An ethological approach to the fundamentals of Individual Psychology

Abstract

This contribution offers a reinterpretation of individual psychology as an “open system,” capable of engaging a dialogue with the contemporary cultural and scientific landscape. To maintain its relevance, individual psychology must evolve by integrating advances from other disciplines, particularly the biological sciences. Although it is an anthropomorphic psychology, not modeled on the natural sciences, it contains a psychobiological core represented by the concept of social interest and the striving for superiority. The text focuses on the importance of ethology — the study of animal and human behaviour — as a valuable interpretive framework for deepening the foundations of individual psychology. While acknowledging the risk of biological reductionism, it emphasizes that the English school of ethology, favored by the authors, avoids such simplification by highlighting the cultural dimension of human nature. In this context, the analogy between Bowlby’s “attachment behaviour” and Adler’s “social interest” is underscored. The openness to ethology is not entirely new: Adler was influenced by Darwin and, indirectly, by Kropotkin, both of whom advocated cooperation as an evolutionary factor. From this perspective, social interest can be viewed as a predisposition to learning, facilitated by biological mechanisms that guide its development. Hinde asserts that each species possesses specific predispositions that shape learning in certain contexts, and ethology has demonstrated the existence of “sensitive periods” during which such learning occurs more effectively. Lorenz redefines the innate as what is acquired phylogenetically, distinguishing it from what is learned ontogenetically. Every form of learning requires innate teaching mechanisms — such as pleasure or pain — that guide the organism toward adaptive behaviours. Adler himself stated that “from the very beginning of psychic life, there exists a reference framework that pushes and guides individuals toward a social attitude.”

Finally, the author proposes a third path: to consider social interest as a functional category, composed of behaviours that promote peaceful coexistence and cooperation, regardless of their causes. This perspective fosters a deeper dialogue between individual psychology and ethology, emphasizing the interaction between biology, environment, and culture