Theories Midterm
Running head: THEORIES MIDTERM
Adlerian and Existentialist Theories
Jane Westervelt
University of Idaho
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“I believe quite literally that each of us is a handicapped person, diminished in
vitality, and intuiting, either acutely or vaguely, that our nature holds unrealized
potential.” (Bugental, 1976, p 2)
Existentialism as a theory began to develop in the mid-1800s, but really came into its
own in the mid-1900s. It is probable that people have from the very beginning wondered about
the meaning of life and their purpose in the world. Several of the more recent theorists, such as
Viktor Frankl, lived in Europe, and were faced with the harsh realities of a war-torn continent.
In America, theorists like Rollo May had survived the Great Depression. It is no surprise that a
theory developed in which the harsh realities of life and death figures prominently. For
existentialists, it is the inevitability of death that motivates life. It is important to existentialists
that people accept the realities of death and life, thereby motivating them to live life more fully
as they recognize life is finite.
According to Yalom (1980), “Existential psychotherapy is a dynamic approach to therapy
which focuses on concerns that are rooted in the individual’s existence.” Central to this theory is
the idea that although we have no control over many things in life, people can still control much
of their life through the decisions that they make, and life is what we make of it. The client
brings in her own concerns, and the existential therapist helps her to explore how her choices up
to this time have affected where she is at now, and then to come up with new and realistic
options to go forward. Van Deurzen (2002) speaks similarly of the existentialist view: that life
does make sense and people create their meaning of life; the intrinsic flexibility of human nature;
that although people can exert significant control over their lives, there are boundaries to human
freedom, set by a universal order; and that it is necessary to recognize the limitations of abilities
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and inabilities. These assumptions guide a therapeutic style that encourages exploration of
options given the limitations of the circumstances, and finding the ability for the client to choose
the one that works best for her. This process of stepping out of one’s “comfort zone” causes
anxiety, but anxiety that is used in a constructive manner and motivates life is considered to be
normal anxiety of the human condition. There is no reason to alleviate this type of anxiety.
Corey (2009) lists six propositions of the existentialist view: people have the capacity for
self-awareness; freedom and responsibility; creation of identity and the establishment of
meaningful relationships; anxiety as necessary to living; a search for meaning; and awareness of
death. Again the theme of acknowledging death arises, this is central to the existentialist theory.
Both Corey and van Deurzen talk about the need for people to create a meaning for their life
through recognizing they have choices and can choose what best fits this meaning. In this sense
it is considered respectful of multicultural counseling as choices are made within the limitations
of the environment or in this case, culture.
Existentialism also lends itself to brief therapy counseling, with a limited number of
sessions. Brief therapy parallels existentialism in the idea that life, like therapy, is finite. It can
serve as a catalyst to clients to be actively involved in every session (Corey, 2009). In this case,
goals must be succinct and carefully outlined, and in keeping with existentialism, must be client
driven. Not all situations lend themselves to brief therapy, however, and the client and therapist
must collaboratively decide if such an approach is appropriate (Sharp and Bugental, 2001, as
cited in Corey, 2009). In making this decision, consideration is given to the problem at hand and
whether or not a goal can be sufficiently focused.
In the case of group therapy, the group must be agreed to helping all explore their
individual meanings of life, and therefore must be committed to a deep exploration of their own
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existence. They must work to enable members to be honest with themselves and address reality,
to widen their perspectives of themselves and the world around them, and to clarify what gives
meaning to their life (Corey, 2009). As with any group, members need to be honest with others,
and provide honest feedback. Behavior in the group mirrors behavior in the world, allowing
members to understand how others react to them and identify areas where they want to make
different choices.
There are no specific techniques in existentialist therapy; instead counselors are able to
draw on a wide variety of techniques from other methods. They cannot, however, simply choose
whatever sounds good at the moment—techniques that are chosen must be congruent with the
theory. For example, working with clients to help them understand they are alone in their
existence and must make their own choices in the world is not congruent with then turning
around and giving them homework (van Deurzen, 2002).
A situation where this type of therapy would work well is of a woman with an infant who
finds herself under a great deal of stress. Family and friends encourage her to take time away
from the baby to relax, but she believes this will only make the problem worse. Existentialism
could help her recognize another option—that her true enjoyment does come from taking care of
the baby, in light of the constraints of the situation—that taking care of a baby is not all fun but
also a lot of work. This therapy would do well in situations where one is “stuck,” where there
are a number of constraints in the situation that the client would need to work within to find an
answer.
I would use this in practice in the situations like that above, when the client has a number
of constraints on her solution. The underlying theory is one that I might use to base my
theoretical orientation, and indeed it is considered to be the base of many other theories. Without
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some experience of working with clients, it is hard for me to project the ways I would work this
into practice.
Alfred Adler’s What Life Should Mean to You (1958) starts out much the same as an
existentialist book might, with a discussion of the meaning of life and how each person chooses
her own path to meaning. However, his theory does not end there, and goes on to add a socialpsychological and teleological view of the development of human nature. Like existentialism,
the past is less important than where one is heading in the moment and in the future, although the
past is still useful for drawing parallels and understanding patterns of behavior.
Adler studied under Freud for many years, and the two initially were quite close. But
Adler began to differ from Freud with the belief that behavior is more psychosocially influenced
than Freud’s narrow beliefs of instinct and biology. Adler emphasized a phenomenological view,
or the attempt to view life from the client’s subjective view of reality. The facts of the situation
are considered less important than how the client interpreted the event, as it is this interpretation
that determines how an incident affects her. By letting go of preconceived notions that the
therapist might have, and entering the world of the client, the therapist is better situated to
understand the client’s point of view.
Adler also developed the concept that birth order plays a role in a person’s development,
and originally identified 5 positions: Only child, oldest child, second child, middle child, and
youngest. Since this time, this view has been changed to identify additional positions; Stein
(2009) describes twelve. These newer descriptions allow for twins, only girl among boys and
only boy among girls, all boys or girls, and others. These positions may provide insight into why
the client has developed the way she has, although it is possible for siblings to take the role of
another if circumstances permit. Adler also noted that when three or more years separate
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siblings, sub-groupings may appear. It is possible that for some birth order will not play a large
role in shaping the person’s personality; but other factors including parenting, gender, and
socioeconomic status may figure more prominently.
As one grows, the concept of social interest begins to play a greater role. Everyone has
the capacity to live in society; some have simply developed this ability more than others.
Ultimately, however, it is necessary for a person to interact with society for its betterment or risk
isolation and deteriorating mental health. It is through social interest that we come to live our
lives in ways that benefit the community, and find genuine security (Stein, 2009).
A number of techniques are used in Adlerian therapy, including Socratic questioning,
role-playing, and guided imagery. Műller, as cited in Stein (2009), recommended the use of
imagery when the client knew a change was necessary, but still lacked the incentive to put the
change to action. A common technique used often in the initial assessment is the exploration of
early memories, with the idea that themes discovered in these early memories will parallel
current themes of behavior.
Adlerian therapy would work well in a variety of situations, especially in situations where
the client’s past is holding her back in the present and from moving forward in the future, or
where the client finds herself repeating the same patterns again and again. Adlerian therapy
provides a base to explore the early memories and learn how the patterns came to develop, so a
plan can be put together to keep from repeating them from now on. I do believe our early
experiences frame our patterns of behavior, until such time as we examine these patterns and
choose to break those that are maladaptive. The experiences that are most meaningful to us are
the ones we remember, so early memories can be valuable in uncovering early patterns.
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I also believe in the birth order theory. Siblings can be very different from each other,
and have different experiences based on where they fall in the birth order. The family dynamic
changes with each new child, thus each child’s experience in the family changes too. Although
Adler’s original five positions was limiting, the way it has been expanded into twelve categories
is much more encompassing of various family structures. The birth order of a family and the
client’s position provide a starting point for gathering information about a client.
We are social creatures, and have a responsibility to the greater society. Adler believed
this responsibility lead to the meaning of life. This meaning may vary somewhat from person to
person, but ultimately it is about finding meaning through being with others. I agree with this
point of view and would use this to help clients find meaning in their own lives.
While I do like the existential theory, at this point it may be a bit nebulous to put into
practice. Working from an Adlerian point of view, which provides more guidance and structure,
feels “safer” to me at this point of developing a therapeutic style. And of course, there are many
other theories to cover before deciding on such a style. While I want to be able to, to some
extent, be able to pick and choose techniques from the various theories, bringing them into one
cohesive umbrella is more important to me, a challenge I expect to develop with time.
Theories Midterm
Adler, A. (1958). What life should mean to you. New York: Capricorn Books, G. P. Putnam’s
Sons.
Bugental, J. F. T. (1976). The search for existential identity: Patient-therapist dialogues in
humanistic psychotherapy. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Inc., Publishers.
Corey, G. (2009). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy, (8th ed). Belmont, CA:
Thomson Higher Education.
Stein, H. T. and Pienkowski, D. (2009). Classic Adlerian psychology. Retrieved March 7, 2009,
from http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/HStein/
van Deurzen, E. (2002). Existential counseling and psychotherapy in practice (2nd ed.). London,
GBR: Sage Publications, Incorporated.
Yalom, I. D. (1980). Existential psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books, Inc., Publishers.
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