There is a passage in "Inferiority and Transcendence", which embodies the above core views:
Napoleon Hill, a contemporary of Adler, was the founder of successful science. He said: "all the wealth and all the success in the world begin with the change of one's concept." -same as Adler's words.
Chen Jianping's core point in Dialogue between the Rich and the Poor-"There is nothing wrong with being born poor, but it is a pity to die of poverty." -This is also consistent with Adler and Napoleon Hill.
Adler's individual psychology is a kind of psychology that brings courage to people. He upholds the idea that "people can transcend environmental restrictions and become better themselves", which has influenced countless people and given them the courage to change.
In the first chapter of Inferiority and Transcendence, Adler abstracted three major problems in life:
These three life problems can be concretized into three questions:
The three questions after figuration are still a bit abstract, so Adler mentioned three major questions in a simplified way many times in his book:
The solution of these three problems is interactive, but its basis is cooperation. Therefore, he proposed that personal meaning has no value, and the real meaning of life lies in the interaction between individuals and others. Then he said that the true meaning of life lies in dedication and cooperation.
The first chapter puts forward three major problems in life and locates the true meaning of life. The next chapter, "Body and Mind", discusses the relationship between body and mind. He pointed out:
Perception and lifestyle are not antagonistic. After the goal is established, perception will automatically adjust with the goal.
Adler believes that the spirit is responsible for controlling the direction, and a person's mental model and attitude towards life will have a lasting impact on the body. Personal behavior is always restricted by the meaning of life.
With such a cognitive basis, we can continue reading and accept the view that everything depends on ourselves.
"Inferiority complex" is a major discovery of individual psychology, which Adler defined as:
Inferiority refers to a person's confusion when he realizes that he has to face a problem that he cannot solve.
He also said: each of us has a sense of inferiority to varying degrees, because we all want to make ourselves better and live a better life. If we go forward bravely, we can change our lives through direct and practical methods and gradually get rid of inferiority. No one can be tortured by inferiority for life. People can seek reasonable solutions to release their inferiority complex.
Everyone is pursuing their own unique sense of superiority. It depends on the meaning people give to life. This kind of meaning is not only superficial, but also reflected in one's attitude and way of life, which runs through one's life like a unique tone of life.
People release their inferiority by pursuing superiority, which comes from the meaning of life. Only when we set positive and meaningful goals in life can we successfully gain a sense of superiority and transcend inferiority.
Adler made an in-depth analysis of memory in the chapter of Childhood Memories (Chapter 4), and extracted a passage:
I once wrote some words and recorded one thing when I was in primary school:
When I was in college, I wrote a five-character ancient poem on the Terracotta Warriors and described it. The words above should be written by me for the second time, and the picture is still fresh in my memory. What does this mean to me?
My memory initially brought me pressure: I don't want to disappoint my parents and relatives. When I was in junior high school, I cried in front of my uncle when he took me home because I got the third place in the school. Maybe I was afraid of their disappointment. But the value of this memory is more: it makes me try to be a useful person. This is my firmer explanation after reading Inferiority and Transcendence.
When we form a certain perception from experience, we are used to using this perception to explain everything we encounter in the future. This is people's inertial reaction mode or conditioned thinking. Therefore, a person's memory will not run counter to his lifestyle. Because those eternal memories are the key nodes in the formation of his life pattern.
From the fourth chapter, Adler began to discuss the influence of various environmental factors on individuals, such as childhood family environment, school, adolescence and so on. In addition, it also discusses how adults dig dreams, how childhood memories affect our attitudes and life patterns, and what kind of influence our attitudes and life patterns will have on children (endless recursion).
The book covers childhood memories, family environment, dreams, adolescence, the influence of school, crime and prevention, occupational problems, individuals and society, love and marriage. After reading it, you can not only interpret your life style, but also instruct yourself on how to influence and educate your children and prevent the inheritance of bad patterns. In this sense, this is also a book that parents should read. For example, now that the country has liberalized the second child policy, young parents have decided to have a second child, which has a great influence on the boss and is likely to form a psychological shadow. If not handled properly, the boss's whole life path may have unexpected twists and turns, causing irreparable pain.
In this chapter, "The Influence of Schools" (Chapter 7), there are some ideas that seem to be commonplace now, but our parents and schools have never done it. These ideas may even have a key impact on a child's life.
For example, he mentioned that "interest is the biggest factor affecting intellectual development":
For example, he said that "there are no children with poor abilities, only children whose interests have not been found":
For the simplest example, Qiong Yao got zero marks in mathematics at school, but later, love novels and TV plays became popular among actresses, such as Brigitte Lin, Zhao Wei, Ruby Lin, Rebecca, Feng-Chiao Lin, Zhang Aijia, Jenny, Xiao Qiang, Qin Lan and Angel.
There are many great theories and interpretations in the book, which are of great guiding significance to our lives. You can have a look if you are interested, so I won't talk about it here.
"What should life mean to you?" This is the English name of inferiority and transcendence, printed on the cover as the background. Under the title of the book, there is a corresponding Chinese sentence: You should be clear about how you should live this life well.
After reading this book, you may be clear. However, clarity is only the beginning, and it needs practice.
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