Major Adlerian Concepts:
2. Purpose; Goal-directedness

Individual Psychology is a teleological psychology; it views personality as oriented toward the future rather than caused by the past. It leaves behind the "cause-and-effect" mechanism in favor of a dynamic approach to individual movement. Here behavior is governed by, serves, and expresses a person’s goals, in particular the fictional final goal. Traditionally, when we ask "why" we think, feel or act in a certain way, we think causally. That is, we seek an explanation in a past occurrence of what led us to that behavior now. In Adler’s view, "Why" asks instead, "What is the intention of that behavior for the future?" As Adler himself put it,

The efforts of Individual Psychology have a;ways been mainly directed toward grasping the "Why" of phenomena— why (toward what end) a human being behaves in a manner which seems to us extraordinary or pathological. . . . In view of our comprehensive general outlook, it is understandable that we should throw into relief the question of why a human being behaves in such a way as not to solve his life problems in the manner generally expected in his culture. Accordingly, in 1908, . . . I began to develop the finalistic viewpoint of Individual Psychology, and came to the conclusion that we must look upon the psychic life as a movement directed toward the solution of certain almost immutable life tasks. (in Ansbachers, 1964, pp. 113-114)

Applied to psychotherapy, this teleoanalytic approach examines behaviors in terms of intended outcomes and their relation to and support of the individual’s Life Style.

A person would not know what to do with himself were he not oriented toward some goal. We cannot think, feel, will, or act without the perception of some goal. All the causalities in the world do not enable the living organism to conquer the chaos of the future and the planlessness of which we should be the victims. . . . Without any self-consistency, physiognomy, and personal note we would rank with the amoeba. Inanimate nature obeys a perceptible causality, but life is [subjectively] a demand. (Ansbachers, 1964, 96)

In a 1914 article, Adler indicated that this was a central assumption of Individual Psychology:

The essential point to be grasped psychologically and the one which interests us exclusively and practically and psychologically more than all others, is the path followed. Let me observe that if I know the goal of a person I know in a general way what will happen. . . . We must remember that the person under observation would not know what to do with himself were he not oriented toward some goal. . . . If we look at the matter more closely, we shall find the following law holding in the development of all psychic happenings: we cannot think, feel, will, or act without the perception of some goal. (Adler, 1925, pp. 2-3)

Related is the twin concept of "sequence and consequence," in which things happen (sequence) which have results (consequence). Adlerians consider two types:

Natural consequences arise from the logic of the natural or physical order. For example, "If you touch something hot, you’ll get burned" or "If you don’t eat, you’ll get hungry."

More important are Logical consequences which arise from the logic of the social order, that is, from social interactions and one’s place in the community. For example, "If you are nasty, people will avoid you," or "If you are a friend to others, they will be friendly to you."

This idea of consequences for one’s own behavior is seen especially in the applications Adler and others (especially Dreikurs, the Dinkmeyers, and McKay) have made to child discipline. See especially Systematic Training for Effective Parenting: STEP and STEP for Parents of Teens, both by Don Dinkmeyer and Gary McKay, published by American Guidance Service, Circle Pines, Minnesota, 55014. (Phone: 1-612-786-4343)