Adlerian Theory

There are several similarities between Jung and Alfred Adler. Both men trained as doctors, over time sought out Freud to learn about psychoanalysis, were seen as potential successors by Freud, but eventually broke from him over theoretical disputes. While both men disagreed with the emphasis Freud placed on sexuality as a motive, the similarities in their views end there. To Adler, the most important motive is the feeling of inferiority, which he felt originated in the sense of dependence and helplessness which infants experience. (Many biographers see a parallel between Adler's theory and his often experience of being sickly as a child.)Adler's theory in many ways seems more straight-forward than Jung's, since his focus on striving for superiority seems less abstract than Jung's concept of individuation as the goalof growth. This is also seen in other aspects of this theory, such as style of life as a n individual's pattern of personality and adjustment. (Note Adler had little interest in Jung's concepts of archetypes and the collective unconscious.) In the end, his theory faces many of the same difficulties as other psychodynamic theories, in terms of evaluating its validity. (See text.) Nonetheless, there is little doubt that Adler has had significant influence within the psychodynamic approach, and as the following links illustrate, his theory still has many supporters.

Resource: http://www.ryerson.ca/~glassman/psychdyn.html

References

Benjamin, L. T., Jr., & Dixon, D. N. (1996) Dream analysis by mail: an American woman seeks Freud's advice, American Psychologist, 51, 461-468.

Freud, S. (1900) The Interpretation of Dreams. Reprinted as Vol. 6 of Strachey, J. (Ed.), The Standard Edition of the Complete Pschological Works of Sigmund Freud. London: Hogarth Press, 1960.

Publications Related to the Psychodynamic Approach
Free Associations: Psychoanalysis and the Public Sphere--On-line journal edited by Robert M. Young of Sheffield University.

International Journal of Psychoanalysis--Provides effective search tools, with some on-line content and access to contents pages in archive.

Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association--Provides archive of contents pages, but not full texts.