Which statement best describes Adlerian therapy's overall orientation?

• A. Psychoanalytic approach
• B. Behavioral approach
• C. Psychosocial approach focusing on life goals and mistaken assumptions
• D. Client-centered therapy

Answer: (D)

Adlerian therapy is a psychosocial approach that centers on a person's life goals and the mistaken beliefs that guide their behavior. It views personality as shaped by social context and purposeful striving to belong and be significant in the community. The therapist helps uncover the private logic—the assumptions and goals driving the person's pattern of living—and then works to reframe those goals toward more socially useful, cooperative ways of living. Techniques often involve exploring early recollections, understanding the lifestyle a person has adopted, and identifying how mistaken beliefs about self and others contribute to current struggles. This orientation contrasts with approaches that emphasize inherent drives or pure self-actualization without the explicit focus on life aims and the social context in which those aims operate.