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3 Life Principles That Can Make It Easier for Everyone
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3 Life Principles That Can Make It Easier for Everyone

Perspectives from Adlerian psychology that anyone can benefit from

Jul 29, 2022
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3 Life Principles That Can Make It Easier for Everyone
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Not so long ago I came across a book that discusses Adlerian psychology, in a simple way. It was the first time I heard about Adler and how he perceived the individual. If curious about the book, find out more here. I’ve researched more about what Adlerian psychology stands for and I believe there are some principles that can help anyone, no matter what life philosophy you follow.

But first who was this guy called Adler?

Alfred Adler (1870–1937), world-renowned philosopher and psychiatrist, stressed the need to understand individuals within their social context. During the early 1900s, Adler began addressing such crucial and contemporary issues as equality, parent education, the influence of birth order, lifestyle, and the holism of individuals. Adler believed that we all have one basic desire and goal: to belong and to feel significant.

— Adler Graduate School

I think he was onto something there. While I wouldn’t call myself an Adlerian adept, I’ve picked the principles that can make my life better. There 3 general ideas that I believe can help most of us to simplify our lives. Here they come:

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1. The past does not determine the future, our goals do

We tend to blame our past for our traumas, our negative traits, or even our opportunities. That kind of makes it better, an excuse to be extremely shy, or to lack confidence or not to apply for a new job, and so on. While I know that traumas do exist and impact our lives, I think how we act once we are aware of them makes the difference. Adler doesn’t support the idea that there are any traumas, which I don’t fully agree with, but he points out that our future will be shaped according to our inner goals which I agree with. That is why people who deal with the same kind of trauma end up on opposites sides of a spectrum, such as someone who was aggressed becomes an aggressor or someone who fights against them.

2. All behavior is viewed as movement towards a goal

According to Adler, we are always having a goal, even when we don’t realize it. If we yell at someone even when we feel entitled to do it, we are doing it because we have a goal. Such as the goal of feeling superior, exerting authority, or being in the center of attention, even if it might not sound like us. If we search deep enough we will see there is more than just the so-called ’cause and effect’ when things develop in a certain way.

3. All of our problems are basically social problems

If we will come into this world and no people would be around, we would have no idea what being lonely means. We will have no concept of being more or less beautiful, smart, fitter, or richer, we would just be. Our perception of the people around us and how we interact with them create all the problems in our life. The good news? Most of them are easy fixes. No need to retreat from society. A change in perspective can be enough. Start thinking that at the basic level we are all equals, we are all humans wanting to be happy, everything else is filters and add-ons that each of us creates, and sometimes gets. I know this sounds too simple when we have so many ranks and problems in the world, but give it a try. Next time when your manager makes you angry, take a step back and remember that at the base you are equals.

While of course, these perspectives won’t solve your existential questions, I believe that they could help ease some stress that we create unnecessarily. If you want a deeper dive into Adler’s theory see this video.

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