(Freud)
＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Jung)
(Adler)
When it comes to depth psychology, Freud and Jung are well-known figures, but Adler is also considered one of the “three giants of depth psychology.”
I happened to hear Adler speak at a training session for temporary workers last year, so I’d like to take this opportunity to consider his perspective.
1. What is depth psychology?
Depth psychology is based on the idea that “most human consciousness and behavior are controlled by the unconscious part of the mind.” It seeks to understand human consciousness and behavior by uncovering this unconscious part (the subliminal), that is, the depths of the human mind.
2. Who is Freud (1895-1982)?
Freud was an Austrian psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and psychologist, and was Jewish. He is well known in Japan for his works such as “The Interpretation of Dreams,” “Introduction to Psychoanalysis,” and “Libido Theory.”
He focused on the hidden “unconscious” within humans, namely repressed desires and childhood trauma.
He believed that there is a psychological basis behind all human behavior, and he argued that most of this psychological basis is “unconscious.”
He also asserted that “dreams are a manifestation of the unconscious.”
During the Nazi occupation of Vienna in 1938, he fled to England and died there the following year.
3. Who is Jung (1875-1961)?
Jung was a Swiss psychologist, psychoanalyst, and psychiatrist. He initially identified with Freud’s psychoanalysis and contributed to its development. He later established his own unique “analytical psychology” and asserted the existence of a “collective unconscious,” as well as “archetypes” and the “self.” He also classified personality types into “introverts” and “extroverts.” He is also famous for his concept of “complexes.”
He focused on the “collective unconscious” hidden within humans, an unconscious that exists universally across ethnic groups and humanity and cannot be fully explained by the individual unconscious alone.
4. Who is Adler (1870-1937)?
Adler, who denies the existence of trauma, argues that “life (how you live) is always a choice, and no matter how painful your past experiences are, it has no effect on how you live your life from now on.” “It’s not that people can’t change; they simply decide not to change. This is because they lack the courage to change.” For this reason, Adlerian psychology is also known as the “psychology of courage.”
The “courage” in “psychology of courage” has a different meaning than usual. It refers to 1) the feeling that one has abilities (the ability to manage oneself and contribute) and that those around oneself are friends (people who will help when one is in trouble), and 2) the energy to overcome difficulties cooperatively.
I find the idea of ”depth psychology” – that human consciousness and behavior are based on the unconscious, deep psychology – to be uneasy.
This is because I believe that the rational “knowledge” and “beliefs” each person acquires through experience and learning also have a significant influence on consciousness and behavior. Of course, it may be possible to see this knowledge and beliefs as unconsciously determining a person’s behavior.
Furthermore, the idea that “all worries are interpersonal relationships,” as in “Adlerian psychology,” is one-sided, and even if it has meaning as a way of thinking for “self-development,” I don’t think it will improve interpersonal relationships, let alone be useful in resolving international relations.