Alfred Adler quotes
1870 – 1937 · Austria, late 19th–early 20th c. · Psychiatrist and psychotherapist; founder of Individual Psychology
About Alfred Adler
Born 1870 near Vienna, died 1937 in Scotland. Once associated with Freud, Adler broke away to develop Individual Psychology, emphasizing life goals, social interest, feelings of inferiority, and the role of personal interpretation and choice in shaping behavior.
Works: What Life Should Mean to You; The Practice and Theory of Individual Psychology
Quotes
“Meanings are not determined by situations, but we determine ourselves by the meanings we give to situations.”
Source: What Life Should Mean to You, p. 14 · Check the source
Verified attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The wording is traceable to Adler's What Life Should Mean to You, notably the sentence found on page 14 of English editions.
Adler argues that events don't fix our identity—our interpretations do. By assigning meaning to situations we shape motives and choices. This line appears in What Life Should Mean to You and captures his move from determinism to human agency.