On October 17th, we will begin a discussion of The Collected Clinical Works of Alfred Adler, Volume 6, Chapters XXII & XXIII. The following chapter summaries were prepared by Manu Jaaskelainen.
Ch. XXII
A Case of Enuresis Diurnal (1930) is a paper on the problems of caused by enuresis. Adler defines enuresis as a movement that has a goal, even by indelicate means, of establishing contact with the mother. The paper is a stenographic case study. Adler says that it is not organic illness; this conception might not be viewed as totally accurate today. Some people feel that some problems in the CNS might contribute to this disturbance. Nor are we today ready to view this slight disturbance as such a great problem as earlier generations did. There has been other theories of this disturbance, e.g. the learning-theoretical version. However, Adler's case study is a very interesting one. He decries in eloquent fashion how the child attempt to establish contacts and closer relationships with grown-up persons. Adler describes how the child's attempts at communication have two basic traits: 1) organ inferiority of the bladder, 2) the child uses the language of the bladder. Adler presents his analysis of the situation of a 12 years old boy who had the feeling that he did not get enough love; the his symptoms began. "An accusation is the same as an attack."
Ch. XXIII
Individual Psychology and Crime (1930) is a study on criminology. Adler points out that he has not been inquiring so much into particular crimes as into the lives of individual men and women. Adler says that all people, criminals or not, strive to reach a goal in future, by attaining which we will feel strong, superior, complete. Adler refers here to John Dewey, the US philosopher. Dewey prefers to call this phenomenon as the striving for security. It is not this striving as such that makes a criminal, but the direction his striving takes. A criminal fails to understand the demands of the social life, or to be concerned with his fellow-people. According to Adler, criminals are not insane. He rejects any ideas of biological or environmental determination. It can different in the case of some psychotic people, but these cases are rare. Really criminal actions are planned, and some presume a high level of criminal intelligence and private logic. Social interest is deeply disturbed, in some cases non-existent. "A criminal is not interested in others. He can cooperate only to a certain degree. When this degree is exhausted, he turns to crime. The exhaustion occurs when a problem is too difficult for him." Adler seems to think that it is necessary to have educational counseling at schools. The roots of this evil are in the development of young people. If a criminal lifestyle is adopted, someone should have the possibility to stop this type of development early, before any serious offenses are committed. There should be experts available to discuss with children their individual problems and to solve these problems in a constructive and creative way.
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