From The New York Times, November 30, 2009

We May Be Born With an Urge to Help

What is the essence of human nature? Flawed, say many theologians. Vicious and
addicted to warfare, wrote Hobbes. Selfish and in need of considerable
improvement, think many parents.

But biologists are beginning to form a generally sunnier view of humankind.
Their conclusions are derived in part from testing very young children, and
partly from comparing human children with those of chimpanzees, hoping that the
differences will point to what is distinctively human.

The somewhat surprising answer at which some biologists have arrived is that
babies are innately sociable and helpful to others. Of course every animal must
to some extent be selfish to survive. But the biologists also see in humans a
natural willingness to help

(See http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/science/01human.html?em for compelte
aritcle)

It has taken biology nearly a century to catch up with Alfted Adler!

The new, permanent web site address of Classical Adlerian Psychology is
http://www.Adlerian.us

A new subscription site for Classical Adlerian Depth Psychotherapy features an
abundance of valuable, unique, resource material for mental health
professionals, professors and students in the fields of psychology, counseling,
and social work.  The subscription site includes: 15 theme packs of complete
articles on selected topics by Alfred Adler; 11 graphics that illustrate
Adlerian constructs; and 4 transcriptions of therapy demonstrations and
interviews.   For a list of the site's contents, and information about
subscribing, go to http://www.Adlerian.us/subscription.htm.  Your contribution
will help fund the ongoing Classical Adlerian Translation Project, dedicated to
publishing the works of Classical Adlerians.

A preview of a new transcription of "Training of a Classical Adlerian
Psychotherapist"  is now available at www.Adlerian.us/train-the-preview.htm.  In
thr full two-hour discussion between Sophia de Vries and Henry Stein, nearly 200
topics about Classical Adlerian Depth Psychotherapy (CADP) are covered.  Sophia
de Vries studied with Alfred Adler, Lydia Sicher, Alexander Mueller, Fritz
Kunkel, Ida Loewy, Martha Holub, Rudolf Dreikurs, August Eichorn, Charlotte
Buhler, Karl Buhler, Ludwig Klages, Karl Jung, Ernst Kretschmer, and Maria
Montessori.  Her profund psychological insights and her masterful adaptation of
the Socratic method make this transcribed interview an essential introduction to
our unique training offered in Classical Adlerian Depth Psychotherapy.

A transcription preview of a BBC-TV interview with Henry T. Stein, Ph.D. titled
"Birth Order: Sense and Nonsense" is now available at
www.Adlerian.us/birth-preview.htm.  In this one-hour interview, several
controversial issues are discussed: the value and limitations of Alfred Adler's
birth order theory; the relevance of the family constellation in Classical
Adlerian Depth Psychotherapy; and other significant influences on personality
development. Dr. Stein evaluates the contributions of Frank Sulloway and Judith
Harris, as well as the influences of Thomas Verney and Hugh Missildine. The full
transcription may be accessed through our subscription site at
www.Adlerian.us/subscription.htm .

Video clips of Alfred Adler speaking in English, as well as audio clips of Lydia
Sicher and Anthony Bruck can now be accessed through our subscription site at
www.Adlerian.us/subscription.htm.  The first video is from an original newsreel
clip of Alfred Adler, filmed by Fox Movietone News on June 17, 1929 in Vienna,
Austria. The second video (date unknown) is probably from a German television
broadcast.  An audio clip of Lydia Sicher is from a series of lectures she gave
in Los Angeles, California, between 1950-1961.  Another audio clip of Anthony
Bruck lecturing about children, was recorded in 1977 in San Rafael, California. 
These video and audio clips are hosted by the Alfred Adler Institute of
Northwestern Washington website at www.Adlerian.us.

A remarkably effective diagnostic strategy used in the classroom by Anthony
Bruck, an Adlerian Psychologist, was the assignment of four essays titled: "What
I Want to be When I Grow Up," "Childhood Recollections," "A Dream I Had," and
"My Family."  In Chapter One of "Educating Children for Cooperation and
Contribution - Volume II," Anthony offers four case illustrations that
demonstrate the Adlerian insights that can be gained from this class assignment.
A preview of one case illustration can be found at
www.Adlerian.us/ecc-v2-preview.htm.

In his profound and inspiring lecture, "The Meaning of Life," (available at
www.Adlerian.us/tp-7b.htm) Alfred Adler offers a clear, practical philosophy of
living, achievable by anyone.  The directness and clarity of Adler's ideas make
them easily understandable.  However, upon closer study, his seeming simplicity
actually embraces a richness, complexity, and depth that many critics miss.  I
invite you to read Adler's lecture and share your comments in our discussion
forum.

One of the best introductions to Individual Psychology, "The Generall System of
Individual Psychology," Volume 12 of "The Collected Clinical Works of Alfred
Adler," is a complete series of thirteen lectures that Adler presented in
English.  Adler's terminology and style suggests that the lectures were given
later in his career, and represent a summary of his matured theory of the
personality, as well as principles of prevention and treatment.  Chapter I,
"Unique Goal of Overcoming," is now featured at our subscription site at
www/Adlerian.us.

Subscription site URL is www.Adlerian.us/subscription.htm.

--- In birthordersurvey@yahoogroups.com, drstein_aaisf <no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> One of the best introductions to Individual Psychology, "The Generall System
of Individual Psychology," Volume 12 of "The Collected Clinical Works of Alfred
Adler," is a complete series of thirteen lectures that Adler presented in
English.  Adler's terminology and style suggests that the lectures were given
later in his career, and represent a summary of his matured theory of the
personality, as well as principles of prevention and treatment.  Chapter I,
"Unique Goal of Overcoming," is now featured at our subscription site at
www/Adlerian.us.
>

A complete online version of Alexander Mueller's "You Shall be a
Blessing: Main Traits of a Religious Humanism," is now available at
the Classical Adlerian Subscription Site.  Mueller's book presents his
thoughts on the deeper philosophical and spiritual aspects of social
interest, the roots of which are seen in connection to man's
relationship with creation. Mueller's book is packed with wisdom,
insight, and challenge, significantly enriching Adler's philosophy.

The subscription site also includes: video and audio clips of Alfred
Adler and other Classical Adlerians; theme packs of complete articles
by Adler; graphics that illustrate Adlerian constructs; unpublished
articles and lectures; and transcriptions of therapy demonstrations
and interviews.  For a summary of the site's contents, and information
about subscribing, go to http://www.Adlerian.us/subscription.htm.

At a lecture in Vienna on February 4th, 1930, when Alfred Adler was asked about
the best beginning book to read on Individual Psychology, he recommended "The
Science of Living."   An online version, in PDF format, with a bookmarked table
of contents, is now available at the Classical Adlerian Depth Psychotherapy
Subscription Site at www.Adlerian.us/subscription.htm.  Using Adobe Reader, the
document may be searched, highlighted, and commented for personal study.

Students may now purchase a membership to our Subscription Site for $45.00 (a
$30.00 discount from the basic $75.00 subscription).  The subscription site
contains an abundance of resource material, including books, articles, video and
audio clips, and graphics. Online digital versions of Alfred Adler's popular
books, "The Science of Living" and "Social Interest: A Challenge to Mankind,"
provide excellent introductions to Individual Psychology.  These books are in
PDF format, and have been re-formatted for wider, note-taking margins and
enabled for highlighting and commenting in Adobe Reader.  They may also be read
in all e-books, making them very convenient for ongoing study.  A convenient
PayPal link is provided at www.Adlerian.us/subscription.htm To qualify, students
must email a copy of their current, active student I.D. card to hstein@....

"Classical Adlerian Brief Therapy: The Innovative Techniques of Anthony Bruck,"
has just been published by the Alfred Adler Institute of Northwestern
Washington.

Trained by Alfred Adler, Anthony Bruck mastered Adler's theory, philosophy, and
style of treatment.  His creative contribution to brief therapy offers
psychotherapists and counselors simple, appealing diagrams that illustrate
Adler's theory, a variety of fascinating case illustrations, and strategies for
helping clients achieve useful, practical improvements when therapeutic time is
quite limited.  Anthony's love of language and graphics often adds a dramatic,
clarifying dimension to the client-therapist dialogue.  This volume provides a
long overdue recognition of his creative contribution to Adlerian practice.

To purchase the book, or for additional information, visit
www.Adlerian.us/cabt-book.htm.

In a March 5th, 2011 article in the New York Times, reporter Gardiner Harris
describes the trend of psychiatrists in the united States giving up talk therapy
completely and only prescribing medication.  Reduced insurance payments and
pressure from hospitals and corporation have resulted in many psychiatrists
seeing 1,200 patients for prescription adjustments, in 12-15 minute visits,
often several months apart.  With a catastrophic loss of intimacy, many
psychiatrists cannot even remember their patients' names.  A typical
psychiatrist now sees 3-4 people in an hour, working an 11-hour day (40
patients/day!).  In 2005, only 11 percent of psychiatrists provided talk
therapy, leaving the field open to psychologists, marriage & family therapists,
and social workers.  Sadly, the profession seems to have caved in to a
hard-nosed business practice.  However, a few adventurous psychiatrists have cut
ties with insurers, relying on full payment from clients and word-of-mouth
referrals.  The article does acknowledge that there is no evidence that
psychiatrists provide higher quality talk therapy than psychologists, marriage
and family therapists, or social workers.  Is it possible that some of these
psychiatrists might have been able to sustain a talk therapy practice by getting
better training?

Distance training in Classical Adlerian Brief Therapy is now being offered by
the Alfred Adler Institute of Northwestern Washington.  Based on the original
teachings and therapeutic style of Alfred Adler, and the innovative techniques
of Anthony Bruck, who studied with Adler, this 18-month, mentor-oriented program
leads to Certification, with options for including training in Career Assessment
and Organizational Consulting.   A unique blend of Socratic questioning and
creative graphics provides efficient, time-saving strategies for the rapid
resolution of many client difficulties.

Our mentors guide students through self-paced home study of selected books,
published and unpublished articles, audio and video recordings, and weekly
one-to-one telephone or Skype discussions.  A personal study-analysis, case
supervision, and a 3-day, experiential workshop ensure the effective fusion of
theory and practice.

For additional information about distance training and Certification in
Classical Adlerian Brief Therapy or Depth Psychotherapy, go to www.Adlerian.us. 
For further discussion, call me, Dr. Henry Stein, Director of the Alfred Adler
Institute of Northwestern Washington, at (360) 647-5670.

In a 10-minute video, Henry T. Stein, Ph.D., demonstrates Classical Adlerian
Brief Therapy with a colleague who role-plays one of her clients.  The client
begins by complaining about an indifferent husband who used to be nicer.  Using
a Socratic style of questioning, Dr. Stein diplomatically explores what the
client has omitted in the relationship, eventually focusing on what she could do
differently to engage her husband positively, even to surprise him, and to
consider what else she might do to improve the situation.

In a follow-up 15-minute video, Dr. Stein explains his therapeutic strategies
and responds to questions from a group.  The therapist's optimism and faith in
what the client could do, provides a persistent stream of encouragement, even if
it only stimulates doubt in her current, limited beliefs.  The benefits of group
work and role-playing, as well as memories, dreams, and fantasies are also
clarified.

These videos are available on our subscription site.  A new, mid-year
subscription rate of $45 is available at www.Adlerian.us/subscription.htm.

New material has been added to the Classical Adlerian Psychology web site.  It
has also been re-designed for easier information access.  Please visit
www.Adlerian.us.

Just Published! An Essential Reference Book
for Adlerian Clinicians, Professors, & Students

"A Clinician's Guide to The Collected Clinical Works of Alfred Adler":
A Unified System of Depth Psychotherapy, Philosophy, & Pedagogy
Edited by Henry T. Stein, Ph.D., & Laurie J. Stein, M.A., M.S.

Much more than a standard abstract," A Clinician's Guide to The
Collected Clinical Works of Alfred Adler" reveals the heart and soul
of Individual Psychology with many examples of what Adler said and
how he treated patients.  It corrects misrepresentations of Adler
in textbooks, training programs, and journal articles.   As an
introduction to "The Collected Clinical Works of Alfred Adler," "A
Clinician's Guide" offers a concise description of Adler's theory of
personality, philosophy of living, and therapeutic strategies. Using
the scope and depth of his approach, clinicians and educators can
unravel the most perplexing cases of child, family, adult, and couple
treatment.

To order a copy ($49.00): www.Adlerian.us/cwaa-guide.htm.

Two new, provocative articles have been added to the Classical Adlerian web
site:

"Why Study The Collected Clinical Works of Alfred Adler?," by Henry Stein at
www.Adlerian.us/cwaa-why.htm.

"Rediscover Alfred Adler!, by Sophia de Vries at
www.Adlerian.us/cwaa-devries.htm.

After half a century of morphing from Freudian roots into a
psychiatric-pharmaceutical bonanza, DSM-5 has secured a prominent place within
the free market as a handbook for massive profit generation.  Now, with 360
reimbursable diagnoses, it continues to grow into a gigantic encyclopedia of
socially difficult and inconvenient behavior that can sometimes be minimized
(but never cured) with medication.   By contrast, nearly a century ago, Alfred
Adler suggested that most (but not all) psychological symptoms have an
unconscious purpose, and that they may be used by discouraged individuals for
fictional self-enhancement and the illusion of self-protection.  Adler's unique,
profound "psychology of use," compared to many "psychologies of possession,"
provides a socially illuminating perspective on psychological disorders by
examining the impact of behavior and feelings on partners, families, and
ultimately society.

His elegant conception of "the unity and diversity of disorders" offers a
penetrating insight into psychological symptoms.   Assumed causes and elaborate
descriptions of symptoms are interesting, but the perception of purpose is the
most helpful therapeutically.  Each client, regardless of symptoms similar to
others, is unique, striving unconsciously to realize a fantasy compensation for
their discouragement.  With rare and keen insight, Adler pointed out that every
patient has the appropriate thinking, feeling, behavior, and symptoms to pursue
his or her unconscious goal.  Diagnostically,  we are challenged to discover and
share that unique portrait with a client so that he or she feels deeply
recognized and understood.  Adler's construct of the unconscious, fictional,
final goal, cannot be measured, but it can be guessed with artistic intuition. 
Then we must gradually share that insight with a client while we also create a
unique therapeutic strategy  for helping that individual move in a different
direction.

The 360 Procrustean beds  of DSM-5 are an insult to the creative uniqueness of
individuals.  "Evidence based treatment" sounds impressive, but it might be
prudent to examine the research more carefully and critically.  Recent
challenges to the evasive research methods used by pharmaceutical companies
should cast a more skeptical light on psychotherapy research motives, methods,
and results.  Lastly, the potential counter-placebo effect of DSM5 should be
explored.  Just as many patients have experienced relief from sugar pills,
having been unconsciously influenced by their expectations,  we cannot rule out
the potential of psychiatrists and pharmaceutical companies finding or even
inventing a never-ending goldmine of new diagnoses, driven by the expectation of
profit.

I am the 4th of four biological brothers. all about four years apart. I also
have a half sister six years younger and a half brother eight years younger.

I was neglected and abused and that fact is reflected in my life 67 years later

The most comprehnsive overview of Alfred Adler's theory of birth order is now
available as an online video.  In this forty-minute interview conducted by
BBC/TV, Henry T. Stein, Ph.D., Senior Training Analyst at the Alfred Adler
Institute of Northwestern Washington, clarifies the therapeutic value as well as
the limitations of many birth order assumptions.  He also integrates the
potential developmental influences of organ inferiority, parenting attitudes,
gender roles, as well as cultural, religious, and economic factors.  Finally, he
evaluates other theories of personality development, including the work of Hugh
Missildine, Thomas Verney, Margarite Goetzel, Frank Sulloway, and Judith Harris.
Online access to the video may be purchased at www.Adlerian.us/birth-online.htm
or through our subscription site at www.Adlerian.us/subscription.htm.

This two-hour discussion between Sophia de Vries (trained by Alfred Adler) and
Henry Stein (trained by de Vries), offers the prospective student an
illuminating overview of the Classical Adlerian approach to training in depth
psychotherapy.  Nearly two hundred topics are covered including: the importance
of studying Adler's original, clinical writings; reflecting his warm, gentle,
diplomatic, creative style of treatment;  and the integration of Abraham
Maslow's vision of optimal human functioning.  Sophia de Vries studied with
Alfred Adler, Lydia Sicher, Alexander Mueller, Fritz Kunkel, Ida Loewy, Martha
Holub, Rudolf Dreikurs, August Eichorn, Charlotte Buhler, Karl Buhler, Ludwig
Klages, Karl Jung, Ernst Kretschmer, and Maria Montessori.  One of her great
contributions to Adlerian practice was her masterful adaptation of the Socratic
method to psychotherapy.  To purchase online access to this video, go to
www.Adlerian.us/train-ther-online.htm, or check www.Adlerian.us/subscription.htm
for reduced rates offered to subscribers.

In "The Structure of Neurosis," Alfred Adler offers clinicians and students the
most concise, but comprehensive, eloquent summary of his theory of personality,
philosophy of life, pedagogy, and psychotherapy.   It's all here in just 9
pages!  To read the article online, go to www.Adlerian.us/cwaa-v6-ch26.htm.  To
read all 26 articles by Adler, written 1927-1931, order Volume 6 of "The
Collected Clinical Works of Alfred Adler" at www.Adlerian.us/cwaa-v6.htm.

This one-hour interview offer highlights of Sophia de Vries' 47 Years of
Practicing Adlerian Psychology, including her recollections and comparisons of
Alfred Adler, Sigmund Freud, and Carl Jung, as well as memories of many early
Adlerians: Lydia Sicher, Alexander Mueller, Anthony Bruck, Rudolf Dreikurs,
Martha Holub, Fritz Künkel, Ida Loewy, Edward Schneider, and Blanche Weill  This
interview, conducted by Henry Stein, also includes her impressions of Charlotte
Bühler, Karl Bühler, August Eichorn, Ludwig Klages, and Maria Montessori,

To purchase access to this online video of "Remembrances of Adler, Freud, Jung,
& Other Pioneers in Psychology," go to www.Adlerian.us/devries-online.htm, or
check www.Adlerian.us/subscription.htm for free video access to subscribers.

Six singing psychoanalysts nearly made it to Broadway in the 1933 musical
"Pardon My English," by George and Ira Gershwin.    The production was a lavish
star vehicle about an Englsh nobleman with a split personality.  At one point in
the story, "The Viennese Sextext" was called in to try and cure him.  To hear
their memorable musical number, go to www.Adlerian.us/lyrics2.htm.

Questions and Answers About Classical Adlerian Psychology:

For the past 16 years, Henry T. Stein, Ph.D. has been answering questions about
Classical Adlerian Psychology via discussion forums, newsgroups, and email
requests.  112 of the most important topics have been gathered on a web page at
www.Adlerian.us/q-a-all-preview.htm.

Alfred Adler immensely popular public lectures in Vienna were organized, edited,
and translated by Walter Beran Wolfe and published in English as "Understanding
Human Nature " in 1927.  Several printings sold millions of copies.  Now
available as a digital e-Book, it may be accessed through our subscription site
at www.Adlerian.us/subscription.htm.

Adler's philosophical and eloquent "What Life Should Mean to You," edited by
Alan Porter, originally published in 1931, is now available as a digital e-book,
and may be accessed through our subscription site at
www.Adlerian.us/subscription.htm.

In this highly readable book, targeting the general public, Adler offered many
insights on academic, vocational, and family issues facing adults.

This PDF version, readable in Adobe Reader, Kindle, I-Pad, and most e-books, may
be searched, highlighted, and commented.  Discover a new, convenient way to
study Adler's writings.

You can mow read all of Adler's popular books, including "Understanding Human
Nature," "The Science of Living," and Social Interest: A Challenge to Mankind,"
at our subscription site.