Part II    Psychodynamic Theories96
psychology to a new world and to free himself from the constraints of Freud and 
Vienna. The night before he was to depart for America, Adler dreamed that he was 
on board the ship when
suddenly it capsized and sunk. All of Adler’s worldly possessions were on it and 
were destroyed by the raging waves. Hurled into the ocean, Adler was forced to 
swim for his life. Alone he thrashed and struggled through the choppy water. But 
through the force of will and determination, he finally reached land in safety. 
(Hoffman, 1994, p. 151)
Adler interpreted this dream to mean that he had to muster the courage to venture 
into a new world and to break from old worldly possessions.
Although Adler believed that he could easily interpret this dream, he contended 
that most dreams are self-deceptions and not easily understood by the dreamer. 
Dreams are disguised to deceive the dreamer, making self-interpretation difficult. The 
more an individual’s goal is inconsistent with reality, the more likely that person’s 
dreams will be used for self-deception. For example, a man may have the goal of 
reaching the top, being above, or becoming an important military figure. If he also 
possesses a dependent style of life, his ambitious goal may be expressed in dreams of 
being lifted onto another person’s shoulders or being shot from a cannon. The dream 
unveils the style of life, but it fools the dreamer by presenting him with an unrealis -
tic, exaggerated sense of power and accomplishment. In contrast, a more courageous 
and independent person with similar lofty ambitions may dream of unaided flying or 
reaching a goal without help, much as Adler had done when he dreamed of escaping 
from a sinking ship.
Psychotherapy
Adlerian theory postulates that psychopathology results from lack of courage, exag -
gerated feelings of inferiority, and underdeveloped social interest. Thus, the chief 
purpose of Adlerian psychotherapy is to enhance courage, lessen feelings of inferior -
ity, and encourage social interest. This task, however, is not easy because patients 
struggle to hold on to their existing, comfortable view of themselves. To overcome 
this resistance to change, Adler would sometimes ask patients, “What would you do 
if I cured you immediately?” Such a question usually forced patients to examine their 
goals and to see that responsibility for their current misery rests with them.
Adler often used the motto “Everybody can accomplish everything.” Except 
for certain limitations set by heredity, he strongly believed this maxim and repeatedly 
emphasized that what people do with what they have is more important than what 
they have (Adler, 1925/1968, 1956). Through the use of humor and warmth, Adler 
tried to increase the patient’s courage, self-esteem, and social interest. He believed that 
a warm, nurturing attitude by the therapist encourages patients to expand their social 
interest to each of the three problems of life: sexual love, friendship, and occupation.
Adler innovated a unique method of therapy with problem children by treating 
them in front of an audience of parents, teachers, and health professionals. When 
children receive therapy in public, they more readily understand that their problems 
are community problems. Adler (1964) believed that this procedure would enhance 
children’s social interest by allowing them to feel that they belong to a community of 
concerned adults. Adler was careful not to blame the parents for a child’s misbehavior. 
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