Neoanalytic, Jungian, and Individual Psychology Theory Application

Evaluation of the Theory
IP theory is a “grand” theory that, like psychoanalysis, tries to explain
everything. Many of its assumptions are difficult to test. An active
community of researchers and writers, however, is busily advancing Adler’s
work. The level of devotion of these adherents could be considered either a
strength or a weakness.
Adler’s thoughts had significant influence on many subsequent theorists,
including Carl Rogers, Albert Ellis, and Abraham Maslow (E. Hoffman,
1994). The influence of Adler’s description of the basic mistakes can be
clearly seen in contemporary cognitive and cognitive-behavioral theory.
Perhaps Adler’s greatest contribution is that he developed a theory that
recognized and even emphasized the effects of social class, racism, and
sex on the behavior of individuals. Adler was far ahead of his
contemporaries in this sense, and his ideas are even more salient in our
increasingly pluralistic society.
Some critics contend that IP theory is too simple and that it is only
common sense (Mosak & Maniacci, 1999). All behavior is explained by
referring to inferiority feelings, striving for power, and social interest. Of
course, Adler would reply that common sense is the highest form of ‐
reasoning.
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Qualities of the Theory
Precision and Testability
IP theory has many of the same weaknesses as psychoanalysis in terms of
testability. Many of the constructs in IP theory are difficult to operationalize
and measure, at best. Sollod et al. (2009) observed that the major ideas in
IP theory (e.g., inferiority feelings and safeguarding strategies) are not very
open to disconfirmation. Much like psychoanalysis, IP theory can explain
almost any pattern of behavior. If a client acts out, it is because of a
superiority complex that is compensating for feelings of inferiority. If a
client is passive, it is because he is afraid to risk exposing himself to
failure, naturally because he feels inferior. No specific predictions can be
derived that would specify which behavior will result. Both stem from the
basic inferiority complex.
IP theory is not the most precise theory in the bunch. Adler seemed to rely
on common sense terms that most people think they understand rather
than clearly defining his constructs. For instance, what exactly constitutes
pampering? Many of IP theory’s constructs are so broad that they are
difficult to define or measure. An example would be lifestyle, which, as
noted earlier, has been defined in many different ways by Adler and those
who followed him. On the other hand, some aspects of the theory are
definitionally clear, and predictions can be generated about them. For
instance, Adler provided very clear predictions about the behaviors of
children in the various birth orders. Unfortunately, we can’t seem to agree on
the right way to measure these. Similarly, social interest has been
measured in several different ways, as has lifestyle.