The Psychology of Personal Growth and Better Relationships

The Psychology of Personal Growth and Better Relationships

by Toshinori Iwai
Released April 2023
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781394176076

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

LEARN SKILLS THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME WITH MANGA FOR SUCCESS!

Do you want to get along better with people? Overcome negative thought patterns that are holding you back? Or are you looking for a basic understanding of the popular ideas of Adlerian psychology? Whatever your reason for picking up this book, The Psychology of Personal Growth and Better Relationships: Manga For Success makes psychology concepts easy to understand using practical examples and situations. You’ll read about:

  • Self-determination and self-encouragement
  • Dealing with emotions in interpersonal relationships
  • Having courage during difficult conversations


The story follows Yukari, a 28-year-old area manager of a bakery chain who finds her career gridlocked by frustration and adversarial relationships. Luckily for her, Adler’s Ghost appears to teach her how to turn the situation around. As her communication improves, she builds relationships of trust, and her career begins to move forward smoothly. Applicable in both business and personal life, this book has the potential to change your life for the better—and you’ll have fun reading it. Find out why the Manga For Success series—now available in English for the first time—is so popular in Japan, Korea, and beyond.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Preface
  5. Prologue: What Is Adlerian Psychology?
    1. Story 1: The Little Ghost I Met in the Warehouse
    2. 1 Grasping the Whole Picture of Adlerian Psychology
      1. A Forerunner to the Psychology of Self‐Development
      2. Expansion and Breakthrough from the Field of Education into Personal and Organizational Development
    3. 2 The Main Components of Adlerian Psychology
      1. Self‐Determination: Psychology That Makes You the Protagonist
      2. Teleology: Every Human Action Has a Purpose
      3. Holism: A Person's Body and Mind Are a Single Unit
      4. Cognitivism: Every Individual Views Things through Their Own Subjective Lens
      5. Interpersonal Relationships: All Human Actions Require a Partner
      6. Encouragement and Social Interest
    4. Column 1: Alfred Adler, the Man
  6. Part 1: If You Change Your Perspective, Your Life Will Be Easier
    1. Story 2: The Store Managers' Rebellion!
    2. 1 Lifestyle and Life Tasks
      1. What Is Lifestyle?
      2. The Elements and Effects of Lifestyle
      3. What Are Life Tasks?
    3. 2 From an Etiological Approach to a Teleological One
      1. The Three Patterns of Discouragement
      2. Searching for the Cause Does Not Lead to the Solution
    4. 3 Cognitive Theory and Basic Mistakes
      1. What Is Private Logic?
      2. Basic Mistakes
      3. Three Ways to Guide Yourself Back to Common Sense (Our Shared Sense)
    5. 4 Self‐Determination
      1. You Have All of the Judgment Criteria
      2. Physical Inferiority, Feelings of Inferiority, and Inferiority Complex
    6. Column 2: Adler, the Feminist
  7. Part 2: Understanding the Role of Emotion in the Formation of Lifestyle
    1. Story 3: The Secret Behind the Discarded POP Displays
    2. 1 Reason and Emotion
      1. The Lie Behind “I Know, But I Can't Quit”
      2. Anger as a Secondary Emotion
      3. Note
    3. 2 The Formation of Lifestyle
      1. How Is Lifestyle Determined?
      2. General Personality Tendencies Based on Birth Order
      3. Jockeying for Power
    4. 3 How to Develop Courage
      1. Four Points in Developing Courage
    5. Column 3: Adler, Who Began a New Era
  8. Part 3: From the World of Assumptions to Common Sense
    1. Story 4: Why Wasn't I Chosen?
    2. 1 What Is Cognitivism?
      1. Everything Is a World of Assumptions
    3. 2 What Is Empathy?
      1. Caring About Your Partner's Thoughts, Feelings, and Current Situation
      2. The Difference Between Empathy and Sympathy
      3. Methods to Train Your Empathy
    4. 3 How Do I Adopt New Patterns of Behavior?
      1. The Three Cycles
      2. How to Overcome Being Consciously Unskilled
      3. How to Avoid the Contingency Trap
    5. Column 4: Adler, the Encourager
  9. Part 4: Interpersonal Relationships and Emotions
    1. Story 5: Christmas, the Final Battle!
    2. 1 What Are Interpersonal Relationships?
      1. Every Action Needs a Partner
      2. Four Guidelines to Building Good Relationships
    3. 2 Emotions That Pull Us Apart and Bring Us Together
      1. The Definition of Emotion
      2. Can you control your emotions?
    4. 3 Jealousy's True Identity
      1. Jealousy Arises from a Certain Relationship
    5. 4 What Are Feelings of Inferiority?
      1. Feelings of Inferiority to Oneself and Others
      2. Healthy Reactions to Feelings of Inferiority
    6. Column 5: Adler and America
  10. Part 5: What Is Encouragement?
    1. Story 6: I'm Going to Deliver the Photo!
    2. 1 Encouragement in Adlerian Psychology
      1. The Basics of Encouragement
      2. The Difference Between Praise and Encouragement
    3. 2 Self‐Encouragement
      1. The Three Keys to Encouraging Yourself
      2. How Do I Encourage Myself?
    4. 3 Encouraging Others
      1. The Three Levels of Encouragement
      2. How to Encourage Others
    5. Column 6: Adler's Twilight Years and Passing
  11. Author's Profile
  12. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: The Psychology of Personal Growth and Better Relationships
  • Author(s): Toshinori Iwai
  • Release date: April 2023
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781394176076