Alderian Psychology

I have been listening to a book called The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga.

The book delves into the principles of Adlerian psychology, which is something I remember hearing about despite taking psychological courses in college.

Adlerian psychology, founded by Alfred Adler around the same time as Sigmond Freud's better-known theories came about, emphasizes the importance of individual purpose and social interest. It suggests that our behavior is not determined by past traumas but by our goals and the meaning we assign to our experiences. 

Some key concepts as the Internet seems to understand Adlerian psychology:

Individual Psychology: Adler emphasized the uniqueness of each person and the importance of understanding individuals within their social context.

Feelings of Inferiority: Adler believed that feelings of inferiority drive individuals to strive for superiority and success. These feelings often stem from early childhood experiences.

Social Interest: A core concept in Adlerian psychology is the idea of social interest, which refers to an individual's sense of belonging and contribution to society.

Lifestyle: Adlerian therapy involves assessing an individual's lifestyle, which includes their beliefs, values, and strategies for dealing with life's challenges.

Encouragement: Adlerian therapists use encouragement to help clients see possibilities and believe in their abilities to overcome challenges.

Goal-Oriented Behavior: Adlerian theory posits that human behavior is goal-oriented and motivated by striving for personal goals.

Adlerian therapy allegedly focuses on understanding an individual's lifestyle and social interests, examining past experiences and family dynamics, and encouraging goal-setting and positive behavior changes to foster a sense of belonging and purpose

The Courage book encourages readers to embrace self-acceptance, take responsibility for their actions, and find the courage to be disliked in order to live authentically. Kind of a "do what you want and who cares about anyone else" sort of philosophy. I suspect this appeals more to narcissists than to people of other temperaments.

The book is structured as a dialogue between a philosopher and a young man. It does not go into detail about various psychologies or philosophies it mentions, which is a bit of a hindrance if the reader is not familiar with these types of issues and concerns. It also does not dovetail with the definition of Adlerian psychology that I found online, at least, not entirely. The book offers more of a life philosophy that emphasizes tasks and goals as the reason for living. I confess I find that idea to be distasteful.

That, to me, is a human doing, not a human being.

Not a book I recommend for self-growth, really, but if you want to learn about a different approach to certain ways of dealing with certain people, there may be some value there.