Authors: Dagmar Marková, Daniela Čechová
Published by the Adlerian Society UK and Institute for Individual Psychology
This book, Adlerian Ethics: Applications in Counselling and Psychotherapy, approaches the issue of ethics in Alfred Adler’s psychological theory in an innovative manner. The authors perceive that ethics are so deeply embedded in the foundations of Adlerian theory that they constitute the cornerstone element in this school of thought.
Adlerian Ethics is a study on key ethical concepts of Adlerian Theory and Practice, consisting of belonging, equality, freedom, associated with responsibility, and Gemeinschaftsgefühl or Social Interest.
As to the organisation of the book, the first chapter shall concentrate on an ethical description at the level of “what is”, that is, an Adlerian conceptualisation of a human being. This chapter contains a thesis based on assumptions about the nature of an individual and a summary of the main concepts concerning his or her development as expounded by Adler and his followers.
The second chapter describes what constitutes the ethical dimensions of Individual Psychology, that is, not only “what is”, but also “what should be”. What a person should be, what kind of life he or she should live and in relation to the Adlerian main ethical pillars (sense of belonging to a community, freedom and responsibility, and equality).
The third chapter outlines some issues and areas related to, and special features of the applications of ethics in Adlerian counselling and psychotherapy. We direct our attention to ethical issues in general and to the codes of deontology, as established by the American Psychological Association and the European Association for Psychotherapy. We shall consider whether Adlerian ethical principles are enshrined in those of the main professional associations of psychologists and psychotherapists. More specifically, we focus on the counselling and psychotherapeutic applications of Adlerian ethical concepts in practice with clients, and we shall analyse them within the context of their Life Styles.
