Harnessing Alfred Adler's Individual Psychology to Enhance Child Development

Alfred Adler and the Origins of Individual Psychology

Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology represented a significant shift in psychodynamic thought. Unlike Freud, who emphasised unconscious conflict, Adler focused on the individual within a social setting and argued that people are motivated by intentional, goal-oriented striving — primarily, a desire to overcome perceived inferiority and to belong and contribute within a community.

From early childhood, each person develops a unique “style of life”: a pattern of goals, attitudes, and behaviours shaped less by events themselves than by the subjective meaning a child assigns to them (Devlin, Birkey and Smith, 2023).

The Relevance of Adlerian Theory in Contemporary Child Development

Adler’s focus on social connectedness and individual effort continues to resonate with modern developmental science. Rather than viewing the child as an isolated entity, Individual Psychology considers development within interconnected systems such as family, school, and community. This perspective aligns with ecological approaches in current research.

Core Adlerian ideas, such as social interest (the tendency to cooperate and help) and striving for superiority (a drive for competence rather than dominance), offer valuable perspectives on how early social-emotional experiences influence long-term well-being (Rafiyya et al., 2024).

Scope and significance of parenting and education

Adlerian ideas translate directly into practical strategies for parents and educators by focusing on strengthening a child’s sense of competence, connection, and contribution. In classrooms and family life, Adlerian practice supports democratic relationships based on cooperation and mutual respect rather than authoritarian control (Devlin, Birkey and Smith, 2023).

Positive discipline, which helps children understand the logical consequences of their actions and encourages responsibility, fits comfortably with this approach. Contemporary evidence shows that relationship-centred parenting interventions improve children’s cognitive, language, motor, and socio-emotional outcomes while enhancing parent–child interactions (Jeong et al., 2021).

In a period marked by rising anxiety and social disconnection, Adler’s focus on belonging and purposeful contribution remains especially relevant.

Core Principles of Individual Psychology

Adler’s Individual Psychology is based on a few closely related ideas that, together, provide a straightforward way to understand human behaviour. At its centre is holism: people are best seen as integrated wholes rather than as collections of separate symptoms or drives. Every thought, feeling and action contributes to a person’s overall pattern of striving — a unified life goal or style of life that organises experience and behaviour (Devlin, Birkey & Smith, 2023).

The Holistic View of the Individual

Adler believed that individuals function as unified, integrated wholes, challenging the Cartesian view and rejecting simple mind/body divisions and reductionism. Dreams, symptoms, gestures, and everyday choices are meaningful because they reflect a person’s style of life and their underlying goals.

Significantly, Adler consistently placed the individual within social systems like family, school, and community, indicating that behaviour cannot be fully understood in isolation from these contexts (Devlin, Birkey & Smith, 2023).

For practitioners working with children, this has a practical implication: a single behaviour (for example, refusal or withdrawal) is best interpreted in relation to the child’s sense of self, their goals, and their relationships, rather than as a discrete problem to be eliminated.

Striving for Significance and Social Interest

A central Adlerian idea is that people aim to overcome feelings of inferiority and become more complete, capable, and connected. Adler historically used the term ‘striving for superiority,’ but modern interpretations emphasise this as a movement towards competence and contribution rather than dominance.

This drive is inseparable from social interest (Gemeinschaftsgefühl): a sense of belonging and a willingness to cooperate for the common good. Healthy development, in Adler’s terms, occurs when this striving is directed towards socially beneficial goals such as cooperation, empathy, and community contribution. In contrast, maladaptive striving can turn competitive, self-centred, or avoidant of genuine connection (Korpershoek et al., 2019).

Role of Family Constellation and Early Childhood Experience

Adler paid special attention to the family as the crucible where a style of life is shaped. He highlighted psychological birth order (how a child perceives their position in the family) over simple chronological order, and he examined sibling relationships, parental attitudes, and family dynamics as influential factors.

Importantly, Adler was teleological: it is not just what happens to a child that matters but how the child interprets and uses those events to pursue their goals (Devlin, Birkey & Smith, 2023). Contemporary research affirms the significance of family functioning — interparental, parent–child, and triadic interactions — for children’s adjustment at school and beyond (Sturge-Apple, Davies & Cummings, 2010).

Individual Psychology provides a unique perspective on child development, differing in key ways from earlier theories while also sharing similarities with later ones.

Differences from Freud and Psychoanalysis

Adler’s theory was explicitly developed as a contrast to Freud’s. While Freud focused on unconscious drives (sexual, aggressive) and the deterministic effects of early trauma, Adler highlighted conscious goals, social context, and human agency. Adler viewed people as creative, future-focused actors who shape their lives in pursuit of meaning and social connection rather than being primarily driven by instinctual urges. This positions Adler as a pioneer of social and constructivist approaches within psychology.

Links to Humanistic and Cognitive Approaches

Adler’s emphasis on subjective perception, choice, and growth aligns with humanistic psychologists like Rogers and Maslow. There is a hopeful outlook on human potential and a focus on meaning, purpose, and social connectedness. His concept of a person’s private logic — the internal rules and narratives that guide behaviour — resonates with cognitive approaches that examine how beliefs and interpretations influence actions. Adlerian thinking also integrates well with relational developmental systems perspectives that situate individual agency within interacting social contexts.

Evidence Base: Adlerian Interventions in Parenting and Education

The principles of Individual Psychology have been applied in various practical interventions within parenting and educational settings, with an increasing body of research examining their effectiveness.

Parenting Cognitions and Practices

Adlerian ideas translate into family practices that promote cooperation, responsibility, and a sense of belonging. Research indicates that parental beliefs about discipline and autonomy shape interaction styles and children’s developmental paths; responsive caregiving and positive parental practices support early childhood development across cognitive, language, motor, and socio-emotional areas (Jeong et al., 2021). Therefore, Adlerian practice clearly aligns with evidence highlighting warm, consistent, and autonomy-supportive parenting.

Neo-Adlerian Parenting Programmes and Outcomes

Contemporary parenting programmes influenced by Adlerian principles, such as positive discipline approaches, teach mutual respect, encouragement, and the use of logical or natural consequences rather than punishment.

Systematic reviews find that early parenting interventions produce measurable benefits for child development and parent–child interaction (Jeong et al., 2021), and longer-term preventive models (including home-visiting and attachment-informed programmes) have demonstrated sustained reductions in hostile parenting and child behaviour issues (Londono Tobon et al., 2020).

Adlerian Principles in Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Initiatives

Adler’s focus on social interest closely matches the goals of modern SEL programmes — developing self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

Evidence from school-based SEL programmes shows that whole-class approaches, a shared language, brief, reliable practices, and transferable strategies lead to positive social and academic results (Peddigrew et al., 2022; Santamaría-Villar et al., 2021). Incorporating SEL into daily teaching supports Adler's holistic, socially rooted view, encouraging personal growth alongside academic development (Ferreira, Martinsone & Talić, 2020).

Fostering Autonomy, Belonging, and Resilience in Children

Adlerian psychology provides a clear, practical framework for developing three key developmental assets: autonomy, belonging, and resilience. Children are encouraged to take responsibility for their choices and experience logical consequences — practices that foster a sense of agency and competence.

Simultaneously, Adler’s emphasis on social interest (the tendency to cooperate and contribute) addresses the fundamental human need to belong; when children feel connected to family, school, and community, their ability to manage stress improves and resilience increases.

Empirical research shows positive correlations between school belonging and motivational, social-emotional, and academic outcomes (Korpershoek et al., 2019). In summary, Adlerian methods aim to help children feel capable, helpful, and included — three elements that protect against adversity.

Systemic Benefits: Family Dynamics, Classroom Environments, and Peer Relationships

Adlerian principles have effects that reach beyond the individual child, influencing family and classroom systems. In families, Adlerian counselling and parenting strategies typically enhance communication, mutual respect, and the sense of support between adolescents and their parents or guardians (Devlin, Birkey & Smith, 2023).

In schools, Adlerian-informed practice promotes democratic classroom cultures in which pupils are entrusted with responsibilities, cooperative problem-solving is encouraged, and discipline focuses on learning rather than punishment. These changes help to reduce disruptive behaviour, strengthen peer relationships, and foster atmospheres more conducive to learning — outcomes that are especially vital during middle childhood, when peer bonds become central to social development (2005; Santamaría-Villar et al., 2021).

Addressing Contemporary Challenges: Socioeconomic, Cultural, and Family Diversity

A strength of Adlerian psychology is its flexibility in addressing modern, complex challenges. Because it emphasises the child’s subjective interpretation of experience, Adlerian work can be adapted to various cultural settings, family structures, and socioeconomic contexts. This approach is especially helpful when poverty, family stress, or cultural differences impact children’s socio-emotional development (Zhang & Han, 2021; Tommasi, Edo & Thailinger, 2023).

Adlerian family counselling models have been modified to work sensitively with diverse households—including LGBTQIA+ families—by building on local strengths and resources while avoiding simplistic labels (Devlin, Birkey & Smith, 2023).

For practitioners, this means interventions can be both evidence-informed and culturally responsive: focusing on restoring connection and agency, tailoring language and examples to local norms, and co-designing solutions with families to ensure they are feasible and relevant.

Practical example (brief): in a classroom, fostering belonging might involve giving each pupil a small, meaningful role (e.g., classroom helper, wellbeing monitor) combined with brief reflective practice: “What did you do today that helped someone else?” — this links contribution, recognition and responsibility in a way that builds social interest and competence.

Guidance for Parents: Encouraging Social Interest and Positive Discipline

Adlerian parenting emphasises helping children feel capable, useful, and connected. Practical steps parents can implement immediately include:

• Use logical and natural consequences instead of punishment. Make consequences relevant to the behaviour (e.g., if a child breaks a shared toy, involve them in fixing or replacing it).
• Hold regular family meetings where everyone participates in setting rules and solving problems — this fosters ownership and democratic decision-making.
• Prefer encouragement over praise: observe effort, progress, and problem-solving (“You kept trying until you finished that task”) rather than only focusing on outcomes.
• Avoid power struggles. When a child escalates, step back, stay calm, and offer choices that preserve their dignity and sense of agency.
• Assist children in recognising mistaken goals (attention, power, revenge, avoidance) behind challenging behaviour, and coach them in alternative, constructive ways to meet their need for belonging (e.g., by teaching asking for help, sharing feelings, and offering to help others).

These practices bolster parental confidence, enhance parent–child interactions, and align with evidence showing that relationship-focused parenting benefits early development (Jeong et al., 2021).

Strategies for Educators: Build Democratic Classrooms for Cooperative Learning

Adlerian concepts translate effectively into classroom practices that foster engagement and minimise disruption:

• Hold regular, brief class meetings where pupils collaboratively create rules and solve problems.
• Use encouragement consistently as a language tool in the classroom to promote motivation and persistence.
• Teach social-emotional skills explicitly —such as self-awareness, emotion regulation, and perspective-taking —to reduce conflict and enhance cooperation.
• Recognise contributions and effort through small roles, responsibilities, and peer-led tasks to improve belonging and competence.
• Integrate SEL across various subjects by employing short, repeatable activities and a shared language, ensuring skills are applied beyond individual lessons (Ferreira, Martinsone & Talić, 2020; Santamaría-Villar et al., 2021).

These approaches enhance the school's sense of belonging and are associated with improved motivational, social-emotional, and academic results (Korpershoek et al., 2019).

Intervention Models: Case Studies and Best Practices

Adlerian-informed models are present in parenting programmes, counselling, and classroom interventions. Two short, practical examples:

Parenting example — ‘Encouragement plan’ (home): a parent conducts a weekly family meeting to establish one shared household goal (e.g., tidying communal spaces). Each week, a different child assumes a small role (monitor, timekeeper). The parent offers encouragement statements focused on effort (“You all kept working at this together”) and enforces logical consequences when responsibilities aren’t fulfilled (reassigning tasks rather than punishing). Over time, the child gains experience in contributing, taking on responsibility, and belonging.

School example — ‘Class contribution rota’: in a middle-years class, each pupil has a rotating role (e.g., wellbeing monitor, resources lead, discussion starter). Roles are brief and purposeful. Class meetings highlight issues, and the teacher coaches pupils to suggest solutions. Disruptive behaviour is viewed as an unmet goal: the pupil is helped to identify the goal (e.g., power, attention) and supported in finding prosocial ways to meet it (e.g., leading a short activity, presenting an idea).

Evidence and practice: research shows that Adlerian-aligned parenting programmes and positive discipline approaches can improve child behaviour and parental wellbeing (Fang et al., 2023; Jeong et al., 2021). Supportive care and reframing techniques used with caregivers also demonstrate broader benefits for family mental health (Yan et al., 2025). Contemporary Adlerian family counselling helps enhance communication, reduce conflict, and strengthen mutual support within diverse family systems (Devlin, Birkey & Smith, 2023).

Practical tips for getting started (quick checklist)

• Start small: introduce one weekly family meeting or one classroom role.
• Use short, scripted encouragement phrases that teachers and parents can repeat.
• When conflict arises, ask: “What is the child trying to get (or avoid)?” and coach an alternative.
• Keep interventions collaborative and culturally sensitive — co-design solutions with families and pupils.

Synthesising Adler’s Legacy for Modern Child Development

Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology remains a practical and powerful framework for understanding childhood. By emphasising the whole child, the drive to become capable and useful, and the centrality of social interest and community feeling, Adler provides parents and educators with a clear, action-oriented perspective for interpreting behaviour and supporting growth. Crucially, Adler shifts focus from what happened to a child to how the child makes meaning of those events and uses them to pursue goals — a view that fosters hope, agency, and change rather than deterministic stagnation (Devlin, Birkey & Smith, 2023).

Future Directions: Research, Policy, and Practice Implications

Practically, Adlerian ideas align closely with evidence-based methods in parenting, classroom practice, and social-emotional learning: they promote responsibility through logical consequences, foster belonging through democratic relationships, and develop resilience by encouraging contribution and competence (Jeong et al., 2021; Korpershoek et al., 2019). At policy level, investing in early social-emotional programmes and parent education that emphasise connection and agency is likely to produce long-term individual and societal benefits (Rafiyya et al., 2024). Research should continue to evaluate Adler-informed interventions across diverse cultural and socioeconomic settings and explore how these concepts can be incorporated into broader ecological and public health models for children’s mental health.

A practical closing thought

Adler’s message is clear yet profound: children thrive when they feel capable, connected, and useful. For professionals and families, this encourages small, practical steps — more family meetings, one predictable classroom role per pupil, brief encouragement scripts, and questions that help a child articulate what they are trying to achieve with a behaviour. Over time, these practices build into cultures of cooperation and belonging that foster healthy development.