Which Adlerian concept refers to the unique pattern a person uses to cope with life and organize their behavior?

• A. Fictional finalism
• B. Catching oneself
• C. Life style
• D. Motivational modification

Answer: (C)

In Adlerian theory, the pattern a person uses to cope with life and organize their behavior is called lifestyle. This isn’t a single tactic or goal; it’s a comprehensive, enduring way of approaching tasks, relationships, and challenges that a person develops early in life. The lifestyle reflects underlying beliefs about the self, others, and the world, and it shapes how someone strives for significance and how they react to life’s demands. Because it’s the whole pattern guiding behavior, it helps explain why a person consistently repeats certain actions, avoids others, and pursues particular kinds of goals.

Fictional finalism refers to imagined ends that guide motivation, rather than the overall, organized pattern of behavior itself. Catching oneself is a therapeutic technique Adlerians use to become aware of and interrupt faulty patterns, not the pattern as a whole. Motivational modification isn’t a standard Adlerian term for describing a person’s characteristic way of living life.