ABSTRACT
The psychodynamic theory presented by Alfred Adler and elaborated by his followers views human beings as members of a social species who live in social groups and are socialized to be “human”. According to this theory, human behavior is best understood in a social setting. Emotions are energizers of behavior—dynamic forces that produce movement. The life-style pattern is formed and developed early in life when experience is limited and cognitive abilities are still underdeveloped. Observations and interpretations about social living and the behavior of others are made before language develops, before symbolization matures. Interpersonal transactions and the behavior of others in the environs influence the interpretations. The discouragement is considered a result of constitutional inadequacy, mistaken apperceptions, of faulty rearing, social rejection, and/or traumatic life experiences that lead to the perception that one is not adequate to cope with life.
