ASSIGNMENT 2 1

Assignment 2

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Institutional Affiliation

Tutor

Date
 CASE ANALYSIS 2

Adlerian Psychotherapy Theory (APT)

This project required me to choose a hypothetical case of a patient who presented with a

psychiatric condition and analyze the patient's conduct and personality through the lens of one of

the theories discussed in class. Adlerian theory is a holistic approach to psychology developed by

Alfred Adler, an Austrian psychiatrist and one-time colleague of the psychoanalyst Sigmund

Freud. It postulates that human beings are born with an intrinsic sense of inferiority that manifests

as they experience the world. According to Adler (2013), all children experience feelings of

inferiority and inadequacy as soon as they begin to explore their surroundings. These early

experiences, such as the desire to get the attention of the parents, form the child's

subconscious goals (Jones-Smith, 2016). They inculcate in the child a desire to endeavor to

overcome that shortcoming — a desire to compensate for weaknesses by developing other

strengths.

Adlerian theory emphasizes the importance of overcoming self-esteem issues and

developing a sense of belonging in order to attain success and happiness (Cherry, 2021). One of

Adler's most well-known concepts is that everyone experiences emotions of inferiority at some

point in their lives (concerns that one is not achieving enough). Psychologically healthy individuals

benefit from these emotions of inadequacy since they motivate them to pursue objectives and strive

for self-improvement. In other words, by cultivating healthy coping mechanisms for feelings of

inadequacy, individuals might end up accomplishing great things and contributing positively to

society as a whole (McCluskey, 2021). Adler emphasized the necessity of understanding how

individuals are influenced by their social situation, implying that humans are motivated by a need

to feel relevant and a sense of belonging (Capella, n.d.; Wedding & Corsini, 2019).

The next section presents the case of Sandra Said, a female African-American patient who

suffers from low self-esteem and cultural identity crisis. It applies and the Adlerian theory was
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used to encourage and empower her to change her negative self-perception.

A Case of Sandra Said

This section presents the case of Sandra Said, a female African-American patient who

suffers from low self-esteem and cultural identity crisis. It applies and the Adlerian theory was

used to encourage and empower her to change her negative self-perception. Sandra Said was an

A+ student in high school who aspired to work as a teacher. She loved to help children, especially

those with developmental delays and learning challenges. Her parents however looked down on the

career and pushed her to study medicine . However, Sandra fell pregnant while in her second year

and panicked to the point of dropping out of medical school temporarily. Her parents and siblings

were livid and even abused her, calling her a “let down” who could not measure up to her elder

brother's standards and performance. They mocked the man who impregnated her as a non-starter

who would not take her far. Sandra hated herself, she felt like a failure. She withdrew from the

social scene for a while. She eventually went back to med school and but swore off dating and

socializing throughout her period of study. She immersed herself in books at the expense of her

social life. After graduating and getting started on her career, Sandra had a difficulty of entering in

a romantic relationship as she viewed men as detractor. I will apply the Adlerian theory to case

to empower her to make the changes she believes are necessary in her life in order to overcome her

feelings of inadequacy and feel well-adapted in her social and love life.

In Sandra's case, Adlerian theory is most appropriate because she has demonstrated some of

the fundamental signs that Adler emphasized: Sandra's inferiority complex caused her to strive for

superiority and go from a perceived “minus” to a perceived “plus” (Wedding and Corsini, 2019).

She is a highly successful doctor who has earned the respect of her parents in her professional

endeavors; but, during family gatherings, she is constantly grilled on her marital status, often being

compared to her married siblings. Because of this, Sandra feels a great deal of pressure, and she
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feels inadequate in contrast to her brothers once more. Sandra is still grappling with the

consequences of her college relationship history, as well as the guilt she felt as a result of letting

her parents down, and she has sought counseling in the hopes of being able to move on from this

experience.

Using a “phenomenological approach” when treating Sandra is critical because it allows

one to see her situation from her perspective rather than through an objective lens (Wedding and

Corsini, 2019). Her view of her reality will serve as the foundation for all of our goals in

psychotherapy going forward. Adlerian therapy necessitates a reciprocal relationship between the

patient and therapist, who must be able to link events to the past in order to uncover the client's

“faulty premises and destructive values” (Wedding and Corsini, 2019). The only justification for

engaging with her past is if it will help explain her current behavior and prevent the past from

adversely effecting subsequent behaviour (Wedding and Corsini, 2019). It is anticipated that

Sandra's thoughts and feelings will be the primary focus of treatment, as they appear to be the most

significant obstacle to her feeling of adequacy.

Intervention

Lifestyle assessment

Using the Adlerian lifestyle assessment, I was able to gather more in-depth information

about a client's daily activities and habits. According to Adler, the development of personality

takes place in early childhood, between the ages of 0 and 10 years, and it is directed toward the

achievement of the ultimate imagined goal. The client's family environment as well as sibling

information and birth order, are all evaluated as part of the lifestyle evaluation instrument. The

clinician who employs this method asks a series of questions designed to aid the therapist in

understanding the personality and behavior of the client in issue. I asked Sandra a series of

questions about her birth order and any issues she may have had as a child. Sandra answered all of

my questions. It was discovered that she not only felt inadequate in comparison to her big brothers,
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but that she also harbored resentment toward her little sister. When Sandra was probed a little

further to clarify her views toward her sister, she indicated that the sister had been granted freedom

of choice, whereas Sandra had been denied this and was compelled to pursue medicine. Despite

Sandra's insistence that she was glad for and loved her sister, she expressed dissatisfaction with the

fact that she had to design her life around what her parents desired. It was clear from the early

memories that the youngster had a difficult upbringing. According to research, individuals adapt to

their circumstances as children, and they often do not let go of these adaptations as they grow

older (Miller and Taylor, 2016).

I identified that Sandra is a highly accomplished neurosurgeon, but she has made all of her

decisions in order to please others. Sandra may be a people-pleaser who will not question my

points of view or the objectives of therapeutic interventions because she is accustomed to making

other people happy and does not have confidence in the decisions she makes for herself. I felt that

Sandra did not have confidence in the decisions she makes for herself. I emphasized from the

beginning of therapy that we are on a level ground in the therapeutic journey and that she must be

willing to participate and contribute if she is to have a positive resolution. Because Sandra has been

a passive participant in decision-making for the most of her life, establishing rapport and

empowering her to set her own goals was essential to success

Dream Interpretation

Dreams provide insight into the issues that the dreamer faces in conscious experience, both

internally and externally. If the dreamer examines the dream for a better understanding, they will

find solutions to many of their problems and identify where their attention is most needed in any

type of problematic situation. Analyzing and understanding one's dreams is essential for problem

solving (Wedding and Corsini, 2019). Sandra talked of having a recurrent dream about being

rendered immobile. Her attempts to free herself have not borne any fruit, as a matter of fact, they

made her weaker, unable to stand on her own. Applying the dream interpretation lenses in this case
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reveal Sandra’s dream reflects her real-life state of “bondage” to her parents’ whims. The concept

of bondage can be interpreted as Sandra’s sense of inferiority complex. I used Adler's “spitting in

soup” technique, which makes some thinking patterns unpleasant to the person to conjure up

(Wedding and Corsini, 2019). This will necessitates my recognizing a negative behavior and

ensuring that Sandra does not indulge in it again. I will introduce the goal of independence,

encouraging her to be her own person capable of determining her life's course without bowing to

parental pressure. As a child, she sought to please her parents but now she is an adult and should

make her own choices and still maintain respectful to her parents even if her choices contradict

their expectations.

In order to effectively tackle the goal of establishing healthy romantic relationships and

friendships, it would be best if I asked Sandra to think about what measures she would take to

make this happen for her first. Her past experiences should not define who she is going forward. I

would ask her to let the past be a bygone and to note that romance cannot detract her from her

career at this point in life. In order to redirect her thoughts at this point, I would tell her that her

parents, who appeared to be the driving force behind her reservations of establishing

romantic relationships, have now urged her to go into that direction. Hopefully, by helping her

to realize that she now has the blessing of her family, she will be able to break the association

between love and friendship and terrible events. Through the use of these strategies, I am hopeful

that Sandra will begin to recognize that she has the ability to alter her perceptions of her unpleasant

events in the past and move ahead to have a secure and stable future. As a result, I am hopeful that

she will feel safe and secure enough to move outside of her comfort zone and, perhaps, begin to

rebuild the relationship she has with her family and let go of any anger she may harbor toward

them. In all honesty, her family may be completely unaware of the impact they have had on her

life, and it may be beneficial for everyone involved if this is explored and brought into the light.

Sandra, I believe, will have challenges when she begins dating because she missed the opportunity
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to do so when she was younger. However, with further psychotherapy and encouragement, she

will be successful in establishing a healthy relationship.

Sandra has a number of concerns that she has to address in order to live her best life, and

Adlerian psychotherapy seems like a good place to start. Using Adlerian therapy, she will be able

to establish a foundation for what she wishes to address and admit from her past. Having some

support and empowerment from a third party may, at the at least, assist her in making the necessary

changes in her own life and provide her with the space to develop confidence.

Limitations of Adlerian Therapy in this case study from a multicultural perspective

One constraint would be if therapy were to end during the engagement period. Deborah is

already hesitant to attend a therapist, and she may meet and determine that she is not ready to

discuss herself or her past experiences. She may also fully disagree with me on the goals I've set

for her, and Adlerian therapy must be a collaborative effort between counsellor and patient. From a

multicultural perspective, Adler failed to account for cultural differences, and hence his findings

cannot be generalized.

My personal alignment with the treatment

I chose Adlerian treatment for Sandra for a variety of reasons, both scientific and personal.

I appreciate how Adlerian treatment is forward-looking and depends on the past solely to

demonstrate why such experiences are no longer necessary. One of Adlerian therapy's strengths is

its adaptability and adaptability, and I believe it will be beneficial in addressing Sandra's

difficulties and ambitions. Sandra's problems are complex, and Adlerian therapy can be utilized

successfully to address any of them. Sandra has a number of issues that she needs to address in

order to live her best life, and Adlerian treatment, in my opinion, is an excellent place to start. By

utilizing Adlerian therapy, she will be able to establish a foundation for what she wishes to address

and what she needs to acknowledge about her past. At the very least, receiving encouragement and

empowerment from counsellor a may help her make the necessary changes in her own life and
 CASE ANALYSIS 8
provide her with the space to develop confidence.

References

Adler, A. (2013). Understanding human nature (Psychology revivals). Routledge.

Cherry, K. (2021, December 21). What to know about Adlerian theory. Verywell Mind.

Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/alderian-theory-definition-

techniques-and-efficacy-5213796

Jones-Smith, E. (2016). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: An integrative approach.

SAGE Publications.

McCluskey, M. C. (2021). Revitalizing Alfred Adler: An echo for equality. Clinical Social Work

Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-021-00793-0

Miller, R., & Taylor, D. (2016). Does Adlerian theory stand the test of time?: Examining

individual psychology from a neuroscience perspective. The Journal of Humanistic

Counseling, 55(2), 111-128. https://doi.org/10.1002/johc.12028

Wedding, D., & Corsini, R. J. (2019). Current psychotherapies. Cengage Learning.

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