lifestyle formation.
Abstract: Early recollections are narratives of past events, typically before age 10, reflecting individuals’ core beliefs about themselves, others, and the world. This article explores the multifaceted nature of early recollections, including their subjective and metaphoric significance and value in research and therapy. Drawing from various theoretical frameworks, including psychoanalytic, cognitive-perceptual, narrative, and Adlerian perspectives, the article outlines the development of early recollection research and scoring systems. It highlights the functions of early recollections in preserving lifestyle, directing future actions, and providing insights into psychological dynamics. The article demonstrates that interpreting early recollections offers a valuable understanding of individuals’ narratives, interpersonal relationships, and cultural influences. Additionally, the article examines therapeutic techniques utilizing early recollections to facilitate change, including reconstruction. Overall, early recollections serve as powerful tools for insight and intervention in therapy, offering a rich source of information for researchers and practitioners alike.
ABSTRACT: This article explores the use of artificial intelligence–generated images in Adlerian work with clients’ early recollections. The history of AI, the current advances in the use of AI in health care, the risks and benefits of AI, and the directions for future studies and possible clinical use are addressed. A case example with the use of Midjourney-generated images is presented.
ABSTRACT: A courage scale was developed to address issues regarding the definition of Adlerian courage. It considered the relationships among encouragement, courage, and boundary crossing in Japanese university students using structural equation modeling (SEM). According to exploratory factor analysis, the courage scale comprised two factors: striving for superiority over the self and social interest, consistent with Adler’s model of courage. Both factors exhibited sufficient reliability and validity. The SEM results indicated that encouragement from an intimate friend positively influenced social interest, which in turn positively influenced boundary crossing while negatively influencing boundary crossing in the absence of mediation. A classroom management approach based on the results and aimed at enhancing social interest is discussed from an Adlerian perspective.
ABSTRACT: This article offers a view of working with early recollections (ERs) in therapy while incorporating encouragement, reconstruction, and movement between the past, present, and future. Adler saw ERs as stories representing individuals’ “life stories,” meaning their lifestyles (personalities). As metaphoric narratives, ERs also reflect current experiences and emotions. Working with ERs in therapy provides the therapist and client with opportunities for encouragement, growth, and awareness. Engaging with ERs invites varied, creative paths for development and insight. They may be used as an ongoing and interactive tool for assessment and therapeutic interventions. This article presents a process of moving from the past to the present and back to the past by reconstructing an ER. Using the client’s wisdom from the present in the reconstruction opens a significant window to future change and allows the client to expand their perceptions.
ABSTRACT: Adler frequently said, “Everything can also be different,” and it seems to have been a theme that permeated his life and is also relevant to anyone who follows his theory today. Adler saw movement from a “felt minus” to a “perceived plus” as an inherent part of his life view as well as his theory. He emphasized the importance of the individual’s creative response to life’s challenges rather than the influence of any type of determinism. Following his service as a physician in the trenches of World War I, he developed the concept of Gemeinschaftsgefühl , or social interest or community feeling, as a mark of mental health and a fictional goal toward which all can strive.
ABSTRACT: This qualitative study examined the classical Adlerian practitioners’ experiences of developing professional identity. Classical Adlerian practitioners are a group of individuals who operationalize from classical Adlerian depth psychotherapy, one of the divergences from Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, data were gathered from two classical Adlerian practitioners using individual semi structured interviews. Findings presented four themes, including influences on developing their professional identities as classical Adlerians, congruency between professional and personal selves, the intertwined learning and applying process, and theoretical divergences within Adlerian Psychology. Implications for training and continued education are suggested.
ABSTRACT: Social interest is the cornerstone of psychological health. Recently, the psychological construct of mindfulness, which is closely linked to psychological health, has received a great deal of attention in counseling research and practice. Mindfulness plays a prominent role in traditional and modern Buddhist approaches that emphasize social justice and equality, as does Adlerian theory. In this regard, this study explores the mediating role of mindfulness in the relationship between social interest and psychological health. The sample consisted of 261 Turkish university students. The participants were administered the Demographic Information Form as well as three other instruments. Overall, results indicate that mindfulness positively mediates the relationship between social interest and psychological health.
ABSTRACT: This article revisits Alfred Adler’s views of war, his pacifism, and his explanation of nationalism and patriotism. The author explores mass dynamics in the origins and maintenance of tyrannical social systems. The author then presents the idea that tyranny is a core ingredient of wars at all levels, proposes the key features contributing to the development of the tyrannical lifestyle, and highlights the Individual Psychological education and prevention required to eradicate tyranny in families, social institutions, and countries.
ABSTRACT: There is evidence to suggest that social media can have traumatizing effects on its viewers, particularly in areas of documented warfare, with direct effects on the average citizen in a country at war. Given social media’s ability to connect any place in the world today to any other, users can become immersed in global issues, including the reporting of news related to war. As social beings, individuals play different roles during times of warfare—they can create media to spread political messages, consume the media, or share the media—all of which essentially contribute to the consumption of a significant amount of war-related media. Any individual continuously exposed to such media has the potential to undergo psychological distress, such as vicarious trauma. This article outlines how media play a role in the impact of the invasion of Ukraine on its viewers’ mental health. Using an Adlerian lens, it also addresses methods for preventing vicarious trauma for social media users and leaders of social-media- oriented businesses through an exploration of values such as community feeling, Social Interest, goal-directedness, social justice, and alleviation of a sense of inferiority.
ABSTRACT: This article presents a collection of short essays written by four Ukrainian Adlerian psychologists who chronicle their personal and professional experiences during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent full-scale war. An introduction and an overview by an American Adlerian practitioner preface the essays.
ABSTRACT: Exploring the membership archives of the North American Society of Adlerian Psychology (NASAP, initially ASAP) from 1952 until the early 2000s revealed many hidden treasures. The applications from the 1950s to the 1980s, most completed by hand, share applicants’ reasons for joining, their education and training background in Individual Psychology, their fields of interest, and their professional activities. Early files also contain letters of reference, each ending with a confirmation that an “applicant’s orientation can be classified as Adlerian” or a similar endorsement. This article presents the demographic profiles of the 6,357 NASAP applicants between 1952 and 2009, focusing on professional identity, theoretical orientation, and commitment to Adlerian values, as expressed in these application materials. The second-person interactions that were prominent and popular in the Adlerian movement in the United States through the 1990s—teaching, correspondence, mentorship, open forums, and other you -focused activities—likely contributed to high NASAP membership numbers between 1952 and the early 1990s.
