Freud's Disavowal of Adler and Adler's Subsequent Influence on Psychoanalytic Thought

Abstract

Abstract:There are many different explanations of the relationship between Alfred Adler and Sigmund Freud, and two are the most notable. Adler asserted he was never a disciple of Freud, and Freud maintained that Adler was his follower who broke away from him. However, the truth is much more complicated. Because of political strategies and other factors, the narrative has changed over time, morphing from the original true story, which is that Freud and Adler disagreed about many aspects of the two theories of psychoanalysis and Adler's own Individual Psychology, and that eventually led to Freud's calculated disavowal of Adler in 1911. Through the careful exploration of available contemporary texts and archival data, mainly from the Minutes of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society and other correspondence, Adler and Freud's complex personal relationship and theoretical disagreements can be traced throughout the years.