Alfred Adler
Alfred Adler (1870–1937) was an Austrian physician, psychiatrist, and founder of Individual Psychology, a school of psychology emphasizing the individual’s social environment, goals, sense of belonging, and efforts to overcome perceived inadequacy. Born in Rudolfsheim, near Vienna, he studied medicine at the University of Vienna and initially practiced as an ophthalmologist before becoming increasingly involved in psychiatry and psychotherapy. Adler joined the circle around Sigmund Freud in 1902 and became an early member of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society, but disagreements over the centrality of sexuality and other theoretical questions eventually led to his separation from Freud in 1911. He developed Individual Psychology around concepts including inferiority feelings, compensation, lifestyle, striving for significance, and social interest (Gemeinschaftsgefühl), arguing that personality is shaped not simply by instinct but by an individual’s interpretation of circumstances and pursuit of goals within a social world. He also emphasized family relationships, childhood development, education, and birth order, although some later claims associated with birth order have been more strongly debated than Adler’s broader psychological framework. Adler established child-guidance clinics in Vienna and later worked internationally, including in the United States, where he continued lecturing and developing his psychological and educational ideas until his death in Aberdeen, Scotland.