In the world of Adler, people would be doers, not talkers

In today's world of psychology and therapy, one name towers above all: Sigmund Freud, an icon of introspection, dream analysis, and digging deep into childhood trauma. His legacy looms large over modern psychology. Psychoanalysis has become a cultural mainstay, and with it, an entire industry has been built around talking, analysing, and revisiting the past. 

But what if the father of modern psychotherapy wasn't Freud? What if we had followed the path laid out by his contemporary, Alfred Adler, a thinker who believed that people could change, not by endlessly revisiting their childhoods, but by taking responsibility for their present and future. 

Alfred Adler dared to imagine something different that didn't chain people to their pasts. While Freud saw individuals as prisoners of their unconscious and childhood trauma, Adler believed in agency, purpose, and present-centred action. He asked, "What is the individual striving for now?" rather than "What happened to them then?"

In an Adlerian world, therapy wouldn't become a lifelong excavation project. People wouldn't be encouraged to endlessly dig through childhood rubble in search of answers. Instead, they'd be empowered to build with the bricks they already have, today and now. His concept of "Striving for Superiority" was not about arrogance but growth. He emphasised social interest—a sense of belonging, contribution, and purposeful living.

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Why, then, is Adler forgotten?

Perhaps it's because Adlerian psychology doesn't lend itself well to monetisation. It doesn't ask clients to keep coming to unpack every moment of their early years. It doesn't promise revelation through reflection, but transformation through action. And transformation through action requires discipline, not dependency. In Adler's world, people would be doers, not talkers. This cannot sit well with an industry built on talking, processing, and consuming therapy as a product.

We live in a culture that sometimes confuses overanalysis with progress. We have glorified that deep healing can only happen through relieving pain. But Adler suggested that a person could begin to change by simply choosing a new direction, by acting "as if" they were already the person they wanted to become.

Imagine that: less therapy, more living.

This isn't to say Freud didn't offer value. His theories were foundational, and for many, understanding the past is a pathway to healing. But the imbalance is striking. Adler, who gave us concepts like the inferiority complex, birth order theory, and goal-directed behaviour, is rarely a household name. He emphasised courage, responsibility, and social connection—not as ideals, but as tools for life.

Maybe it's time we returned to Adler, not just to honour his ideas, but to reshape how we think about mental health. Therapy doesn't need to be an intellectual luxury or an endless process. Sometimes, it can be simple, clear, and brave. Adler's vision doesn't lend itself to endless self-exploration. It asks something far simpler and far harder: what are you going to do about your life today? The answer doesn't need a couch or a year-long commitment to therapy. It needs courage, and above all, it needs action.

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We live in a world filled with talkers. Podcasts, therapists, influencers, and self-help books—so much of it circles insight without implementation. But insight is only half the journey. Adler knew this. He understood that people don't change just because they understand themselves. They change because they decide to act differently.

In a world led by Adlerian psychology, we might talk a little less and live a little more. We might stop excavating the past and start building a future. We might become doers, not talkers. In a world that often rewards talking about change, Adler reminds us of the power of doing it.

Zubayer Zakir Khan is a development professional. He previously taught marketing and communications at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB).

Views expressed in this article are the author's own. 

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