Adlerian psychopedagogical methodologies for the training of non-psychologist school operators

Abstract

The problem child (with disabilities or maladjusted to classroom activities) must be socially integrated in order to positively enhance his or her psychophysical development and, to this end, must be understood in his or her entirety (unity of personality and lifestyle) according to the principles of Individual Psychology. The intervention in the schools of the Rozzano Local Health Authority, carried out by the authors, consisted of the following phases:
1. diagnostic, in which the problem child was assessed by answering questions from a questionnaire, drawn up on the basis of that of the International Society of Individual Psychology (personal details; origin of maladjustment; ways of dealing with disability; self-confidence; tendency to isolate themselves; their abilities) and projective tests (TAT, Rorschach);
2. cognitive, in which the reasons for the child's exclusion from the class were ascertained (Adler: organ inferiority; spoiled children; neglected children; hated children. Dreikurs: desire to attract attention, gain power, take revenge, express one's inadequacy);
3. operational encouragement. Only one example of such interventions is reported. The difficulties encountered at the level of teachers, who are more focused on performance than on people, and at the level of family members, who tend to completely offload the problem child onto the school, are mentioned. These difficulties can only be overcome by bringing everyone together in an ‘educational constellation’