The Psychology of Personal Growth and Better Relationships

1Grasping the Whole Picture of Adlerian Psychology

A Forerunner to the Psychology of Self‐Development

Yukari, the newly promoted area manager of the well‐established bakery chain Blume, is the middle of three siblings. She has grown up alongside her older brother, who excels at everything, and her younger sister, who can do no wrong. She loves a challenge and is quite capable, but she occasionally finds herself spinning her wheels and feeling exhausted with life. In this story, we'll follow Yukari as she discovers Adlerian psychology and learns to use it to overcome her problems by herself and stay on top of her so‐called life tasks.

Some readers may be thinking, “Adler? Adlerian psychology? What are they? I've never heard of them.” Well, perhaps you have heard of one of Dale Carnegie's best‐sellers, How to Win Friends and Influence People or How to Stop Worrying and Start Living? Or maybe you know Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People? The psychologist that influenced these writers was none other than Alfred Adler.

In Western psychology, Freud, Adler, and Jung are often referred to as the three great minds of psychology. Adlerian psychology was initially created by Adler and further developed by his successors. The main components of his psychology are outlined below.

1. Self‐Determination: You are the protagonist of your own life. People are not just the ...