This series explores human behaviour, relationships, and emotional resilience through the work of Alfred Adler—one of the first psychologists to focus not just on what is “wrong” with people, but on how they can grow, connect, and find meaning.

Each piece builds on the last, moving from origins, to patterns, to healing, and now to a broader question:

Are we shaped more by our past—or by our direction?

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4. Superiority and Social Interest — Growth with Connection
This collection highlights Adler’s belief that self-improvement must be balanced with social interest—reminding us that true strength lies not in dominance, but in contribution and belonging.

Theme: How we grow — without losing our humanity.

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5. Freud, Adler, and the Question of What Drives Us
Sigmund Freud taught that we are largely shaped by the past. Early experiences, especially unconscious ones, influence how we think, feel, and relate throughout life. From this view, understanding the past is essential to understanding the present.

But Adler offered a different emphasis.

While he did not deny the importance of early experience, he believed we are not only shaped by what has happened to us—but also by where we are going.

For Adler, human behaviour is not just a reflection of the past, but a movement toward goals, meaning, and belonging. Even feelings of inferiority are not fixed limitations, but forces that can be directed toward growth.

Where Freud focused on what caused us, Adler focused on what we are striving toward.

Both perspectives offer value.

The past can influence us.
But it does not have to define us.

And perhaps the most important truth is found in the balance between the two:

We are shaped by what we have lived through—but we are not confined by it.

Healing is not only about understanding where we came from.

It is also about deciding where we are going.