The Concept of Theology in Adler

Abstract

The text examines Alfred Adler's fundamental contribution to psychology through his theory of causal finalism, proposed in Individual Psychology, as a way of overcoming traditional psychic determinism. Adler is considered the first to have made the transition from a biological view of human beings to a comprehensive, dynamic, historical, and cultural view, highlighting the totality and indivisibility of the person. His perspective highlights the importance of the future and human planning in determining behavior, introducing a teleological approach where the individual is an active agent of their own becoming, in relation to both nature and the social context. Neurosis and psychosis are seen not only as the result of biological or social factors, but also as expressions of dysfunctional planning. The individual is not considered a machine that reacts to stimuli, but a subject capable of consciously orienting themselves towards conscious or unconscious goals. The reflection compares philosophical, biological, and psychological positions (from Leibniz to Marx, from Arieti to Monod), emphasizing the distinction between deterministic causality and finalism as modes of interpreting human behavior. Ultimately, Adlerian thought affirms the relative freedom of human beings, their possibility of choice and change, and the centrality of the project dimension in understanding the psyche