--- Title: Alfred Adler, Psychologist, Traces Character To Childhood Years Description: Emanu-El and the Jewish Journal (San Francisco; today J. The Jewish News of Northern California), vol. 81, no. 17, 7 August 1936, pp. 1 and 10. Interview with Alfred Adler at the Williams Institute, Berkeley, by Jacques Schnier. Author: Alfred Adler URL: https://adler.school/archivo/adler/entrevistas/original/1936-08-07%20Alfred%20Adler%2C%20Psychologist%2C%20Traces%20Character%20To%20Childhood%20Years --- # Alfred Adler, Psychologist, Traces Character To Childhood Years By JACQUES SCHNIER Two of the leading sciences of the mind, psychology and psycho-analysis, are piloted by Jewish navigators. Dr. Alfred Adler, who is presenting a three weeks lecture-seminar in Berkeley, is the world's most distinguished psychologist, just as Freud is the outstanding figure in the science of psycho-analysis. There is a wide gap, however, between a psychologist and a psycho-analyst. A psychologist is one who devotes himself to the science which investigates the conscious mind. He is one who interests himself in the surface activities of an individual, his talking, acting and his experiences. The psycho-analyst, on the other hand, accepts consciousness, but in addition, makes his most important interest the investigation of the activities of the unconscious mind, which is made up of the deeply hidden infantile life of the individual. ### *Childhood Experience* In a friendly interview, which took place on the beautiful grounds of the Williams Institute, Dr. Adler briefly explained the principle of his psychological teachings. He stated first that the experiences and environment of childhood have a powerful influence on the development of one's character. Applying this finding to the cure of the neurosis, Dr. Adler said he attempts to discover these early determining experiences of his patient. Having uncovered them, he encourages the patient to focus his attention on them and to see that his difficulty is nothing but a "mistaken conception of life." According to the technique of Dr. Adler, the practitioner explains to the neurotic that "his style and method of life is wrong and that he must change it." He urges the pampered boy to become self-dependent. He explains to the parents that the lack of appetite in a child of six is due to the little one's desire to attract attention and thereby control others. ### *Interprets Dreams* Dr. Adler also claims the ability to analyze character from dreams, without knowing the dreamer. A dream by a boy of eighteen, the younger one of twins, in which he dreamt he was a toothpick walking between two high walls until he reached a huge machine which then crushed him, was analyzed by Dr. Adler as follows: "The young man interests himself a great deal in things short and tall and is fascinated by machines." Another dream by the same boy in which he was carried back to his childhood and saw his brother killing flies in a tent, was interpreted as representing a strong "looking propensity." ### *Author of Many Books* Dr. Adler, in addition to being founder of the school of Individual Psychology and the International Journal of Individual Psychology, is the author of a number of popular and scientific books in his field. Some of these are "Study of Inferior Organs," "The Neurotic Character," "Understanding Human Behavior," "Guiding the Child," and "What Life Should Mean to You." ### *Contented and Happy* It is a known fact that those whose life-work is in the mental sciences such as psychology and more especially psycho-analysis, do not age rapidly and providing they are not victims of accidental death, frequently live to a ripe old age. Dr. Adler is no exception to this rule. Although a traveler through many years of life, he is very well preserved. On the lecture platform he radiates enthusiasm and confidence and in intimate conversation gives one the impression of a man who is happy, contented and at peace with life. --- *Fuente:* «Alfred Adler, Psychologist, Traces Character To Childhood Years», por Jacques Schnier, *Emanu-El and the Jewish Journal*, San Francisco, vol. 81, n.º 17, 7 de agosto de 1936, p. 1, continuado en la p. 10 bajo el titular «Alfred Adler Traces Character To Childhood» («Continued from Page 1»). Transcripción hecha sobre las imágenes de ambas páginas en la California Digital Newspaper Collection (CDNC, JW19360807.2.4), cotejada con el texto OCR de la plataforma. Las palabras partidas a final de línea se unen; el salto de página cae en mitad de «ex-plains» y la marca va dentro de la palabra.