Adlerian psychotherapy, working through a life situation

Adlerian Psychotherapy is a unique and multifaceted approach in modern psychology, aimed at stimulating personal growth and development. This method, based on the theories of Alfred Adler, is widely applied in various therapeutic formats, including group therapy, psychodrama, and work with couples and families. The fundamental goal of Adlerian therapy is to correct deeply rooted mistaken beliefs in an individual's worldview and significantly enhance their social engagement and interest in community life.


How Adlerian Therapy Works

To deeply understand the basic assumptions that form the unique lifestyle of each individual, Adlerian therapists focus on two key aspects: family structure and early childhood memories. A thorough analysis of family dynamics helps to reveal how a person found their place in the complex family ecosystem, who served as a role model, and what behaviors were encouraged or discouraged by their close environment. Concurrently, a deep study of childhood memories helps to understand how a person has reconstructed and possibly reinterpreted their past to support their current psychological state and life position.

During therapy, the specialist aims to uncover the person's overall life plan in its entirety and determine at what specific stage this plan leads to maladaptive behavior and psychological problems. It is important to note that the evaluation process is not limited to the initial stage but continues throughout the therapy course, requiring the specialist's exceptional attentiveness and sensitivity to all aspects of the patient's verbal and non-verbal behavior.


What the Adlerian Therapy Method Entails

One of the central concepts in Adlerian therapy is the notion of "private logic" – a set of personal, often unconscious assumptions about oneself and the surrounding world. The therapist's task is to delicately uncover hidden motives, defense mechanisms, and attempts to maintain the imagined values of the lifestyle, which may hinder the healthy functioning of the personality. In this approach, motives are interpreted not in isolation but based on the ultimate goal pursued by the individual. This goal can range from protecting personal plans and neutralizing the imagined antagonism of others to achieving an imaginary victory or maintaining a sense of self-worth. 

Adlerian Therapy highlights three main directions for change during the therapeutic process:

• progress towards constructive resolution of life tasks;
• conscious abandonment of their resolution if they are irrelevant;
• search for alternative, more effective ways to achieve goals.
  
  

One of the key tasks of the therapist is to help the patient recognize and overcome self-destructive and unrealistic assumptions, which may include a wide range of cognitive distortions:

• incorrect focus on insignificant aspects of life;
• deeply rooted biases and stereotypes;
• limited thinking categories and stereotypical thinking;
• significant detachment of thinking from objective reality;
• commitment to unusual, irrational ideas;
• unrealistic expectations and thoughts;
• inaccurate, distorted evaluation of life events and situations.
  
  

Effectiveness of the Method

Insight plays a fundamental, transformative role in the Adlerian therapy process, providing valuable information about necessary changes in the patient's thinking and behavior. Interestingly, some interpretations are readily and enthusiastically accepted by the patient as they offer long-awaited explanations of their internal processes and provide satisfying self-understanding.

Other interpretations may encounter significant resistance, especially if they touch on personality aspects that threaten the established self-esteem or sense of self-control. True, deep insight always evokes a strong emotional response and helps a person begin fundamentally rethinking and restructuring their life.

Adlerian therapy is based on the principle of active cooperation between the therapist and the patient. The primary task of the therapist is to establish meaningful, trusting interaction. To achieve this goal, the specialist consciously avoids negative evaluations of the patient's behavior, instead demonstrating deep understanding and sincere respect for their feelings and life experience.

Working with resistance within the Adlerian approach requires exceptional sensitivity to the patient's emotional state and the ability to track subtle fluctuations between openness and defensive reactions.

Adlerian theory highlights several main causes of resistance, including goal inconsistency between the patient and the therapist, the patient's tendency to devalue the suggestions and ideas of others as a way to maintain positive self-esteem, natural resistance to interference with personal beliefs, and rigid perceptual attitudes that strictly filter out non-conforming information.

Adlerian therapy emphasizes that change becomes possible through the patient's creative potential and significantly increased self-understanding. The desired direction of changes includes increasing awareness of previously unconscious motives and unproductive behavior patterns, growing a sense of personal competence, significantly improving interpersonal interactions, forming a more realistic self-determination and self-acceptance, and replacing inadequate selfish values with prosocial ones.

It is important to understand that the therapeutic process in the Adlerian approach requires significant time for the adoption and integration of new behavior. As progress is made, the patient gradually learns to understand their symptoms, emotions, and behavioral reactions more deeply, gaining more knowledge about themselves and their relationships with the world. In the later stages of therapy, intervals between sessions may increase, indicating the patient's growing readiness to complete the therapeutic course.

However, the completion of formal therapy does not mean the end of personal growth. Through Adlerian therapy, the patient masters effective self-understanding methods and continues to use them independently. Notably, even years after the therapy course, many patients continue to discover new insights about themselves and their lives, contributing to the continuous process of personal development and self-improvement.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that Adlerian psychotherapy represents a deep and multifaceted approach to understanding human psyche and behavior. It offers unique tools for overcoming life difficulties and achieving a more fulfilling, socially integrated life. Due to its flexibility and focus on the individual characteristics of each person, this method remains relevant and effective in modern psychotherapeutic practice.