This is a textbook for psychologists, counselors, therapists, educators, and others in the helping professions. It is based upon the psychology of Alfred Adler who developed a systematic approach for democratic social living. Abe Maslow, Rollo May, and Carl Rogers all claimed Alfred Adler as their teacher. You can, too.

This book provides an introduction and overview to Alfred Adler's person-centered approach to psychotherapy. In Adler's view, all behavior has social meaning, and the socio-cultural context of a person's life is a driving influence on their mental health and life experiences.

A Primer of Adlerian Psychology offers an accessible, yet very learned, introduction to Adlerian Psychology. Also known as Individual Psychology, the approach stresses the unity of the individual, the subjective choices he or she makes and the goals the individual works towards he or she moves through life. Therapists can apply this theory in a variety of settings with populations of all ages, making it a highly practical and valuable approach. Written by two scholars with extensive knowledge and experience in this school of thought, this book covers the basic tenets of Individual Psychology geared toward those students and clinicians who are yet unfamiliar with Adler's work.

This edited volume addresses key issues relating to the concept of self, an increasingly researched area of social psychology. The self-concept consists of three fundamental self-representations: the individual self, the relational self, and the collective self. That is, people seek to achieve self-definition and self-interpretation (i.e. identity) in three fundamental ways: in terms of their personal traits, in terms of dyadic relationships, and in terms of group membership. Contributions from leading international researchers examine the interrelations among three self-representations. A concluding commentary identifies running themes, synthesizes the extant literature, and points to future research directions.

The Adlerian Lexicon features 106 inclusive entries of terms (one entry per page) associated with the Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler, with a foreword by Guy J. Masaster, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, president of the International Association of Individual Psychology; an introduction to Adler; an extensive bibliography of Adlerian materials; and an index. Adler, who with Freud and Jung was one of the founders of modern psychology, chose the term "Individual Psychology" to represent his emphasis on the holism of the individual (individual = that which cannot be divided), as distinguished from a consideration of the individual in terms of part processes. The Adlerian Lexicon has no competitor in the English language. It serves as the authoritative reference work for practitioners, students, and scholars of modern psychiatry and psychology. Originally published in 1984, the present text is the second edition, revised and expanded.

If the aim of psychotherapy is to alleviate suffering, then the measure of its validity must be the extent to which it does or does not achieve that goal. But who decides whether suffering has been alleviated, or whether the well-being of the client has been promoted? On what basis are such judgements made? The majority of literature on the effectiveness of therapy is written by therapists. This book, written by a client, challenges the power of theory, and in so doing presents an appeal for greater sensitivity, a critical view and better practice.

Professor Berofsky provides a detailed, sophisticated and comprehensive treatment of autonomy.

In Person-Centered Psychotherapies, David J. Cain discusses the history, theory, research and practice of this seminal approach whose basic premises have influenced the practice of most therapeutic systems. Person-centered therapy, also called client-centered therapy, was created by Carl Rogers almost 70 years ago. In polls of psychotherapists conducted in 1982 and 2007, Carl Rogers was voted the most influential psychotherapist in history. His original approach gave rise to a number of variations on the original, all of which may be classified as person-centered psychotherapies because of their basis in Rogers' core therapeutic conditions of empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence. This model emphasizes the client - therapist relationship, focusing on how the quality of moment-to-moment engagement between therapist and client can create optimal conditions for client growth. Person-centered therapies view clients as resourceful persons capable finding their own directions and solutions for their problems, and a fundamental value of the person-centered therapist is to honor and preserve the client's autonomy and choice. In this book, Dr. Cain presents and explores person-centered psychotherapy, its theory, history, therapy process, primary change mechanisms, the empirical basis for its effectiveness, and contemporary developments that have refined theory and expanded how it may be practiced. In recent years dialogical, experiential, existential and expressive-creative influences have been integrated in practice. This essential primer, amply illustrated with case examples featuring diverse clients, is perfect for graduate students studying theories of therapy and counseling as well as for seasoned practitioners interested in understanding how it has evolved in recent decades.