Holism and Teleology
Holism and Teleology
Dr. C. George Boeree discusses Adler’s theory of holism. He says “in order to understand people, we have to understand them more as unified wholes than as a collection of bits and pieces, and we have to understand them in the context of their environment, both physical and social”.
Interestingly enough, Adler’s beliefs “Social concern is a matter of being useful to others”, seems to encase his entire theory of holism. “Lack of social concern is, for Adler, the very definition of mental illness. All problems in life are due to a lack in social interest.” (
Adler’s belief of teleology is to “see motivation as a matter of moving towards the future, rather than being driven, mechanistically, by the past. We are drawn towards our goals, our purposes, our ideals.”