Part II    Psychodynamic Theories84
Adler believed that marriage and parenthood is a task for two. However, the 
two parents may influence a child’s social interest in somewhat different ways. The 
mother’s job is to develop a bond that encourages the child’s mature social inter -
est and fosters a sense of cooperation. Ideally, she should have a genuine and deep-
rooted love for her child—a love that is centered on the child’s well-being, not on her 
own needs or wants. This healthy love relationship develops from a true caring for her 
child, her husband, and other people. If the mother has learned to give and receive 
love from others, she will have little difficulty broadening her child’s social inter -
est. But if she favors the child over the father, her child may become pampered and 
spoiled. Conversely, if she favors her husband or society, the child will feel neglected 
and unloved.
The father is the second important person in a child’s social environment. 
He must demonstrate a caring attitude toward his wife as well as to other people. 
The ideal father cooperates on an equal footing with the child’s mother in caring for 
the child and treating the child as a human being. According to Adler’s (1956) stan -
dards, a successful father avoids the dual errors of emotional detachment and paternal 
authoritarianism. These errors may represent two attitudes, but they are often found 
in the same father. Both prevent the growth and spread of social interest in a child. A 
father’s emotional detachment may influence the child to develop a warped sense of 
social interest, a feeling of neglect, and possibly a parasitic attachment to the mother. 
A child who experiences paternal detachment creates a goal of personal superiority 
rather than one based on social interest. The second error—paternal authoritarianism—
may also lead to an unhealthy style of life. A child who sees the father as a tyrant 
learns to strive for power and personal superiority.
Adler (1956) believed that the effects of the early social environment are 
extremely important. The relationship a child has with the mother and the father is so 
powerful that it smothers the effects of heredity. Adler believed that after age 5, the 
effects of heredity become blurred by the powerful influence of the child’s social envi -
ronment. By that time, environmental forces have modified or shaped nearly every 
aspect of a child’s personality.
Importance of Social Interest
Social interest was Adler’s yardstick for measuring psychological health and is thus 
“the sole criterion of human values” (Adler, 1927, p. 167). To Adler, social inter -
est is the only gauge to be used in judging the worth of a person. As the barom -
eter of normality, it is the standard to be used in determining the usefulness of 
a life. To the degree that people possess social interest, they are psychologically 
mature. Immature people lack Gemeinschaftsgef  ühl, are self-centered, and strive for 
personal power and superiority over others. Healthy individuals are genuinely con -
cerned about people and have a goal of success that encompasses the well-being of 
all people.
Social interest is not synonymous with charity and unselfishness. Acts of philan -
thropy and kindness may or may not be motivated by Gemeinschaftsgef ühl. A wealthy 
woman may regularly give large sums of money to the poor and needy, not because 
she feels a oneness with them, but, quite to the contrary, because she wishes to main -
tain a separateness from them. The gift implies, “You are inferior, I am superior, and 
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