Compare and contrast psy 5025 ass. 4 - Essay Example

Adlerian psychotherapy is complete built upon the theory of Alfred Adler. Adler was a strong follower of Freud. He disagreed with Freud’s sexual development theory however. He believed the child’s experiences with power and the lack of power make the difference between positive mental health development and unstable mental health development or neuroses as Freud called it. Adlerian Therapy works with several major issues. Emphasis is placed on the importance of the feelings of self the come from conflicts and social interactions.

This is basically an individual’s self image or self esteem. This therapy also stresses that one’s sense of self is the core of personality. Therefore they would say that personality is moldable and ever changing. In general this therapy begins with psychoanalysis however greater emphasis placed on motivation and social interactions (Schwartzman, 1998). The goal of Adlerian play therapy is to challenge and encourage the beliefs and the goals of the client and to help them form goals that are useful in social relationships as well as help them form an image of themselves that allows them to feel equal to others.

These goals relate to every area of the client’s life (Schwartzman 1998). In general adlerian therapy and in play therapy the therapist provide a supportive and accepting enviromnet for the client to open up. In the case of children that is not always enough. Children are seen as timid and unwilling to share why they are doing things with adults by nature. Since Adlerian therapy is basically talk therapy the systems theory needed to be added for play therapy. They see play as a way to fool the child into opening up because the session is conducted during a “play time”.

By playing together the therapist puts him/her self on the same level of the child so the child will open up. The play is not seen as therapeutic but rather as a tool to do psychoanalysis with the child (Schwartzman,