Alfred Adler

Just like you said, what do these words mean? What are the influences from the family you were raised in, your gender identity, your sexual orientation, culture of origin, country of origin? Are you religious? What are all these things that gave you the messaging and the social permission, or lack thereof, to have these conversations and you're bringing those into work, whether it's a brick and mortar building or through a screen? And so I think that a lot of organizations unintentionally miss the mark about understanding that, yes, medically we all have mental health, but that doesn't mean that the systems in which those conversations exist are the same.

So my undergrad was in sociology, and my master's degree was at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, and the joke I always make is that Adler was around the same time as Freud, he just didn't get the press.

Most people don't know who he is.

This is the guy-

He looked at how family systems impact mental health, and socioeconomic status, and all these things, because that's how it should be looked at, because mental health is not in a vacuum.

And so I harp a lot on that because just because we're saying, "Oh, we should all come to the table and have this conversation," well, you gotta see what people are bringing to the table so you can close that gap of differences.

differences.Exactly. And I'm sure Adler was the first to say that the youngest child is the best and most well-behaved-

Ah

And the book argues that when we live for recognition, we're actually living according to other people's expectations.

We begin asking, "What must I do so that people will approve of me?" So instead, the Adlerian psychology asks us to develop a sense that we have value without constantly needing somebody else to confirm it.

This doesn't mean appreciation is bad.

It means appreciation should not become the fuel which, without which we cannot move.

The psychological problems people face aren't necessarily repressed sexual desires, but what Adler called illogical expectations that they place on themselves and their environment.

So Adlerian therapy focused on uncovering these illogical expectations and guiding the patient toward adjusting their goals.

The aim was to increase their social interest, foster a sense of community, and build self-confidence in their ability to actually shape their own future.

It introduced a profound element of responsibility and choice.