Teachers Take An Adlerian Approach
Tiffany Redieske
Concordia University
Abstract
Alfred Adler “believed that the individual begins to form
an approach to life somewhere in the first 6 years living” (Corey, 2013, pg.
95). He was an advocate for “training
both teachers and parents in effective practices that foster the child’s social
interests and result in a sense of competence and self-worth. Adler had a keen interest in applying his
ideas to education, especially in finding ways to remedy faulty lifestyles of
schoolchildren” (Corey, 2013, pg. 112). Like
Adlerian counselors, effective teachers “seek to make a difference in the lives
of their [students]” (Corey, 2013, pg. 111) and many of the Adlerian Therapy
techniques and underpinnings have been incorporated into many schools and
classrooms.
Teachers Take An Adlerian Approach
Alfred Adler abandoned Freudian theories and “focused on
the person’s past as perceived in the present and how an individual’s
interpretation of early events continued to influence that person’s present
behavior” (Corey, 2013, pg. 95). Adler
believed that “humans are motivated primarily by social relatedness rather than
by sexual urges; behavior is purposeful
and goal-directed; and consciousness, more than unconsciousness, is the focus
of therapy” (Corey, 2013, pg. 95) His
theories and techniques align to many character building activities and
programs that are being implemented in schools and classrooms. “He stressed choice and responsibility,
meaning in life, and the striving for success, completion, and perfection”
(Corey, 2013, pg. 95)
Like “Adlerians [who] put the focus on re-educating
individuals and reshaping society” (Corey, 2013, pg. 96), effective educators
focus on re-educating the students and reshaping the “society”, that is the
school and classroom environments. While
they do this, it is important that “the focus is on understanding [the child]
within their socially embedded context of family, culture, [and] school...”
(Corey, 2013, pg. 97). Teachers have a
lot to learn from Adler. “Adler was the
forerunner of a subjective approach to psychology that focuses on internal
determinants of behavior such as values, beliefs, attitudes, goals, interests,
and the individual perception of reality” (Corey, 2013, pg. 96). Effective teachers have the ability to see
life from their student’s perspective and realize that “[a student’s] objective
reality is less important than how [a student] interpret[s] [their] reality and
the meanings [they] attach to what [they] experience” (Corey, 2013, pg. 96).
Climate and Culture
“Very early in life, we begin to envision what we might be
like if we were successful, complete, whole, or perfect. Applied to human motivation, a guiding
self-ideal might be expressed in this way: ‘Only when I am perfect can I be
secure’ or ‘Only when I am important can I be accepted’” (Corey, 2013, pg.
97) Educators play a vital role in
developing a climate and culture in their school and classroom where students feel
confident, safe, important, and accepted by everyone. In this type of environment students “seek to
change [their] weaknesses into a strength” (Corey, 2013, pg. 98). There are many approaches that can be taken
and a wide variety of strategies and programs that can be used. Adlerian therapy techniques can be a great
resource when trying to develop this type of climate and culture.
Community building activities and character education are
important to developing a positive and productive climate and culture. “First [students] think, then [they] feel,
and then [they] act. Because emotions
and [thoughts] serve a purpose, a good deal of [character education and
community building] time is spent in discovering and understanding this purpose
and in reorienting the [students] toward effective ways of being” (Corey, 2013,
pg. 104). Also, doing these activities
frequently at the beginning of the school year allows relationships to form and
respect to be earned early on. “Social
interest requires that [students] have enough contact with the present to make
a move toward a meaningful future, that [they] are willing to give and to take,
and that [they] develop [their] capacity for contributing to the welfare of
others and striving for the betterment of [their classmates]” (Corey, 2013, pg.
99). Along the way, there is a constant focus
on expectations and how each person in the room will be treated and what
behavior and vocabulary is acceptable.
“While Adler considered social interest to be innate, he also believed
that it must be learned, developed, and used” (Corey, 2013, pg. 99). Taking this into consideration, these teachers
“place special value on...modeling of communication and acting in good faith”
Corey, 2013, pg. 104. There is great
emphasis placed on being respectful, responsible, and safe and what that looks
like, sounds like, and feels like. The classroom and school is beginning to
become a socially safe and empathetic environment. “Adler equated social interest with a sense
of identification and empathy with others:
‘to see with the eyes of another, to hear with the ears of another, to
feel with the heart of another’” (Corey, 2013, pg. 99)
Social
interest is the central indicator of mental health. Those with social interest tend to direct the
striving toward the healthy and socially useful side of life...[Students] are
primarily motivated by a desire to belong...Those who lack this community
feeling become discouraged and end up on the useless side of life...Only when [they] feel united with others are [they] able to act with courage in facing and
dealing with [their] problems (Corey, 2013, pg. 99).
In a classroom with an established
and effective climate and culture, students begin to “act with courage” and
trust their classmates enough to share their struggles, accept their failures,
and to ask for help. “Encouragement is
the most powerful method available for changing a [student’s] beliefs, for it
helps [them] build self-confidence and stimulates courage...Loss of courage, or
discouragement, results in mistaken and dysfunctional behavior. Discouraged people do not act in line with
social interest” (Corey, 2013, pg. 101).
Encouragement is the most distinctive
Adlerian procedure, and it is central to all phases of counseling and
therapy. It is especially important as
people consider change in their lives.
Encouragement literally means ‘to build courage’. Courage develops when people become aware of
their strengths, when they feel they belong and are not alone, and when they
have a sense of hope and can see new possibilities for themselves and their
daily living. Encouragement entails
showing faith in people, expecting them to assume responsibility for their
lives, and valuing them for who they are...Adlerians believe discouragement is
the basic condition that prevents people from functioning, and they see
encouragement as the antidote. As a part
of the encouragement process, Adlerians use a variety of relational, cognitive,
behavioral, emotional, and experiential techniques to help clients identify and
challenge self defeating cognitions, generate perceptual alternatives, and make
use of assets, strengths, and resources (Corey, 2013, pg. 110).
With an encouraging environment, students
begin to work collaboratively and cooperatively with their classmates. They encourage and celebrate each other’s
accomplishments and successes. All
students are invested in the meaning and purpose and are contributing to their
learning and the learning of others.
In this type of environment, the
student/teacher relationship looks much different than that of a traditional,
compliance based environment. Like the
counselor/client relationship within Adlerian practices, the student/teacher
relationship “rests on a collaborative arrangement... [which] includes forming a relationship based
on mutual respect” (Corey, 2013, pg. 101).
Teachers who nurture and encourage this type of learning environment, “do
not view [students] as being [bad] and in need of being [fixed]. They favor the
growth model” (Corey, 2013, pg. 101)
Similarly, “the Adlerian is interested not in curing the sick
individuals or a sick society but in re-educating individuals and in reshaping
society” (Corey, 2013, pg. 101) “From
the beginning of [the school year], the relationship is a collaborative one,
characterized by two persons working equally toward specific, agreed-upon
goals” (Corey, 2013, pg. 104). Because
of the collaborative relationship that is formed and that it has been built on
a foundation of respect, these teachers don’t see themselves in the way that
the word “teacher” represents within a traditional framework. They prefer to be called “coaches” or “lead
learners”. Similarly, they like to
identify their students not as “students”, but as “learners”.
When working with students to create an environment with
this type of climate and culture, it doesn’t come without some challenges. Some students will see their teacher as the “expert”
and expect that the teacher “will provide them with solutions to their
problems” (Corey, 2013, pg. 117). For
these students, the role of “coach” may pose problems because these teachers
don’t allow themselves to take on the role of experts that solve students’
problems. The philosophy is that
teachers are “lead learners” and the students are “learners” and in no way can
that imply that the teacher is the “keeper” of all of the knowledge. Taking on that role, would be toxic to the
environment and the time spent developing the climate and culture. The students need to know that their
knowledge is valuable and that they have something powerful to offer to the
group. The students that struggle with
taking on this challenge struggle with growth mindset. In those circumstances and situations, there
are activities and strategies that can be used to develop a positive growth
mindset. A way to avoid having students
who may struggle with this student/teacher relationship, it is important, with
all students, to “begin to formulate a [Personalized Learning
Plan]...detailing what they want [to achieve], how they plan to [achieve] it,
what is preventing them from successfully attaining their goals, how they can
change nonproductive behavior into constructive behavior, and how they can make
full use of their assets in achieving their purposes” (Corey, 2013, pg. 104) In
other words, how they are going to show their understanding of a concept and
align it to their individual learning style and interests.
In summary, these “lead learners” or “coaches” incorporate
many of the same philosophies as Adlerians and develop a positive climate and
culture within their classroom/school.
Similar to the Adlerian approach, they “focus on making person-to-person
contact with [students] rather than [focusing on] ‘the problem’”(Corey, 2013,
105). Their successes are attributed to
guiding students to “become aware of their assets and strengths rather than
dealing continually with their deficits and liabilities...A positive
relationship is created by listening; responding; demonstrating respect for
[students] capacity to understand purpose and seek change; and exhibiting faith,
hope, and caring” (Corey, 2013, pg. 105).
Most importantly, their students are “encouraged and challenged to
develop the courage to take risks and make changes in their life” and in the
lives of others (Corey, 2013, pg. 110).
In The Future
The strategies and techniques explained above align with
all of the personalized learning research and implementation that a team of
teachers, support staff, administrator, and myself did last school year at
Lincoln Elementary School in Janesville, WI.
As I read chapter five on Adlerian Therapy, I couldn’t help but find
connections to personalized learning and the phases of implementation. In phase one of implementation, there is a
focus on developing climate and culture, having a student centered environment,
goal setting, gradual release of control, and developing a Personalized
Learning Plan, just to name a few. I am
extremely passionate about this topic and the benefits of developing this type
of environment with the learners. As a
school counselor, I plan to continue this journey and implement many, if not
all, of the personalized learning strategies into how I serve students in that
role. I really enjoyed reading about the
Adlerian theory and applying it to something I do everyday. So far, I think I relate most to this type of
therapy and think that it supports my beliefs and values. As I read, I also thought that if I were to
personally seek out a therapist for myself or my children, it would be someone that takes an Adlerian approach. I also feel that this
style of therapy could lend itself really well to faith based counseling which
I am in strong support of.
References
Corey, Gerald (2013). Theory
and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. Stamford, CT: Cengage
Learning.
Observation (2014-2015). Lincoln Elementary School.
Janesville, WI: Personalized Learning.
