Cowardly Men Prefer Slavish Wives, Says Noted Viennese Psychologist
DR. ALFRED ADLER,
World Famous Viennese Psychologist,
In an Interview with Betty Ross.
VIENNA, 1932.
"FROM the scientific point of view, what augurs a happy marriage?"
"A good social feeling, which includes three factors."
"And these are?"
"Consideration for the other person; a view to the future, and vows of permanency. But the world today is full of men and women trying to escape love."
This startling statement fell from the lips of Dr. Alfred Adler, famous Viennese scientist, to whom I had taken some of today's baffling human problems.
"To escape love?" I repeated, and, as the scientist nodded, I queried:
"Which sex predominates in this love-escape?"
Dr. Adler replied:
"The feminine, because women have greater inferiority complexes."
"What accounts for that?" I asked.
"Our culture and traditions, which give them more hindrances and burdens," answered the scientist. "However, this inferiority feeling is very common among mature men and women, who often veil it under pretended cynicism, coldness or in other ways."
The Viennese professor made it clear he is not of the school of psycho-analyists. His dissension with his distinguished Countryman and contemporary, Dr. Sigmund Freud, he explains:
"Freud admits the inferiority complex, and says it is due to suppressed desires, whereas I say bad mental development is at the root of it. That is the point of our disagreement.
"Freud traces everything to suppressed desires. I concede the suppressed desires, but say they spring from cowardice, and cowardice rises from inferiority. And I maintain that all this, the result of wrong thinking, can be remedied with right thinking.
Anti-Social
Frustrated 'Conquerors' Seek Escape
"The inferiority complex plays an important role in love and marriage. It usually develops in early childhood among hated or spoiled children, or those kept away from people and left only with the one person who serves them. This brings about a self-centered attitude, concerned wholly in looking out for one's own well-being.
"This complex lessens one's concern for the other person. He does not wish to join interests with anyone, and to compensate for this feeling of inferiority strives for superiority, with his main objective the suppression of the other person. His goal is to rule—to dominate."
"And this attitude leads to?"
"The domineering lover, who, whether man or woman, awakens only resistance in the heart of the other person. This turns love into a combat and often means breaking up the marriage."
"And if he cannot dominate?"
"He takes the only way left for him—escape That explains why the world is full of men and women trying to escape love.
"The man of this class wants only to be a conqueror and has not the impulse to join hands with others. The woman is usually identified by her frigidity. The 'cold' woman—or marble bride—exists only because she fears losing her superiority."
"Can this feeling be mastered?"
"Yes," came the confident response, "if one is in harmony with the laws of love."
"And what are they?"
"To define them, one must first trace out certain laws of life," came the response.
Struggle
Men Seek Compensations For Difficulties
"The relation of a human being toward society gives him some advantages and some difficulties. In the struggle against difficulties lies a sense of inferiority.
"That is the main thing, and all his movements show traces of a striving for compensation and an effort to solve life's three great problems."
"And these are?"
"The first is a social question—what is an individual's behavior toward others?
"The second concerns his occupation. To what degree does a man want to be useful to society?
"The third entails the problem of love and marriage.
"This last is the greatest question in the world," Dr. Adler stressed. "Why? Because it is the only one man cannot solve. Perhaps the real solution lies in agreeing with both inner laws of love," he continued.
"What is the first law?" I inquired.
Compatibility
Egotism Makes Many Marriages Fail
"Love must have a view to the future," came the reply. "That means children, education, and conforming to the development of mankind."
"And the second law?"
"——is that love is a task for two persons—of the same class.
"Two," Dr. Adler reiterated. "Love must always be responsive. One must think of the other. As in any business venture where two people are concerned, you must help, not hinder each other.
"Two persons with this spirit make a unit which brings love. But then you must beware of love's hindrances."
"And these are?"
Reflectively, the Viennese savant stroked his chin—a full, plump chin.
"Egotistic manners," came the reply. "Egotism means a lack of social feeling. Thus it becomes a great drawback to romance. If the feeling of inferiority is too great an individual's life is hindered, misunderstood and undeveloped."
"Is the tempo and dimension of present-day civilization breeding a sense of inferiority within us," I asked.
Dr. Adler shook his head negatively and repeated:
"Inferiority usually develops in childhood, among children inexperienced in society, and bad mental development is the cause of it. From then on, this complex is the root of everything."
"How can one prevent it from wrecking his romantic life?"
"By constantly checking up his behavior with these two laws of love," came the response. "Do not feel you must always conquer. Love is not to be conquered. If you think so you will always be defeated. Love means equality."
"And yet," I pointed out, "one always sees people choosing mates not their equals, but obviously beneath them. How does psychology account for that?"
Mismated
Cowardly Men Prefer Inferior Wives
"Those men are cowards," rejoined Dr. Adler, "who, to retain superiority, marry women far below their own levels. This is the wrong basis for matrimony. Inevitably, both parties are unhappy—above all, the woman. She realizes she is beneath her husband. He, in turn, expects her attitude to be that of a grateful slave. How can anything but failure spring from such a situation?"
"Or divorce," came my comment.
"Divorce?" Dr. Adler repeated after me. Then, reflecting a moment, he added in slow, precise accents:
"If you are married, not to a fellow-man, but to a tyrant, then you are quite right to consider divorce.
Fellowship
Beware of Domineering Types!
"A short rule to remember in selecting your partners in love and marriage is this: Choose only a fellow-man."
"By what token will he be recognized?" I asked.
"Is he constantly scolding, criticizing, suppressing, compelling others? Has he few friends and comrades? Is he untrue to them? Is he constantly occupied with his own person? Then he is not a fellow-man!"
With a broad sweep of his hand the famous scientist waved away this unsocial being.
ONCE a distinguished associate of Dr. Sigmund Freud, Vienna's noted founder of psychoanalysis, Dr. Alfred Adler has since achieved international renown independently as an outstanding psychologist and as Freud's chief rival along certain lines of scientific thought.
Noted especially for his works treating of the inferiority complex, Dr. Adler in this interview on marriage problems discusses the two questions as one.
His scientific books include "Organic Inferiority," "Knowledge of Man" and "The Neurotic Character." His latest work, "What Life Should Mean to You," was written for the layman.
PSYCHOLOGIST—Dr. Alfred Adler, famous Viennese scientist, who in the accompanying interview blames inferiority complexes for many failures in courtship and in marriage. International News Photo.
Fuente: Syracuse American (edición dominical del Syracuse Journal), Syracuse, Nueva York, domingo 31 de julio de 1932, p. E-3; entrevista firmada por Betty Ross, datada en «Vienna, 1932», con foto de International News Photo y copyright de N. Y. American, Inc. (cadena Hearst). Transcripción hecha sobre la imagen de la página (fultonhistory.com, Syracuse NY Journal 1932, 5439), cotejada con el OCR de los materiales, con las columnas reordenadas según la disposición de la página; se omiten los demás artículos de la página. Los recuadros con subtítulos de sección se dan en negrita. Se respetan las particularidades del periódico: «psycho-analyists», «Countryman» con mayúscula, «escape That explains» (sin punto), el guion largo que abre la respuesta sobre la segunda ley y las comillas no cerradas al final de algunas réplicas. La misma pieza apareció el mismo día en el Albany Times-Union; el original probable es el New York American del 31-7-1932, que no está en los materiales.