Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
Am I the only one to find this statement ... curious? This is probably not the place to discuss it in detail, I'm just trying to work out just how thick I am. Does anyone know if Alfred Alder was making a serious claim that "neurotics, psychotics [... etc]" somehow make deliberate decisions "lacking in social interest"? It seems to me there may be a confusion of cause and effect here, or I am missing something (wouldn't be the first time).
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I agree that as a blanket statement, Adler seemed to be taking too much for granted, but in all fairness Adler was writing those words largely before the modern advances in modern psychopharmaceutical revolution. I certainly think the connection is more involved than that statement would indicate, but I do believe there is a reciprocal relationship between mental illness and social behavior. Everyone knows people smile because they're happy, but recent research indicates it's a two-way street: Smiling can brighten one's mood. In like manner, I believe that when we choose to care for others, it has a beneficial effect on our own well-being. Naturally there are limits to our ability to determine the state of our own mental health that are imposed by the physical makeup of each individual, but as I see it our mental health is no more all nature than it is all nurture.