Re: Discussion of CCWAA, Vol. 5, Chapt. XX-XXII (Birth Order, Child Guidance)
(Re: Chapter XXI)
Adler's closing comment, "Fine lines drawn and barely noticeable in childhood, become the iron-hard inscriptions on the human spirit," reflects a valuable diagnostic guideline. We look for the remnants of the "childhood prototype" in the adult client's description of himself as a child, as well as his earliest childhood recollections, and often find that the early feelings, beliefs, attitudes, and movements have not deviated from this root, but have merely become more elaborate. Effectively tracing the adult's style of life back to his childhood prototype takes considerable diplomacy, art, and a sensitivity to nuance; typologies can never capture this unique interplay. Clients who resist a direct correction of their adult behavior, may be more open to looking at "the mistakes of their early childhood," and then gradually discover the connection with the present.
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