The Neurotic Constitution; Outlines of a Comparative Individualistic Psychology and ...

Books

As the 20th century drew to a close, the Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler (1870-1937) was perhaps the least known of the prominent figures of his time - in particular Sigmund Freud and Carl Gustav Jung - and yet he continues to be a figure of influence in the 21st century. His school of 'individual psychology' involved a holistic approach to the study of the individual, with a key focus on the way each person viewed the world, especially regarding their concerns of inferiority. This applied to both men and women in their different ways. The Neurotic Character is, as the editor of this modern translation states, 'Adler's magnum opus - complex, profound and brilliant in its crystallised capture of the human soul gone astray.' Written in 1911, Adler continued to expand and develop his ideas over the following decades as he assimilated experience gained from his practice. It opens with the Theoretical Part, in which he introduces 'The Origin and Development of the Inferiority Feeling and Its Effects', as ...