Alfred Adler was born outside Vienna, Austria, on February 7, 1870. He was the third child (second son) of what would become seven children in total. As a child, Alfred developed rickets, which prevented him from walking until the age of four. At five years old he risked dying of pneumonia. At one point, Adler heard the doctor tell his father that "Alfred is lost." It was around this time that Adler decided to become a doctor. (Corey 2005) Due to frequent illnesses, Adler was pampered by his mother for much of the early years of his life. This ended, however, with the arrival of a third child, a younger brother, who “dethroned” him. This left Adler in the middle, so to speak, as he was “dethroned” by his newly arrived brother while still being overshadowed by his older brother Sigmund. The difficulty in her relationship with Sigmund was not short-lived. In fact, it lasted throughout his childhood and into his teenage years. The relationship with his parents also showed contrasts. While he maintained a trusting relationship with his father, his relationship with his mother was extremely imperfect. Adler did not feel close to her, and this may have been due to the jealousy produced by subsequent children and the lack of attention she received. During his school years, Adler was an average student. Despite his illnesses and physical limitations, he preferred outdoor activities to study rather than staying indoors. However, with his schoolwork, his main goal was sometimes to compete with and possibly surpass his brother Sigmund. In 1895, at the age of 25, he received a medical degree from the University of Vienna. During his college years he became fond of a group of socialist students. It was there that he found his future wife, Raissa Timofeyewna Epstein. She was a social activist who immigrated to Austria from Russia for higher education. They married in 1897 and eventually had four children, two of whom became psychiatrists. (Boeree 1997)His medical career began far from the world of mental health. His first medical position was as an ophthalmologist, but he soon moved into general practice and established his practice in a working-class area of ​​Vienna. His clients included, among others, the artists working in the nearby circus and it has been suggested that the extraordinary abilities of the artists raise...... middle of paper ......minds and therapeutic concepts that could it will be nothing but helpful to anyone seeking advice. I have yet to fully understand how much true Adlerian model training is available for graduate school, but I can only hope that it is an available option because it seems to be the best path for me, personally, to take.BIBLIOGRAPHYThe Psi Café: A Psychology Resource Site (2001). Alfred Adler. Retrieved April 19, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.psy.pdx.edu/PsiCafe/KeyTheorists/Adler.htm#AboutBoeree, Dr. C. George (1997). Personality theories: Alfred Adler. Retrieved April 21, 2005, from the Shippensburg University website: http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/adler.htmlThe Alfred Adler Institute in New York (2004). About Alfred Adler. Retrieved April 22, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.alfredadler-ny.org/alfred_adler.htmMinnesota State University-Moorhead “MSUM” (2005). Adlerian overview of birth order characteristics. Retrieved April 16, 2005, from MSU-M website: http://www.mnstate.edu/kausar/psyc202/Birth%20order%20Characteristics.htmCorey, G. (2005). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning