Alfred Adler

Alfred Adler (1870–1937) was an Austrian physician, psychotherapist and writer who founded Individual Psychology, an approach centered on goals, belonging and social interest. Understanding Human Nature treats character not as a fixed inventory of traits but as a pattern developed in response to life's tasks and relationships. The Science of Living connects feelings of inferiority, courage and cooperation to choices made in family and community. The Neurotic Constitution gives a more technical view of how protective strategies can harden around imagined goals. Adler's psychology looks forward as well as backward: behavior gains meaning from what a person is trying to secure or avoid, not only from earlier causes. Understanding Human Nature is the more accessible conceptual guide, whereas The Science of Living brings those ideas into practical questions of responsibility and shared life.